Exclusive Interview
‘Worth the Wait’: Lana Condor & Ross Butler Dish on Their Long-Awaited Rom-Com Reunion (VIDEO)
Lana Condor and Ross Butler are dipping their toes back in the rom-com world with Tubi’s new original movie, Worth the Wait. The actors, who both starred in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movies, play love interests in their latest film. A chance encounter at a hospital brings Leah and Kai together, and their love story blossoms from there.
Turns out, Condor recommended Butler for the role of Kai because she wanted the chance to work with him more than she was able to in the To All the Boys movies. “In our previous films, we didn’t really have a lot to do with each other in those films, so I had always wanted an opportunity to work with him in a bigger way, in a greater way,” Condor told Swooon. She knew Butler would be “phenomenal” and was “so grateful” that the Worth the Wait team took her “suggestion to heart.”
After Kai and Leah unexpectedly cross paths and have an instant connection, it’s like a switch turns on in their hearts. “It takes them finding each other to realize what makes them happy,” Butler explained. “I feel like a lot of us in the adult world, we get caught in this loop of go to work, make money, come back home, go to work, and then it’s this loop, and you don’t really take any time to kind of step outside that perspective and think about what it is that you want until you stumble upon it randomly.”
2025 Worth the Wait Movie, LLC
He added, “With Kai and Leah, it literally takes a spontaneous date out of nowhere to realize that they’re not happy with this loop that they’re in and that something needs to change. They’re just so fortunate to find that before it’s too late, and that’s what I love about it, that they overcome all the odds and the distances because they realize how happy they made each other.”
As with most romantic comedies, there’s a memorable declaration of love in Worth the Wait, where Kai makes a grand gesture to show his feelings for Leah. For Condor, she relished filming that scene.
“When I watch romantic movies, I’m always waiting for that moment where the music builds, and he’s back or she’s back, and there’s the declaration of love,” Condor noted. “I love that.”
She admitted that she sensed Butler’s nerves as they brought the scene to life. “You were never nervous, really, on the show, but I think that day, I could sense you being like, oh my gosh, this is like the moment,” the actress said.
In addition to starring, Condor and Butler also executive produced Worth the Wait, which is Tubi’s first Asian American original film. Watch the full video above for more details about the delightful rom-com.
Worth the Wait, Streaming Now, Tubi
