Sequel Gap: The original novel was completed on Wattpad in 2010. Beth Reekles would not write a follow-up story, The Beach House, until 2019, while the full sequel, Going the Distance, came out in 2020.
The film
Actor-Shared Background: Joey King was born and raised in Los Angeles, just like her character Elle.
California Doubling: Partly averted; the film is set in California and some scenes were filmed there, although they also filmed many scenes at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
Played straight with Joel Courtney (Lee), who was 20/21 during filming, playing a high schooler.
Averted with Joey King, who was 17 during filming (playing a 16-year-old), and downplayed with Jacob Elordi, who was 19. Funnily enough, this means that Lee is technically 'older' than his older brother.
Meganne Young (Rachel) is also a straight example; at 26/27 years old during filming, she was a full decade older than her character.
Jacob Elordi, who plays Noah, is actually Australian.
Rachel is portrayed by South African Meganne Young.
Romance on the Set: Jacob Elordi (Noah) and Joey King (Elle) reportedly began dating in 2017 after filming the movie. Ironically, by the time the sequel began filming, they broke up. However, they remained professional as actors while filming the movie.
