Jacob Elordi is one of the most promising rising stars in the Australian acting landscape, but the 6-foot-5 heartthrob (known for casually carrying around Louis Vuitton handbags and an endless stream of books) has landed himself in hot water over comments made on his early acting work in The Kissing Booth. Comments his ex-girlfriend and co-star on the show Joey King staunchly disagrees with.
Elordi’s dizzying ascent from rom-com bad boy to Elvis Presley in Priscilla, Felix Catton in Saltburn and Nate Jacobs in Gen Z hit Euphoria is a hopeful tale putting stars in the eyes of generations of up-and-comers, but it’s easy to forget the perceived ‘lower hanging fruit’ that built his profile.
The comments in question come from a GQ interview aptly named, ‘How Jacob Elordi Became The New King’.
In it, he discusses how he landed small acting gigs post-school but shot to fame for his portrayal of football player and student Noah Flynn, the love interest to Joey King’s Elle Evans in The Kissing Booth. It’s a candy-coated, teen romance where Elle has a crush on her best friend’s older brother, and a mishap at a kissing booth finds the two moving from friends to lovers.
Arguably not the most profound storyline you’ll find on TV, but one that had enough of a following to see author of the eponymous book Beth Reekles’ work adapted into the series.
Much like how Robert Pattinson feels about portraying Edward Cullen in Twilight and how James Blunt feels towards, well, his whole discography, Elordi said he pretty much hated the gig.
“I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” he says. “Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”
When prompted with the “one for them, one for me” job rationale purported by other big names in Hollywood (as in, one movie for the fans/big business, one for my soul), Elordi says he is against that ethos.
“That one’s a trap as well. Because it can become 15 for them, none for you. You have no original ideas and you’re dead inside. So it’s a fine dance,” he replies. “My ‘one for them,’ I’ve done it.”
Ouch. One could understand why Elordi, who if his recent airport pap photos are anything to go by is a bit of a literati, may not find the Kissing Booth subject matter to his tastes. He is not the target market.
Yet, it stands to question whether bashing the hand that once fed him is the smartest move, especially given that his co-star and ex-girlfriend Joey King has a very different perspective.
“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way. I had a great time making those movies no matter what anyone says,” she told Variety.
Fellow Kissing Booth costar Zakhar Perez, who has since starred in Red, White And Blue, also told the publication, “I thought it was a shame because to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience.”
It appears that one man’s trash is another’s treasure – but perhaps it’s not that simple. Possibly Elordi’s comments were less about whether it was fun to make, but rather that the subject matter did not align with his acting goals.
Despite the furore, it seems Elordi is happy with how his career has gone since his ‘one for them’.
“That’s probably why I’m so happy, because now judgment and comments on the internet and stuff, it’s…” he trailed off to GQ.
It’s clear that Elordi wants to shake off the shackles of the ‘heartthrob actor is the love interest in a romantic story’. It’s a similar arc to what we’ve seen with other high profile male actors, Ryan Gosling going from The Notebook to Only God Forgives or Austin Butler from The Carrie Diaries to, well, also Elvis.
We can only hope that Elordi, too, will have too his romance or comedic renaissance, ala Gosling in La La Land or Barbie.
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