Young adult romance thrives on intensity, but not all intensity is built the same. In 2023, two performances stood at opposite ends of the genre spectrum, redefining what a YA heroine can be: Josephine Langford as Tessa Young in After Everything and Nicole Wallace as Noah Morgan in Culpa Mía.
Fans may lump these franchises into the same category — emotionally charged, relationship-driven, wildly addictive — but the women leading them couldn’t be more different.
Tessa: Soft-Spoken Steel
Josephine Langford’s Tessa is not loud. She doesn’t explode into rooms or demand attention. Her power is quieter, psychological, internal. In After Everything, Tessa carries the emotional gravity of someone who has loved through damage, disappointment, and healing. She represents endurance more than rebellion.
Her traits on screen:
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Controlled emotion instead of chaos
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Love expressed through patience, not impulse
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Strength built from heartbreak
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A heroine who absorbs storms instead of creating them
Tessa fights emotionally, not physically. Her world is about emotional negotiation, forgiveness, self-worth, and choosing love even when it bruises.
Noah: The Hurricane in Leather Boots
Nicole Wallace’s Noah is the reverse. She’s defiant, sharp-tongued, unapologetic, reckless when she feels cornered, and emotionally volcanic. In Culpa Mía, Noah doesn’t survive storms — she is one.
Her traits on screen:
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Emotion delivered at full volume
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Love mixed with danger and adrenaline
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Rebellion as a defense mechanism
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Vulnerability masked by sarcasm and provocation
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Physical and emotional risk in equal measure
Noah’s strength is survival by confrontation — punching back at life before it lands the hit.
Same Genre, Different Flames
Both actresses portray young women in love with complicated men, but the energy they bring shapes the franchise’s identity:
| Josephine Langford | Nicole Wallace |
|---|---|
| Emotionally restrained | Emotionally explosive |
| Healing arc energy | Survival arc energy |
| Patience is her weapon | Defiance is her shield |
| Romantic pain processed inward | Romantic pain expressed outward |
| Heartbroken optimist | Guarded realist with bite |
Tessa makes fans ache quietly.
Noah makes fans gasp loudly.
Which Heroine Would Survive the Other’s Story? Fans Can’t Agree
Drop Tessa into the world of Culpa Mía, and she would try to fix the hurricane instead of ride it.
Drop Noah into the world of After, and she would kick the door down, ask questions later, and dare anyone to stop her from loving out loud.
One transforms pain into healing.
The other transforms pain into fuel.
And that contrast is why both performances worked — without copying each other, without blending into sameness, without needing icons to scream impact.
The Verdict? There Isn’t One — And That’s the Point
Josephine Langford gave the After franchise its emotional spine.
Nicole Wallace gave Culpa Mía its emotional pulse.
Two actresses. Two franchises. One genre.
But entirely different storms.
Now the real question isn’t who acted better — it’s the question fans love most:
Are you Team Quiet Fire (Tessa) or Team Hurricane Heat (Noah)? Comment your pick. Defend it. We’re listening.
