XO, Kitty has quietly become a touchstone for contemporary teen queer storytelling, blending heartfelt moments with messy relationship arcs that feel both specific and universal. The series’ sapphic threads—romantic and platonic—are carried by a cast whose off-screen experiences and cultural backgrounds add layers to their on-screen portrayals, helping the show land as a vibrant space for young LGBTQ+ viewers. This piece takes a closer look at the performers who animate those relationships and why their work is resonating.
Fans of the series have watched friendships shift into romance, secrets surface and identities unfold across seasons, and those developments depend on nuanced acting that treats queer feelings as complex rather than tokenistic. The following sections profile the principal women at the centre of XO, Kitty’s sapphic storylines—detailing their characters’ journeys and the real-life backgrounds that inform each performance. Expect context on roles, career highlights and what representation means to the actors involved.
Key performers bringing the sapphic relationships to life
Central to the drama are Kitty, Yuri and Juliana, whose entangled relationships steer much of the show’s emotional core. On screen, Yuri and Juliana begin with a clandestine romance that unravels when family pressure forces distance, and Juliana later returns searching for honesty and connection. Kitty’s growing attraction to Yuri complicates that reunion and triggers important conversations about desire and friendship. These plot beats create a layered triangle: equal parts longing, miscommunication and tender discovery, and the actresses portraying these parts make those dynamics convincing and affecting.
Kitty, Yuri and Juliana: the on-screen triangle
Anna Cathcart plays Kitty Song-Covey, a character who experiences a pronounced queer awakening across the series. Kitty’s curiosity and errors feel authentic, and Cathcart has spoken about enjoying the chance to depict a young person experimenting with identity without having all the answers. Opposite her, Gia Kim portrays Yuri Han, the polished, intimidating figure who reveals vulnerability as relationships shift; Kim’s casting as a formidable yet tender character marks a departure from one-note antagonists often seen in teen shows. Regan Aliyah brings Juliana to life, a role that charts exile, return and the ongoing work of reconciling past love with present choices.
Praveena and the supporting queer ensemble
Sasha Bhasin plays Praveena Bhakti, a character whose romantic arc intersects with Kitty and Juliana at different points across seasons. Praveena shares tender moments with Kitty in earlier episodes and later begins a relationship with Juliana, only to discover unresolved feelings linger between Juliana and Yuri. Bhasin’s role expands the show’s lens on bisexual and queer South Asian experiences, illustrating how attraction, identity and cultural context can coexist without one erasing the others. The supporting ensemble adds texture, making the sapphic side of XO, Kitty feel like a living, evolving community rather than a subplot.
Why these portrayals matter on and off screen
Representation in teen media shapes what young people imagine is possible for themselves, and XO, Kitty’s approach treats sapphic narratives as central rather than incidental. By devoting substantial screen time to lesbian and bisexual relationships, the show normalises a range of emotional outcomes—from friendship to heartbreak—without confining characters to stereotypes. The result is a depiction of queer youth that feels lived-in: messy, uncertain and genuine. Critics and audiences have noted that showing desire, confusion and growth side by side helps broaden mainstream ideas about whom young people love and why.
Actors’ backgrounds and what they bring to their roles
Off-camera lives of the actresses bring further resonance to their performances. Regan Aliyah, who began on digital projects like the 2017 Club Mickey Mouse reboot and joined the Marvel universe in a later role, also performs music in a duo with her sister and has publicly shared her own sexuality, underscoring how personal visibility can inform an actor’s craft. Anna Cathcart balances acting with studies in sociology and creative writing, which she says help her approach character work thoughtfully. Gia Kim describes herself as a third-culture individual with roots across Korea and China, and she relishes playing a rare archetype: a queer Asian “queen bee” who defies one-dimensional casting. Sasha Bhasin, who moved to the US as an infant and studied Politics at New York University, has highlighted the importance of portraying a South Asian queer character whose ethnicity and sexuality are both present but not reducible to a single storyline.
Collectively, these performers illustrate why casting that mirrors real-world diversity matters: it allows narratives to reflect varied experiences while giving viewers characters who feel recognizable and worthy of empathy. For many fans, seeing multifaceted queer women navigate attraction, loyalty and self-discovery on a mainstream platform like Netflix is an affirmation that teen stories can be both entertaining and socially meaningful.