Jacob Elordi reveals why he finds his film 'The Kissing Booth' ridiculous

Jacob Elordi, 26, known for his role in "The Kissing Booth," reflects on the Netflix teen trilogy, expressing less-than-favorable sentiments about the experience. In an interview for GQ, featured in the Men of the Year issue, the "Priscilla" actor candidly discloses that he perceives the films as "ridiculous."

"I didn't want to make those movies before I made those movies," he said. "Those movies are ridiculous. They're not universal. They're an escape."

Jacob Elordi potrayed the role of Noah Flynn, a football player and Harvard student, in the 2018 films opposite Joey King's Elle Evans. The movies are based on the Beth Reekles novel series of the same name. The "Euphoria" star shared his perspective on how the film felt like part of a Hollywood "trap" that some actors find themselves in.


"You have no original ideas and you're dead inside. So it's a fine dance," he said.

The 26-year-old actor also defended himself against critics who labeled his dissatisfaction with the teen films as "pretentious."

"How is caring about your output pretentious?" Elordi told the outlet. "But not caring … knowing that you're making money off of people's time, which is literally the most valuable thing that they have. How is that the cool thing?"

The actor also revealed a role he rejected because it was "too dark."

"They asked me to read for Superman," he said. "That was immediately, 'No, thank you.' That's too much. That's too dark for me."

The actor might find projects like "Saltburn" and "Priscilla" more fulfilling. In the latter, Elordi takes on the role of Elvis opposite Cailee Spaeny in the title role. He approached the role with great seriousness, revealing to USA TODAY that he deliberately avoided watching Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic.

"I didn't want to copy anyone or get any ideas in my head," Elordi said.

"I tried to dodge everything, from trailers to the marketing campaign," he said, while adding: "I didn't want to see a shape or color or hear a sound related to it. It was important to be original."

To capture Elvis' moods and mannerisms, the actor extensively delved into documentaries and biographies. Perfecting the singer's distinctive Southern mumble involved a meticulous study of press conferences and concert footage.