Jacob Elordi clashed with Netflix over ‘Kissing Booth’ smoking on screen

Image via Netflix

When adapting a novel into a film or TV series, some small details are often left out. However, for his breakout role as Noah Flynn in Netflix’s hit film The kissing boothJacob Elordi didn’t let on about his character’s smoking.

In a conversation with GQ, the Euphoria star revealed that he noticed a couple shifts away from the source material when filming in South Africa – notably Noah’s smoking, which was left out of the script.

“I remember saying, ‘He’s smoking in the book. I’m going to smoke. He’s going to have cigarettes. He’s a bad boy. I was like, ‘This is bullshit!’ I remember going to war for it. I thought, ‘Are we lying to the damn millions of 14-year-olds out there? This guy smokes nicotine. It says here on page four—look!’ I imagine people were just like, ‘Jesus Christ. Is this guy serious?’”

Coming in with such intensity for what would be his kickstart to fame proved the Aussie actor was aiming for a more authentic acting experience. The film was also a huge success for the streaming platform and two sequels – Kissing booth 2 and Kissing booth 3 was released in 2020 and 2021. He reprized his role in both sequels alongside co-stars Joey King and Joel Courtney.

Since then, Elordi has continued to polarize many fans with his starring role as Nate Jacobs in HBO’s acclaimed teen drama series, Euphoria along with Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer, Angus Cloud, Maude Apatow and more.