In a fitting close to the last chapter of the beloved To All The Boys trilogy, Lana Condor and Noah Centineo send letters one last time—just as Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky would have wanted it.
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Remember writing letters? While the charm of the considerably antiquated art of putting thoughts to paper is arguably lost to an entire generation, what with their emails, messengers, and DMs, nothing will ever come close to that cathartic feeling of writing a letter. Even reading it is an incomparable experience altogether, one has to admit. In the obvious lack of something physical, the feelings woven within become tangible and all too real, as if no distance exists between two ends.
While a letter is more than enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy, especially when ensconced in the romantic sort—as it usually tends to be—there exists a great sense of courage that not many realize. It takes great bravery to be able to articulate emotions of this sort, more so when made permanent in ink—even if you don’t actually intend to send it to your own Peter Kavinsky, just ask Lara Jean Covey in the premise that catapulted the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series by Jenny Han into a young adult novel and rom-com film phenomenon.
A Letter Exchange
In a story that started with letters, as well as of it being the literary device that fueled an entire trilogy, it is only fitting that it ends with letters, too. But this exchange of hearts poured into pieces of paper isn’t of the fictional sort, oh no. To make memories eternal in the closing chapter of the beloved To All The Boys series, Always And Forever, Lana Condor and Noah Centineo wrote a letter of goodbye to each other. Of course, the letters were sent with full intention of being read. However, in this case of life being a parallel to art, the two had to recite the letter out loud for an entire to swoon over.
“We exchanged letters a month ago, you know, it was so kind. It was just lovely. But I think Lana and I…I think we’ll always be in each other’s lives, and I think we got very lucky. I certainly feel extremely lucky to have worked with her,” gushes Noah Centineo. On the actual flip side, Lana Condor goes on to detail, “He wrote about his favorite memories between the two of us. He brought up things that he knows annoy the heck out of me about him. But he did say that he had a lot of joy working on these films and has loved the relationship we’ve cultivated and the friendship we now have, and he knows that I always have his back no matter what.”
Dear Lana, Dear Noah
An honest and heartwarming culmination to their life-changing To All The Boys journey, the letters chart their shared trajectory, beginning in an audition waiting room to being friends comfortable in silence. “Not really sure what we did to get us here, but I am grateful we made it here together. I’m so impressed and motivated by the work that you do on and off the cameras, and thank you for letting me ride your coattails on the last three films,” writes the actor to Lana Condor. In true Noah Centineo fashion, profound and persnickety, the letter continues, “This is supposed to be a goodbye letter, but I refuse to say goodbye. I refuse because it matters not if one says goodbye, but if one leaves upon the moment of saying goodbye to others.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa…deep.
Just as his child-like grin and abundant tumble of curls took to a settle, it was his turn to read the letter penned by the disarmingly genuine and giggly Lana Condor. “I could begin at the very moment I first laid eyes on you—socks and sandals, red and black Letterman jacket, and a huge smile on your face. But I think I want to start a couple years after our first meeting. We were shooting a scene in the third movie, and we were in the car. I remember watching your eyes and seeing your heart. I realized then that we’ve become those friends who can be very comfortable in silence sitting next to each other,” says Noah Centineo.
“It’s the quiet small moments when nobody’s looking that really shows your heart, and it’s good and kind and always cares for the people in your circle. I’ve always felt safe and supportive when I’m around you.”
Always And Forever
Do you have tissues nearby? Or a significant other to hold on to? Because it gets too much for our little Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky hearts to bear.
“The love I have in my eyes for you in our films is real,” continues the letter of Lana Condor to Noah Centineo. “I truly think your heart is kind and good and I love the way you operate through life. Your mind is wild and creative and chaotic and beautiful. And I know that the future only has the best things in store for you, and I hope you know, I’ll always be here for you.”
“Lots of love, always.”
And just like that, their respective goodbye letters have been signed off. But it isn’t farewell quite yet, because there is still an entire To All The Boys film to enjoy, which is of course their parting gift to an audience that has been with them since the very first written salutations on paper for Lara Jean Covey.
For Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, this journey can only be described as a dream come true for where above everything, they got to talk about courage, love, and identity. With the final chapter of To All The Boys finally out for all the world to see and come to terms with, could we see a renaissance of the art of writing letters? We sure hope so, because we got our pen and papers ready to write our own following the ending credits of Always and Forever, which is now streaming on Netflix.
As it is written, so it shall be done.
