The Kissing Booth 2

Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/27/2020 -- Do a good job and they'll ask you back. This proves true for Joel Courtney, who will reprise his role as Lee Flynn in the teen romantic comedy The Kissing Booth 2, released Friday.

Courtney introduced the character in The Kissing Booth, the teen romantic comedy that was distributed by Netflix and proved to be the most re-watched films of 2018.

Courtney, who is familiar to film lovers from his lead role in the J.J. Abrams-directed and Steven Spielberg-produced Super-8, was trained in his craft at The Playground Acting Conservatory. The Playground Acting Conservatory is a young actors studio in Century City founded by renowned acting coach Gary Spatz (The Mickey Mouse Club, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Everybody Loves Raymond).

Spatz, who is considered one of the top child acting coaches in the world, first met the promising young actor when Joel Courtney enrolled at The Playground. After only a few classes, Courtney was invited to audition for Super-8, and Spatz worked overtime to get him ready for the opportunity.

Courtney nailed it.

"It was exciting to see a young actor grow and develop so quickly," Spatz said. "Joel had 11 callbacks and multiple screen tests for the Super-8 role, and everyone had a feeling about him."

That feeling, the result of Spatz's 25 years of experience in the industry, was spot-on. It resulted in a 2012 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. Though Courtney, a resident of Moscow, Idaho, was just dipping his toe into the acting pool when he enrolled at The Playground, it turned out the water was fine, and he decided to stick around California and learn what he could about his craft.

After getting his start in Super-8, Courtney has worked steadily in film, but he found one of his most distinctive roles as The Kissing Booth's Lee Flynn — friend, romantic partner, and kissing booth coordinator. It's a popcorn movie, in that audiences can't seem to stop consuming it, according to Netflix viewing stats.

It's no wonder that the production arm of Netflix was quick to follow up the successful production with its sequel, The Kissing Booth 2, where Courtney's character weighs his feelings for his friend Elle while preparing to head off to college.

"We could not be prouder of Joel," said Spatz. "Audiences have determined that he is someone they want to see on screen, and that draw has been apparent to us from day one. We are so excited to see him continue in film, and we're eager to see where he goes from here."

The Kissing Booth 2 stars Joey King, Joel Courtney, and Jacob Elordi, and it is based on a book written by an actual teen at the time, Beth Reekles of Wales. It is directed by Vince Marcello with a screenplay by Marcello and Jay Arnold. Its production company is Komixx Entertainment.

About The Playground
The Playground is a young actor's conservatory: a place where actors are immersed in the craft of television and film acting. Young people of all ages look forward to taking part in The Playground's carefully developed curriculum, one that has been personally designed by Gary Spatz, one of the top child acting coaches in the world.

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Acting Classes For Kids, Teens and Young Adults

Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/21/2020 -- The Playground, the premier young actors' conservatory in Los Angeles and Orange County, is pleased to announce their 2020 summer acting program. Ambitious young actors that want to work on their acting skills are welcomed to The Playground's Los Angeles location on Santa Monica Boulevard and Beverly Glen.

The conservatory, established in 2005 by Gary Spatz, will host its yearly summer acting program this year for kids, teens, and even young adults. Kids, aged from 6 to 17 years old, are welcomed to sign up and improve their acting skills from July 20th through August 31st. For the first time, The Playground is also accepting young adults between the ages of 18 to 25 years old.

In five days, kids will be intensively coached by The Playground's in-house acting coaches whose goal is to improve the skills of young actors. "Kids will be divided into groups (kids, preteens, and teens) based on age and skill level. They will not only learn from the acting coaches, but also from their fellow young actors with the same acting skills," said Gary Spatz, the director of The Playground.

Participants will have the chance to ask questions and take photos with special guests. Special guests will include Ashley Argota ("True Jackson, VP" & Disney's "How to Build a Better Boy") and Logan Shroyer "This Is Us" (2016), "Speechless" (2016) and Speech & Debate (2017). Both young actors will be giving away autographed head-shots as well.

Gary Spatz is thrilled to organize the program in these unprecedented times. The on-set acting coach for 'Roseanne' said, "I'm fully aware of the current circumstances we're currently living in, and we've taken every precaution to open our summer acting program safely. We're also extremely proud of the people who are making this summer program possible for the kids in Los Angeles and Orange County. We're here to provide a fun distraction for kids that want to do what they like the most, acting."

Gary Spatz continues by saying that his company is doing everything in their power to organize this summer acting program as safe as possible. Masks and hand sanitizers will available at the location in Los Angeles. In addition, social distancing rules are in full effect to prevent any contamination.

Visit their website at https://theplayground.com for more information about their summer acting program in Los Angeles.

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