Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Tom Belding (@thetombelding) | Stylist: Jason Pillay (@jasonpillay) | MUA: Jada Cianne Arriola (@jadaciannearriola) | Hair: Shabnam Saeiarasi (@hairby.shabnam) | Creative Director (@youngmeganne_)
We got to chat with actress Meganne Young about her upbringing, Kissing Booth 3, and her advice for aspiring actors.
You spent your childhood in Sri Lanka and Switzerland. Do you think your international background and living in different places inspired you to start performing and learn what it’s like to step into others shoes?
Oh, I actually also lived in Nigeria and Cape Town as a child. I think it definitely impacted my desire to pursue acting and has helped me, it’s made me more adaptable which is very useful in this industry.
What did you learn at the The Guildford School of Acting that you take with you in your career today?
I actually completed my Bachelor of Arts with GSA and it was long-distance learning. It was good practice in time management which is very important as a freelancer!
Can you relate to your character Rachel in the Kissing Booth films?
Yes! I think I relate very much to Rachel but I also feel like I relate to all the TKB characters in some way. That’s what makes this franchise work – the relatability.
In the Kissing Booth 3 everyone is preparing to move into a new chapter in their lives after the summer. Did you and your castmates also feel as though you were moving into a new chapter once filming wrapped?
Absolutely. It was so sad wrapping up and I felt very emotional but I was also exhausted and ready for my summer holiday! I think we all left knowing we shared in creating something special and now it was on to the next adventure. Bittersweet.
During the pandemic, the entertainment industry had to halt filming and is just now getting back into the swing of things. How did you keep yourself feeling creative and motivated during the shutdown?
Honestly? There wasn’t a lot of feeling creative or motivated when the world first shut down. I really struggled initially. I’d watch other people continuing acting class on zoom, or writing scripts or creating TikTok skits and I just wanted to sleep. I totally crashed. It had been a long time since I wasn’t thinking about acting, about pursuing acting, and I guess I just took the time as rest? Acting is such a mental game. There is a lot of rejection, a lot you can’t control. I took the time to just give myself a moment to switch off.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
I always find this such a difficult question. I guess I would say: try to keep perspective. When you start out, those first few roles you lose out on hurt so much. It’s so soul-crushing. You need to remember that there are always a million factors at play that you can’t control and that this industry is a marathon not a sprint. Be gentle with yourself.