For more than five years, across three movies and a spin-off television series, the To All the Boys franchise had nearly every rom-com fan out there falling for Peter Kavinsky. Let’s be honest, Noah Centineo played a huge part in making the franchise endearing to fans. He brought that perfect mix of awkward sweetness, coolness, and just enough emotional depth to make Kavinsky impossible not to love.
If you’ve been missing Centineo on screen, good news: he returned to Netflix with a TV show — though short-lived. However, instead of high school romance, it’s high-stakes CIA missions in The Recruit. This isn’t your typical spy thriller, though. The Recruit throws Centineo into the deep end as a rookie CIA lawyer who gets tangled in international espionage way over his head. So, if you loved him as the charming teenage lover boy, wait till you see Centineo trying to navigate deadly secrets, and, of course, just a little bit of romance.
‘The Recruit’ and ‘To All The Boys’ Both Drop Their Lead Into Unexpected Situations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXE5TFhVHC0
In real life, nobody likes to be thrust into something they never saw coming, but let’s be real, it makes for some of the best stories. Whether it’s a rom-com or an action spy film, watching a lead character flail their way through something they’re not familiar with is part of what keeps people tuned in. Netflix’s The Recruit employs the same formula. Fresh from law school, Owen Hendricks lands a job at the CIA, where he hopes to be buried in legal documents. His life is flipped upside down, however, when he stumbles upon a letter threatening the agency from former asset Max Meladze (Laura Haddock), who will expose the agency unless she is freed from prison. He becomes embroiled in international conspiracies and trying to stay alive in a world where one wrong move would be fatal. It’s a long way from his rom-com work in To All the Boys, but at its most fundamental level, the show works on a tried-and-true plot — an ordinary man thrust into an out-of-this-world situation.
While The Recruit is a tale of high-stakes spying, the notion of being unprepared for what’s ahead is one that To All the Boys viewers will recognize. Peter Kavinsky never had to deal with international spies, but he was definitely in over his head when he agreed to fake-date Lara Jean. What started as a sinister plan to make his ex jealous quickly turned into something Kavinsky wasn’t expecting. As Hendricks tries to keep up in a world of danger and deception, Kavinsky must also figure out what he really wants and how to handle feelings that catch him off guard. So, if you enjoyed watching Peter Kavinsky fumble his way into real love, The Recruit offers up the same amount of unpredictability — only this time, the stakes are much greater.
From High School Heart-throb to CIA Lawyer, Noah Centineo Is Full of Range
Rom-coms have given fans their fair share of heartthrobs over the years. Some came and went, while others were able to transition effortlessly from romance lead to action stars, though not always with equal success. For years, Centineo was every teenager’s romance poster boy after his stint as Peter Kavinsky, a harmonious mix of cocky, funny, and genuine personality. It is no surprise Lara Jean loved him so much. Though he’s effortlessly smooth, he’s also not afraid to show vulnerability — something Centineo captures beautifully, especially in moments like when Kavinsky opens up about his insecurities with his family. These little things make Kavinsky more than your run-of-the-mill high school heartthrob cliché. It’s simple to think of Centineo as the rom-com star until you see him in The Recruit and know he will be so much more. In The Recruit, Centineo completely changed roles and still nailed it. From teen heartthrob to more sinister, morally nuanced character is disorienting.
While Peter Kavinsky’s biggest concerns are telling Jean that he loves her, Owen Hendricks is thrown into a world where life-or-death decisions, lying, and international politics are all part of his daily life. In a tense scene, Hendricks must talk his way out of a situation with a violent informant, knowing that he only needed one mistake to lead to deadly consequences. He is somewhat collected under pressure — something fans never saw during his rom-com heyday. Centineo hits a good balance between Hendrick’s quick thinking and inexperience, keeping the character real and not an over-the-top action hero. His brief but action-packed turn in Black Adam proves Centineo’s ability to readapt his charm for different characters.
Want to catch Noah Centineo navigating high-stakes espionage? The Recruit is available to stream on Netflix.
