[INTERVIEW] Adoptee Peter Thurnwald plays Korean adoptee in 'XO, Kitty'

Actor Peter Thurnwald / Courtesy of Ben Cope

Peter Thurnwald to appear on Netflix's "XO, Kitty" as Australia-raised Korean adoptee

By Dong Sun-hwa

Among the cast members of Netflix's upcoming rom-com series, "XO, Kitty," Peter Thurnwald probably plays a character most resembling its actor. Thurnwald, who was born in Korea and adopted by his Australian parents when he was six-month-old, assumes the role of Alex Finnerty, an Australia-raised Korean adoptee. Alex is a teacher at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS) ― a fictional institution ― who searches for his biological roots.

For Thurnwald, portraying a character whose circumstances are so similar to his own was both challenging and enjoyable.

The poster for the upcoming Netflix series, "XO, Kitty" / Courtesy of Netflix

"I am an adopted Korean, so playing an adopted character brought its challenges in the sense that it was very close to home," the 25-year-old told The Korea Times in a recent email interview. "As an actor, I enjoy delving into characters that are a little bit different from me because there is a distinct barrier between what is me and what is the character. But that is also the most enjoyable part because then I get to explore facets of my personality and get to share those with people on the screen, which is extremely exciting."

When he was filming "XO, Kitty" ― a spinoff of the popular Netflix film franchise, "To All the Boys I've Loved" ― Thurnwald could easily empathize with his character. "XO, Kitty" revolves around Kitty Song Covey ― played by Anna Cathcart ― who seeks to learn about her late Korean mother's life and reunite with her long-distance Korean boyfriend, Dae ― played by Choi Min-yeong. It is scheduled to premiere on Thursday.

"I and Alex are both very loyal and care about other people a lot," Thurnwald noted. "But of course, the thing that is most similar for us is that we are both adopted and have experienced the same thing growing up in Australia. The experience of not knowing who you are and what your identity is."

Thurnwald says he grew up "very Australian."

"I did not have much of a chance to visit Korea when I was younger and I only went back once when I think I was about 10 years old," he said. "I barely remember what the country was like. I did go back when I was filming 'XO, Kitty,' and that was a completely new experience, but not for a very long time. I did not have a chance to learn too much Korean when I was growing up, although we did have a group of Korean adoptees on the Gold Coast."

When he turned 19, Thurnwald experienced an early quarter-life crisis. Since he grew up in a predominantly white part of Australia, he felt like he did not know much about his identity. There were many Koreans at his school, but he still felt there was something inside eating away at him. He almost left the country to find his birth mother. However, he later learned that his orphanage in Korea had burnt down, so he could not find records about her.

"But I found acting around the same time, which allowed me to vent those feelings of not knowing who I was," Thurnwald recalled. "At the moment, I would not say I am 100 percent actively searching for my mother. I think that is a completely different story that I would like to tell in the future. But as of now, I am very comfortable with who I am and what I stand for. If I was to go and find her, I would want it to improve my life not take away from it."

Asked whether he has any message for her, he said he does not have much to say.

"I do not think is necessarily a bad thing," he said. "I am just very satisfied with the upbringing that I had. And I enjoyed my life as it is. So I just hope that if she is reading this then she is happy. If she wanted to reconnect and say hi, then I would love that. I would love her to be a part of my life again. But I just hope that she is well and healthy."

Actor Peter Thurnwald / Captured from Instagram

Thurnwald did not dream of becoming an actor from the very beginning. However, after doing a play in high school in his final year, he was scouted by a casting agent.

"I ended up doing a bunch of extra work around South East Queensland," he said. "So I just fell into it, but I knew that I wanted to be an actor as soon as I stepped onto set. There was just something magical about being on a film set and creating beautiful stories that can give people a cathartic experience."

To date, Thurnwald has appeared on a number of series including, "Bump" (2020) and "Players" (2022). For those who are not yet so familiar with him, he recommends watching "Players" first.

"I have only done three series regular so far in my very short career, but playing Foresite on 'Players' was such an amazing experience and I enjoyed the show as a whole," he said. "E-Sports is something that I have been passionate about ever since I could go on a computer so of course I loved the show."

Actor Peter Thurnwald / Courtesy of Ben Cope

Thurnwald is also a producer and director.

"I just love film, whether that is being a director, actor, cinematographer or scriptwriter," he stressed. "Being in sound, being in crafts, I just love being on a set. And so being able to direct and act and hopefully produce is something that I have very much at the forefront of my mind going forward."

He added, "I do see myself kind of leaning more toward behind the camera as opposed to in front as I get older. There is something about passionate storytelling and the creation of a film that is a little different from me when I am acting. I can feel especially on television and film, it can feel a little bit like it's not your performance anymore because there are so many factors that contribute. Whereas if I'm kind of producing something, I get to decide the story I'm telling as opposed to finding the story that I want to tell."

Thurnwald plans to visit Korea this year or early next year.

"I love Korea," he said. "I still feel like there is so much more to do there, and of course, I want to go back to investigate a little bit more about my mother and hopefully gain some more insight into that."