Joey King reacts to Jacob Elordi’s ‘Kissing Booth’ criticism

“The Kissing Booth” franchise might be over, but the commentary from its cast continues.

On Dec. 2, Joey King addressed her former co-star Jacob Elordi’s recent criticisms of the franchise in an interview with Variety.

King and Elordi appeared in Netflix’s “The Kissing Booth” trilogy from 2018 to 2021 and dated briefly. King starred in the series as Elle Evans, a teenager who falls in love with her best friend’s older brother, Noah Flynn, whom Elordi portrayed.

In November, 26-year-old Elordi received backlash after he told GQ magazine that he “didn’t want to make those movies.”

Over the weekend, King told Variety she couldn’t relate to his sentiments.

“I think it’s unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” King, 24, said. “I had a great time making those movies no matter what anyone says.”

Here’s everything to know about Elordi’s comments surrounding the series and what more of his co-stars have had to say.

What is 'The Kissing Booth' series?

“The Kissing Booth” is a teen romance comedy that debuted in 2018 on Netflix. The movie is based on Beth Reekles’ popular 2012 YA novel of the same name and stars King as the main character, a junior in high school who starts a secret relationship with the older brother of her best friend.

At the time it was announced that a second movie was in the works, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told Variety the original film was “one of the most-watched movies in the country, and maybe in the world.”

“The Kissing Booth 2” debuted in 2020, and the third and final film, “The Kissing Booth 3,” was released in 2021.

What did Jacob Elordi say?

In November, two years after the release of the final “Kissing Booth” film, Elordi’s GQ interview stirred up controversy when he called the movies "ridiculous."

The actor appeared in GQ’s Man of the Year issue and reflected on his journey from “The Kissing Booth” to his role as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s recently released film “Priscilla.”

“I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” Elordi said of “The Kissing Booth” films. “Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”

Elordi claimed that he accepted his role in the romance comedy series because of a code in the entertainment industry, which he likened to the concept of “one for them, one for me.” According to the GQ interview, the idea is common amongst entertainment industry creatives and often sees them take on projects for which they have little interest, hoping that their work will be rewarded with roles closer to something they feel true passion for.

“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 said. “My ‘one for them,’ I’ve done it.”

What else was said about “The Kissing Booth?”

Elordi’s comments about “The Kissing Booth” also got a reaction from actor Taylor Zakhar Perez, who appeared in the film’s sequels. In November, Perez called Elordi’s remarks about the movie a “shame” while speaking to Variety in a separate interview.

“I thought it was a shame because, to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience,” Perez said.

“It’s a shame that was his experience on the set. Especially when those movies came out, it was a time when we really needed something like that,” he continued, seemingly referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “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.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com