C. H. Mitford - Noah Centineo

When you think of Noah Centineo, you probably think of the superstar who won the 2019 MTV Best Breakthrough Performance Award for playing Peter Kavinsky in To All the Boys Ive Loved Before. Totally deserved, right? I mean, nothing is cuter than that hand in the back pocket. And Noah is the epitome of charm with that hot tub splash and his love of Kittys Korean yogurts.

But heres the SCOOP! Noah has been honing his acting chops for over a decade. From the outside, it looks like a rapid riseliterally shooting to stardombut we know better, dont we?

Back in 2009, when he was just thirteen, Noah started out in the film The Gold Retrievers as Josh Peters, who saves the family from losing both their home and their beloved golden retriever, Bosco, by finding a long-lost treasure and fighting criminals and rabid bears along the way. Noah was as cute as the puppy!

Then there were bit parts in two Disney TV series, Austin & Ally and Shake It Up. Next was the part of Jaden Stark in 2014s How to Build a Better Boy (perfect title for him!), followed by joining the cast of another Disney pilot called Growing Up and Down, which was initially not picked up. So, he wasnt exactly coming out of the gate winning Oscars.

Noah C.or NC, as we like to call himwent through a truly rough time. Because hed signed a contract for the pilot, he couldnt take jobs during that time period, even though the show didnt come to fruition. He explained to MTV News that, I went through a really dark patch because I wasnt actually allowed to work. I was contractually obligated to be on hold for a certain amount of months. And that sucked miserably.

But NC was not to be daunted! He kept at his craft, and, man, did it pay off. He auditioned exhaustively, taking some small roles until he landed the role of Jesus Adams Foster in The Fosters. Heres where things turned around for Noah! This is a very moving series, and Noah lends both gravitas and charisma to a character who is warm and loyal but also struggling with ADHD.

So, from there, BAM! Noah was cast in another series, T@gged, a creepy thriller. He playsyou guessed it!the boyfriend, Hawk Carter. Do you sense a pattern here? From there, he progressed to heartthrob surfer Johnny Sanders Jr. in SPF-18 and, lo and behold, one of the first of many times Noah is shirtless on film. The movie didnt get great reviews, but nothing was going to stop him now. He branched out into the supernatural for the movie Cant Take It Back, which prompted Dread Central writer Jonathan Barkan to write the headline Exclusive: Cant Take It Back Clip Proves My Fear of Pencils Correct. While these werent blockbusters, they got Noah on a streak. And we know where that led him! Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is where it led him. And what a lead!

And heres another SCOOP! Noah almost wasnt cast as Jamey! He didnt even audition for that role; he tried out for the part of Spence, the rude guy who dates the popular girl.

Sweet, likable Noah as Spence? No way! Director Ian Samuels thought about the casting process very thoroughly, and he didnt want the Jamey character to be too obvious. Not the usual in-your-face, handsome-but-vapid jock. With Jamey, we were looking for somebody who could play a more soulful type and somebody with the puppy-dog eyes who the girls would like, Samuels explained to ET. But who... kind of had a unique sincerity to him, and Noah absolutely did. It was kind of crazy, honestly.

Soulful is right. Its a rare quality in a young actor who is also drop-dead gorgeous. And Noah Centineo has soul in spades. Its the only way we could believe Brooks Rattigans transition from a striving dreamer who gets caught up in the big hustle of his gigolo-but-not-dating service and the lure of Ivy and Big Leagues to ultimately becoming an empathetic son, friend, and boyfriend after his AHA! moment, realizing that if you have to fake it, its not worth making it. For reals. Not the plus-one dating service kind. And its the only way we could believe that lacrosse star Peter could simultaneously pine after the popular diva and gradually, and oh-so-sweetly, fall for the smart, cool, kind (and adorable!) Lara Jean.

Double SCOOP! It turns out that Centineo is so talented, lots of Kavinskys charm came from his own improv!

Remember the sweet pillow fight with Lara Jeans sister, Kitty, where he saves the bowl by moving it out of the way before the feathers fly? Totally Noahs move.

Noah improvising that moment means that not only is his character a spatially aware king, but that Noah is one himself! Thats one step closer to the twenty-two-year-old actor literally being the Peter Kavinsky of everyones dreams, says Mashable.

So, Centineo has acting chops and charm for sure. And even though the MTV Best Breakthrough Performance Award makes it seem like he came out of nowhere, he told The Hollywood Reporter that, The following is overnight. The career is not. Clearly, he plans to stick around awhile.