The After franchise, a romantic drama series based on Anna Todd’s bestselling novels, concluded with its fifth and final film, After Everything, released on September 13, 2023. Fans eagerly anticipated the resolution of Tessa Young and Hardin Scott’s turbulent love story, but many were left disappointed by the minimal presence of Tessa, played by Australian actress Josephine Langford. Despite being billed as a co-lead alongside Hero Fiennes Tiffin’s Hardin, Langford’s screen time in After Everything is significantly reduced, sparking confusion, backlash, and speculation among fans. This article explores Langford’s role in the film, quantifies Tessa’s screen time, and delves into the reasons behind her limited appearance, while reflecting on the impact on the franchise’s legacy.
Yes, Josephine Langford does appear in After Everything, reprising her role as Tessa Young, the heart of the After series’ romantic narrative. However, her role is drastically limited compared to the previous four films—After (2019), After We Collided (2020), After We Fell (2021), and After Ever Happy (2022)—where Tessa was a central figure. In After Everything, Tessa is primarily seen in the final 15 to 16 minutes of the film’s 93-minute runtime, with new footage featuring Langford, including a pivotal proposal scene that has circulated widely on social media. Throughout the rest of the movie, Tessa appears only in flashbacks, which use recycled footage from the earlier films, leading to fan frustration over her absence from the core narrative. One fan on X noted, “Out of curiosity, I went and looked… After Everything is 01:27 long (not including credits) and Josephine/Tessa first appears at 01:11… the lead actress and main character is in the movie for 16 minutes”.
The reduced role of Tessa in After Everything stems from several factors, both narrative and logistical. Unlike the first four films, which were direct adaptations of Todd’s novels, After Everything is an original story written and directed by Castille Landon, not based on any specific book in the series. The film shifts focus to Hardin’s personal growth, following his breakup with Tessa after she discovered he published a book about their relationship without her consent in After Ever Happy. Hardin travels to Portugal to make amends with a former flame, Natalie (Mimi Keene), exploring his past mistakes and writer’s block, while Tessa’s storyline takes a backseat. This narrative choice explains why Tessa’s presence is minimal, as the film prioritizes Hardin’s solo journey until the couple reunites at the end.
Behind the scenes, speculation about Langford’s limited involvement centers on contractual and personal decisions. Langford was originally signed for four films, and After Ever Happy was intended to be the series’ finale. The announcement of a fifth film in August 2022, made shortly before After Ever Happy’s release, caught fans by surprise and led to theories that Langford may not have agreed to a full return. In a 2021 interview with StyleCaster, Langford expressed reluctance to continue playing Tessa unless it “made sense” and was “important,” citing concerns about overstaying her welcome in a role that could lead to typecasting. “I’m not a fan of overstaying your welcome. It can sometimes dampen a good thing if you’re creating something and it’s canon, and it doesn’t have a reason,” she said. Fans speculate that contract negotiations may have failed to meet her expectations, or she chose to limit her involvement to avoid being pigeonholed as Tessa, especially as she pursued other projects like The Other Zoey (2023) and Moxie (2021).
