‘XO, Kitty’ star Anthony Keyvan shares more about his Filipino family and his favorite K-pop group
If you loved the To All The Boys trilogy, it is likely that you will also love its spin-off series, XO, Kitty.
Since its release last May 18, the series has been topping the Netflix chart in the country, and we know that it is because of the fun love adventures of Kitty and her friends at K.I.S.S.
Aside from the romantic adventures of Kitty, it is undeniable that her best friend, Quincy, a.k.a Q, captured the hearts of many for his warm and fun character, and you have Anthony Keyvan to thank for.
Delving more on his character, the 22-year-old character shared how important it is to him to portray Q.
“I loved playing Q, I think it’s an honor to play a character like Q,” he told PhilSTAR L!fe in an exclusive interview.
“Growing up, I've never really experienced representation as far as being a mixed Filipino kid, so being able to play one on TV is just a dream come true,” he added. “It’s been a really great ride so far and it’s been everything I’ve ever hoped for.”
He also added how his role in the series has been “one of the easy characters” he had to portray, sharing how similar his personality as Anthony is with the fictional character.
“Honestly, Q was one of the easy characters for me to play, because there was a lot of myself in him, I think there’s a lot of room to kind of grow with Q,” he told L!fe.
“There was a lot of specificity to his character while I was filming. So, there was a lot of time and I had a lot of room to mold the character into who he was, and by doing so, I added a lot of elements in myself into him,” he added.
One of the preparations he had done is working out a lot as Q is characterized as a physically fit track star.
“I worked out a lot too to kind of get into the mindset of Q, because he’s a jock, muscle guy or whatever, so I was working out while I was in Korea to kind of like, get myself pumped,” he explained.
In case you didn’t know, prior to his role in the series, Anthony played roles in prominent films and series Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Student Body, and recently, Love, Victor—a series inspired by the hit film, Love, Simon.
“I wouldn’t say there aren’t any difficulties to overcome, it was moreso of just like a lot of thought when into it,” he added.
Working in the series, Anthony spent three and a half months in Korea, which allowed him to be immersed in the culture. What got him the most? K-pop, specifically Blackpink.
“Being around Koreans all the time, I had no choice but to listen to K-pop and I love it!” he said.
“I would say I’m a Blink now, I definitely love Blackpink. I definitely loved Korean culture, for sure,” he added.
Like Q, Anthony is a mixed-raced actor with Filipino roots. Interestingly, he shared that he also celebrates Christmas like any Pinoy with his family.
“As a Filipino, Christmas is a huge holiday for us, I want to continue the tradition of having a parol in my house. My mom and all of her sisters, even though they grew up here in the US, they still have their own parol from the Philippines that they hang in their front window every Christmas. And that’s something I want to continue when I have my own home one day,” he shared.
Contrary to the previous projects he has worked on which was mostly drama, comedy, and romance, Anthony shared what genre he wants to try, specifically when given the chance to work on a Filipino project.
“I would want to play like a super spy, something action-oriented, I think it would be really fun,” he told L!fe.
With his charm and talent in acting, Anthony has someone he looks up to—and they are mixed Filipinos as well.
“He’s not an actor but I love Bruno Mars so much, my entire family has always liked to listen to his music ever since he came up 10 or 12 years ago,” he added.
“He will always be at the top of the list, I will die on that hill, it would never not be Bruno Mars,” he added.
On actors, Anthony hopes to work with Lou Diamond Phillips—a Filipino-American actor.
“Lou Diamond Phillips is an amazing Filipino actor who I really hope I get the chance to work with one day.” Phillips is best known to his roles in the films La Bamba and Big Kill.
Haven’t watched the series yet? You’re never too late to join the party. Watch it anytime, anywhere on Netflix.