diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/string.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/string.py
index b8f18113e39..310d36a8c90 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/string.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/string.py
@@ -171,6 +171,12 @@
     is_string_dtype,
 )
 
+
+def str_to_boolean(column: StringColumn):
+    """Takes in string column and returns boolean column """
+    return (column.str().len() > cudf.Scalar(0, dtype="int8")).fillna(False)
+
+
 _str_to_numeric_typecast_functions = {
     np.dtype("int8"): str_cast.stoi8,
     np.dtype("int16"): str_cast.stoi16,
@@ -219,11 +225,6 @@
 ParentType = Union["cudf.Series", "cudf.core.index.BaseIndex"]
 
 
-def str_to_boolean(column):
-    """Takes in string column and returns boolean column """
-    return (column.str.len() > 0).fillna(False)
-
-
 class StringMethods(ColumnMethodsMixin):
     def __init__(self, column, parent=None):
         """
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_string.py b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_string.py
index 3c153a16a13..a8c00ce031e 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_string.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/test_string.py
@@ -200,11 +200,7 @@ def test_string_astype(dtype):
     ps = pd.Series(data)
     gs = cudf.Series(data)
 
-    # Pandas str --> bool typecasting always returns True if there's a string
-    if dtype.startswith("bool"):
-        expect = ps == "True"
-    else:
-        expect = ps.astype(dtype)
+    expect = ps.astype(dtype)
     got = gs.astype(dtype)
 
     assert_eq(expect, got)