The After film franchise, based on Anna Todd’s best-selling novels, has become a global phenomenon thanks to its passionate fan base and the undeniable chemistry between its two leads, Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. With the release of After Everything (2023), the fifth and final installment, the actors have taken time to reflect on their experiences bringing Tessa Young and Hardin Scott’s turbulent love story to life.
For Langford and Fiennes Tiffin, returning to set for the final chapter was both familiar and bittersweet. Over the years, the actors have grown alongside their characters, portraying the intense highs and devastating lows of a relationship that has captivated audiences since After debuted in 2019. In interviews, both stars admitted that stepping into these roles one last time carried a unique weight.
Langford, who plays the resilient yet vulnerable Tessa, shared that filming the final scenes felt like closing an important chapter of her career. “It’s been such a journey—five films, countless hours, and so many memories. Saying goodbye to Tessa was harder than I thought it would be,” she explained. For her, embodying Tessa meant exploring a character who evolves from innocence into strength, weathering heartbreak while maintaining hope.
Fiennes Tiffin, meanwhile, admitted that revisiting Hardin’s complicated emotional landscape in After Everything presented new challenges. “Hardin has always been a character full of contradictions—romantic but flawed, passionate but destructive. In this film, we wanted to show a deeper sense of growth,” he said. According to the actor, After Everything emphasizes Hardin’s path to redemption and maturity, a fitting conclusion to his arc.
Filming the final chapter also provided opportunities for the cast and crew to reflect on how far they had come since the early days. The production took them across international locations, including Portugal, which lent a fresh backdrop to Hardin’s journey of self-discovery. Both Langford and Fiennes Tiffin described the experience as transformative, not just for their characters but for themselves as actors.
The film itself delivers what fans have come to expect: moments of fiery passion, emotional confrontations, and tender reconciliations. Yet, it also brings closure. Without revealing too many spoilers, Langford emphasized that the conclusion honors the essence of Anna Todd’s story while giving audiences a sense of completion. “It’s about growth, forgiveness, and love in its most imperfect form,” she noted.
For Fiennes Tiffin, one of the highlights was working closely with Langford for the last time in this saga. Their on-screen chemistry has been widely praised, and he credits much of the franchise’s success to their collaborative process. “Josephine has been incredible from the start. We’ve both learned a lot from each other, and I think that shows in how Hardin and Tessa’s relationship evolved over the years,” he said.
As After Everything continues to stream worldwide, fans are saying goodbye to a story that has defined young adult romance on screen for half a decade. For Langford and Fiennes Tiffin, the final film is not just the end of Tessa and Hardin’s journey—it’s the culmination of a shared adventure that has left a lasting mark on their lives and careers.
