This article contains mild spoilers for To All the Boys: Always and Forever.
That cafe confession we’re referring to takes place about half way into the movie. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) are on a date at a cake shop in New York when she finally comes clean about having lied about getting into Stanford. It is an astutely observed scene that is perfectly reflective of their relationship has evolved over the course of these three movies. Their interaction in that moment was absolutely key because it told you everything you needed to know about their relationship.
Noah Centineo broke down the scene for us and explained why it was so critical.
He’s never been that guy. He’s always been that loving, nurturing, protective human being.
Noah Centineo on Peter Kavinsky
Noah Centineo on Peter’s reaction to Lara Jean’s confession:
I think in the beginning of that scene, Peter is so, so elated because in his head they’ve celebrated her going to Stanford. He’s going. She’s going. They’re both going to Stanford together.
And of course, L.J. knows for a fact that it’s not going to happen. She didn’t get accepted. But she did get accepted to Berkeley. And so, in the beginning of that scene, you have L.J. who knows that she needs to tell Peter the truth, and she’s horrified that he’s going to be angry, and that he’s going to come down on her and say that she’s stupid, or whatever.
She’s created all of these false beliefs in her head and she’s let her mind run away with itself. Which is what happens in other movies. Which, you know, is kind of a recurring theme for Lara Jean.
When she finally has the courage to tell him the truth. Of course, he doesn’t react that way. He’s never been that guy. He’s always been that loving, nurturing, protective human being.
So then there is that moment, where he pauses, and she’s kind of like flinching and thinking that he’s going to react, and he does, but not how she thinks he’s going to. He just goes, “Are you okay?” Because she’s obviously not okay. And that is so representative of their relationship. Even if something hurts him, he’s very concerned about her. Almost to a fault.
He is so blinded by his own desire for Stanford to be a thing, that he makes her going to Berkeley a solution. “Let me solve this. Let me solve this. You’ll go to Berkeley, and in the next year will be together.” He’s so blinded by that that he refuses to acknowledge that she’s actually happier than she’s ever been with the idea of going to NYU.
And then you see the flip side of it. It’s almost like this ignorance. It’s almost like this privileged thing. And you can kind of dance around that conversation as well. But yeah, the bakery scene I think, shows how optimistic Peter is, and how pessimistic L.J. is, and that is very representative of their relationship.
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