Joey King responds to Jacob Elordi’s “unfortunate” criticism of ‘The Kissing Booth’ films

Joey King and Jacob Elordi

The actress Joey King has spoken of her disappointment in her former co-star Jacob Elordi after he criticised The Kissing Booth series of films in a recent interview.

The two actors co-starred in the popular trilogy of rom-coms, and in a story in GQ recently, Elordi sought to distance himself from the films, saying: “I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies. Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”

In response to that, in an interview in Variety this week, King has spoken out at Elordi’s quotes.

“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” she said. “I had a great time making those movies, no matter what anyone says.”

Jacob Elordi and Joey King in 'The Kissing Booth'
Jacob Elordi and Joey King in ‘The Kissing Booth’. CREDIT: Marcos Cruz

The article also quotes another actor from The Kissing Booth, Taylor Zakhar Perez, who said: “I thought it was a shame because to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience.”

“It’s a shame that was his experience on the set,” Perez continued. “Especially when those movies came out, it was a time when we really needed something like that. I know from our fan interactions, getting stopped everywhere I go, what Kissing Booth means to people and what it brought them during such a dark time. I guess the silver lining is he still made people laugh and feel good.”

Elordi is said to have attempted to smooth over the controversy by adding: “I’m incredibly grateful to everybody in it.”

The Kissing Booth was released on Netflix in 2018, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Beth Reekles. It starred King as a teenager whose budding romance with Elordi’s Noah puts her friendship with Noah’s brother in jeopardy. The two actors returned in 2020 for The Kissing Booth 2, and The Kissing Booth 3 in 2021.

Australian actor Elordi, who also starred in the HBO series Euphoria, has had a huge 2023, recently playing one of the lead roles in the film Saltburn and he is now set to play Elvis Presley in the upcoming biopic Priscilla.

In addition to The Kissing Booth films, King has also appeared in Fargo, Bullet Train, The Conjuring and The Dark Knight Rises.

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