Joey King Admits It Wasn’t ‘Easy’ Acting With Ex-Boyfriend Jacob Elordi In ‘The Kissing Booth 2’

Joey King opened up about what it was like sharing the screen with her former boyfriend and co-star, Jacob Elordi in The Kissing Booth 2. The Emmy-nominated actress featured in a new cover story for Cosmopolitan’s September issue. Where she revealed that it wasn’t easy working with Elordi after their split.

As fans are well aware, King and Elordi met in 2017 while working on the first Kissing Booth film. Which follows the romance of their characters Elle Evans and Noah Flynn. The two quickly formed a connection off-screen and began dating. However, their relationship lasted for over a year before the couple broke up in 2018. Then, in 2019, The Kissing Booth’s sequel was announced, and King and Elordi found themselves working together again.

“Elle Evans needs her Noah Flynn”

Joey admitted that an added pressure came in working with Jacob. “No one’s thinking to themselves, ‘That was easy,’ because it wasn’t. I’m sure people will analyze every movement and every detail. And you know what? Let them,” said King. “But at the end of the day, I was just thrilled to be Elle Evans again.”

The 21 year old star then elaborated, noting “there’s so much” that she wanted to say. “What’s the most, um, correct way to go about this?” she added. “Elle Evans needs her Noah Flynn. And whatever that means for my personal life, I’ll do anything to make sure the story of my character who I care about so much is complete.”

“I learned a lot about myself and I grew as an actor”

This isn’t the first time that King has spoken about working with her ex. In November last year, Joey appeared on the Mood With Lauren Elizabeth podcast. Where she said that working with Jacob was a “sacrifice” worth making.

“It was a wild experience. But honestly, it was a really beautiful time. Because I learned a lot about myself and I grew as an actor. I grew as a person on this,” she said at the time, adding that shooting scenes with the Euphoria star was “fine.”

Romance Rumors and Speculations

By the looks of it, both stars have moved on. Earlier this year, King generated romance rumors with Steven Piet. Who executive produced her series, The Act. She also called him her “sweet boyfriend” in a piece for InStyle. Additionally, there was recent speculation that she has fallen for her Kissing Booth 2 co-star, Taylor Zakhar Perez.

As for Elordi, he has sparked speculation with his Euphoria co-star, Zendaya.

They’re also both busy with work. For instance, King is reportedly working on a new project with Margot Robbie and Kaitlyn Dever. Whereas, Elordi is also set to appear in the upcoming movie, 2 Hearts.

“When it comes to taking care of yourself, there is a certain level of selfishness you have to have”

King also told the publication about her self-care routines and how she has to convince herself that it’s not selfish to prioritize her mental health.

“I preach a lot about being proactive about your mental health and not feeling selfish for feeling depressed or upset. But then when I sink into these weird moods, I immediately feel super selfish, which makes me feel worse,” she shared. “When it comes to taking care of yourself, there is a certain level of selfishness you have to have, but it’s hard.” She added, “I haven’t found that balance yet. Because I in no way, shape or form want to make any conversation that I start right now about me.”

The actress, who called the year 2020 a “piece of s—,” said that she’s holding out hope that the world comes out of the pandemic stronger than before. “I know it’s silly to hope that everything’s beautiful by September because it won’t be. So I’m hoping that there’s hope. That’s more realistic,” she said.

Kissing Booth 3?

Looks like fans won’t be seeing the last of King and Elordi together. Just days after The Kissing Booth 2 hit Netflix, the cast announced they had secretly finished filming a third movie. That’s right! The Kissing Booth 3 is set to debut in 2021. While there’s nothing official on a possible story line, both Jacob and Joey appeared in the social media teaser confirming the film’s newest chapter.