'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 3 cast tease show's finale: 'It feels so bittersweet'

Yahoo

a day ago

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 lands on Prime Video July 16, the final season of the show adapted from Jenny Han's book trilogy. Starring Lola Tung as Belly, Christopher Briney as Conrad and Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah, fans are waiting to see the outcome of this love triangle.
The show's stars, including Tung, Sean Kaufman, Jackie Chung, Rain Spencer, Tom Everett Scott, and author and co-showrunner Han herself, spoke to Yahoo Canada about the upcoming season of the hit series, including remembering their final days on set and the "bittersweet" ending to the show. Additionally, spilling secrets about what to expect in the evolution of the show's complex relationships.
Jenny, I want to start with you because I think one thing that this series has done so successfully and it's kind of been teased to happen in season 3 is taking what you've written but really making the changes necessary for it to be on screen, being able to adapt it and surprise people who kind of read the story and know where it's going and new fans.
What do you think about this in terms of really being able to achieve that?
I hope we achieved it.
I think I like both of us, we couldn't be more proud, I think of the work that we did this season.
I think it really comes together beautifully.
Um, I think the intention is always to honor um the original fans of the story and also bring like some new things, um, to the table as well just to keep things exciting.
I mean, for me, I always have to be um excited about whatever I'm doing and, and, um.
And feel um energized, I guess, to tell the story and and um and play in the world.
Well, obviously your Taylor Swift fandom has, you know, gone viral and people love it.
Um, if you could kind of assign a song to where we see Belly in season 3, what would you pick?
Um, I would say, I'm trying to think, it's probably something a little later on.
Don't blame me.
Well, when we first see her at the beginning of the season, um, that's crazy.
I think like there's midnight rain, there's bejeweled.
Maybe.
Yeah, she's having fun.
She's in college.
Yeah, she's going out.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
At least for the street of committed relationship.
But she's yeah, but she has friends.
She has a lot of friends at school and has her own passions and um hobbies outside of her relationship, which is also really important, um, and is figuring out who she wants to be as her own person, which I think is very bejeweled.
I agree with you.
Lola, what was it like for you to be able to kind of come back to belly but a couple years later, there's like a little bit of maturity there.
She's in a different point in her life.
Totally.
I mean, we had a year off because of the strike, so I kind of got 2 years off between filming season 2 and season 3.
Which kind of was, yeah, I mean, similar because there's a time jump, a little bit more, 4 years, but I was, I ended up playing my own age, which was kind of cool.
I feel like that doesn't happen that often.
Um, and I felt like over those 2 years, I had grown so much, and I know that Belly had also grown so much over the 4 years that we didn't see her.
So it was cool, um, going into season 3 with a sort of new perspective and all the lessons that I've learned in my life and all the lessons that I knew.
Um, Belly had learned and was going to learn this season, I guess.
I think that's the coolest part about it is that you get to bring all that into the character, and I think it just really um deepens and, like, enriches um the story, you know, when you can bring your own lived experience to it.
Mhm.
Most women watching will know that, like, your relationship with your mom when you're like 16, your relationship with your mom when you're in college can look very different.
What was it like to be able to kind of expand on that and see the evolution of that relationship as we go into season 3?
Oh, that's a good question.
Um, I think when I think back to being in high school and, like, just the ways that I feel like I was just so impatient with my mom and, like, so mean, you know, where it's constantly like, mom, you know, it just always.
I think I still sound like that, um, but where you're often locked in battle a lot, um, with your mom, I think because it's like you're coming into your own, you want independence, you want to like make up your own mind about things, but you're still living.
under her roof, and you actually don't have much control over, you know, if, if one day your um parent was like, we're moving because I got a job change, we're going to a new state.
You don't really get a say in whether or not you're staying or going, and I think that can feel um I don't know, really like confining.
So, but then when you have the space to go out to college and kind of forge your own path a little bit, then I think you can have more grace.
For your parent, when you come back home and you can see them more as people, and I think that, um, for Belly and Laurel as Belly gets older, They really are seeing each other more as people and more, um, on a more equal footing and respecting, I mean, they're really similar though too, and that's the thing that also happens where like teenagers are often pretty stubborn when it comes to their parents like you were saying and don't always want to listen even if what their parents are saying is probably for the best.
But then, you know, Billy, I think, continues to be pretty stubborn just as a person that's how she is, which is amazing because it makes her headstrong and driven and determined, um, but she is stubborn and she definitely gets that from Laurel, so like they're both stubborn, you know, for sure and really, um, want what's best for each other.
The way that they think is best, you know.
And I think now starting to again see each other's humanity in a different way.
And the older you get, the more you're able to um not to see mom as mom, but mom as like a person.
We're getting married.
I'm sorry, what?
Did you know?
No, Billy, honey, you two aren't ready for a commitment like this.
You're talking about a lifetime.
Though I want to be with Billy for a lifetime, I can commit to that.
Easy.
That is how I know you aren't ready.
I feel like, I don't know, when you're in high school, you're still a kid, and then when you jump to college, all of a sudden you, you know, you've already turned 18, you're now an adult, and so I think some of the decisions that you make, um, have bigger repercussions, perhaps, um.
And so I think where we are is that Laurel is always there for her daughter, um, and always supportive of her, but they don't always agree on the decisions.
I think with like any parent, you're trying to guide your kid, but you don't always agree with what they're doing.
And so, sometimes they're on the same page and sometimes they are not.
Tom, for you, I think for your character, obviously, you know, season 2, we really wanted him to make the right decision with the house and, and happily we kind of got there.
Um, was it interesting to step into a season 3 where at least it seems like he has a bit of a better relationship with his kids going into it.
Yeah, uh, you know, I agree.
I really love that scene.
Um, that was fun to play in season two.
It was very, uh, emotional, and you see Adam break a little bit, you know, break down a little bit about, you know, Susannah and how hard that is for him too, and, uh, he is being a jerk, but then he does soften.
I mean, he is completely ambushed in that moment.
You're welcome.
Um, and I think you see a little bit of that coming back together with the boys and at the beginning of season 3.
He's certainly a little better off with Jeremiah, but there is still quite a gap with him and Conrad.
Um, so Adam is working hard, or working as best as he can, at making amends with his sons.
Because when we enter season 3, there is a little bit of a time jump.
What's particularly interesting about that for each of your characters, if you want to start?
I think that within that time, and then at the start of season 3, there's a lot of change that goes on.
I think that's the keyword that I've been kind of using, um, but four years is a lot, and four years means that we're not at the same place where we left off at season 2.
That's correct.
And I think that people will be surprised to know that throughout the four years, there have been some ups and downs, and it's been a little on and off again between these two.
That's right.
And it hasn't been everything fairy tale, you know, wise, and I think that that leaves us at a very interesting place to start season 3.
We're, we're like in our 20s now.
Everyone's sort of in their 20s, which is drastically different, and, uh, yeah, our characters have probably broken up and gotten back together a million times, um.
And just, yeah, navigating what it means to be, for my character, what it means to be in college and how to be an adult, and, um, we meet Taylor's mom for the first time, which is really exciting, and we get to see their dynamic a little bit, um.
This is sort of the push and pull of how much I help my mom versus how much I like pursue what I want to do, and like, you know, leave the nest, and, um.
Yeah, so much change.
I think Taylor's personality, like for the whole time that we ever have gone to see her up until this point, I think it's just infectious and a lot of people really kind of gravitate towards how you executed that character so beautifully.
Um, but now that she is a bit older, what is it like to kind of be able to transfer some of that kind of energy and retain some of that as we go into season 3, but still, you know, like you say, have her mature and be a little bit older, totally.
Um, yeah, it's something I've like thought about, um, a lot, you know, it's like someone when they're 16 versus someone when they're in their 20s, it's it's a completely different person, like, you know, I'm, I was a very different person when I was 16 versus when I was 21 or whatever, um.
And so that was really fun.
Like that's been a really fun journey.
I think like, when we last saw her in season two, there were themes of like guarding her heart versus being vulnerable with Steven and and I think um when we see her in season 3, some of that is still there, you know, she's still working on how to be vulnerable with another person, you know, I've said before, like healing isn't linear, it's not a linear thing, so like sometimes um you can make like a breakthrough and and get somewhere, you know, whatever in yourself or with another person and trust someone and then maybe like later you are more closed off again and like that's cool, that's OK.
So she's sort of navigating that now.
John, for you, I think um how the show was able to kind of show all of these friendships was really unique and I think something that really stood out in particular was how Steven really was like there for Conrad when he's having anxiety.
How would you say the friendship kind of evolves as we go into season 3 because I think that's such a core part of what everyone loves.
It's a tough one.
I, I have to say that, uh, season 3 aside, like I'm glad that people resonated with those scenes because I, I think that those are some of my favorite to film.
Uh, Chris is a very dear friend of mine.
I love him, we hang out like every day, and uh to get those scenes together, uh, we're not only amazing to be able to work together, but the magnitude of the scenes.
Obviously talking about mental health and then just straight up just friends being there for friends, like homies being homies, uh, I loved having scenes where we get to talk and kind of be vulnerable with each other in, you know, a weird, like bro way.
It was very interesting, and I, I will say, no spoilers, but we have some scenes together in season 3 that I'm very excited for the fans to see and I'm very proud of.
I know he works extremely hard and I'm very excited for you guys to see it.
Tom, for you, um, you know, I think with this show.
There's been a massive amount of people kind of really feeling strongly, but I think every character and every storyline and, like, who people want to see together and who people don't.
What's it like to be on a show where you do have all of this kind of fanfare and all of this excitement about what's really going to happen with the story that you're telling?
What happens with the story that you're telling?
Oh wow, it's wild.
Um, yeah, there's so many people invested in this show.
I think it's great.
I love it.
Um, certainly, you know, when I'm meeting someone and they're of a certain age group and they're like, 'What do you do?'
and I'm like, 'Oh, I'm just an actor.'
I'm on this show, you know, Summer I Turn Pretty,' and then they go, and they like freak out.
So that's kind of fun.
Do they not recognize you?
No, no, I don't think so.
People mostly just think I've been in their shop before.
Oh, welcome back.
Oh, never been here before.
Oh my gosh, can I tell my favorite?
Because I took my son to a new dentist and she was like, you look so familiar.
She's like, either we went to dental school together or you're on a TV show.
Yeah, maybe it wasn't dental school.
I like how that's the choice.
There's no other option.
I know, totally no in between, not like we're in the same neighborhood or the same shops, no.
Because going into this, we knew that this is three books, three seasons, if it wasn't gonna be broken up in any way.
Um, can you both just tell me a little bit about your last day on set and what it was like to kind of have this come to an end?
It was a couple of different people's last day It was my last day, I think so.
I think, I think Sean and I were maybe the same, I mean, hard work, but you know, it was just we put in a lot of work, and, I think, you know, it was bittersweet.
We're all really proud of what we did, but we're gonna miss hanging out together because we all really love hanging out on set and off, so yeah.
The one sort of bright light is that after you shoot the show, you have so much time before it comes out.
And so now we can come together and see it together and kind of relive it, and I don't know, I'll probably text you when it comes out and be like, did you see that scene?
It wasn't what I thought it would be.
So I feel like it's continuing on for us right now, yeah.
It was great.
The final day was great.
It wasn't, you know, like any final day for a season, you know, it's emotional and beautiful, and yeah.
Everything at once.
Yeah, it's true.
It feels, you know, I, I don't know, it feels so bittersweet.
I get it, like you said, like every time we wrap or have wrapped a season, it's felt very bittersweet, like, it's because it's like summer camp, you know, you're with all of your friends and you're making this thing, and, and, um, you know, you're so proud of it, and on the other hand, it's like you're not gonna see your friends every day, you know, so it's sort of, but yeah, my last day was beautiful.
I felt like, um, our last day of season three was yeah, beautiful.
It was like there's some tears, there's some hugs, you know.
Celebratory and also sad, you know, it's, yeah, it's beautiful.
Ray got pissed at me 'cause the last day on season three that we shot together, I just gave her a hug and then I wouldn't let her go, and then she's like, I gotta get the fuck home.
It's like, good luck, dog.
I don't know what to tell you.
Um, so yeah, then she had to pry me off of her with a crowbar, but yeah, that didn't work too well.
I'm just physically keeping the cast together.
Exactly, exactly, you get it, you get it, yeah.