'The Summer I Turned Pretty 'cast: All about the stars of Prime Video's hit summer romance series

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4 days ago

The third and final season of Prime Video's YA series The Summer I Turned Pretty is almost upon us.
Based on Jenny Han's beloved book trilogy about Belly Conklin, who's in a love triangle with two brothers, the show will wrap its own trilogy in July. That means a third summer spent in idyllic Cousins Beach.
If you know anything about Cousins — or We'll Always Have Summer, the novel the season 3 is based on — you know we're poised for drama, angst, and romance. In short, all the things we love. But do you know what we love most about Cousins Beach? The people who populate it — the ones who make it 'magic.'
Who are they exactly? Which characters do we follow in this sun-kissed drama, and who plays them? Read on to learn all about the cast of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
As the center of the series' maddening love triangle, Lola Tung imbues Belly with an endearing earnestness that makes her easy to love. She's still trying to figure out which brother, Conrad or Jeremiah, is the one for her.
Tung carries the role like a seasoned veteran, but this is actually her first professional gig. The young actress, an alum of LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (you know, the Fame high school), was at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama when she was cast as Belly.
Tung has always understood the essence of this teen drama, telling PEOPLE in 2022 that she 'really wanted to show the importance of this part of [Belly's] life and how relatable it is to go through this period of figuring everything out, and growing up.' See? Belly Conklin was always in the right hands.
Since The Summer I Turned Pretty premiered, Tung has made her Broadway debut as Eurydice in Hadestown and landed a part in the legacy sequel, I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025).
Conrad, the moody, brooding older Fisher brother, is perpetually his own worst enemy. We've watched him push away the people who love him most over and over again. That includes Belly, the girl he loves, and it may be too late to win her back.
Christopher Briney was filming his first feature film, Dalíland (2022), opposite Ben Kingsley, when he auditioned to play the object of Belly's affection. The Pace University alum suddenly found himself a small-screen teen heartthrob. Of course, Conrad isn't the only such character Briney has taken on: He also starred as Aaron Samuels in the musical film version of Mean Girls (2024).
As for the experience of playing the complicated, infuriatingly guarded Conrad, Briney told EW in 2023, 'It's a fun challenge to [...] keep a character grounded and defend the things they do and fight for them.'
Jeremiah is pretty much the opposite of his older brother — easygoing, flirty, and disarming. That means Jere has to work hard to have his feelings taken seriously, especially when it comes to how much Belly means to him.
It's a complexity Casalegno has enjoyed playing since day one. He explained to POPSugar that, while Jeremiah wants 'to be the life of the party,' there is an 'insecure' side of himself that he tries to hide: 'I think he carries a lot more weight on his shoulders than is shown.'
Jeremiah isn't the first TV brother duo Calasegno has been a part of. He also appeared on The Vampire Diaries (2015) as the younger version of one of the Salvatore brothers, Damon (Ian Somerhalder).
The native Texan also had a multi-episode stint on Walker (2021).
Like his onscreen sister, Sean Kaufman attended LaGuardia High (and then studied acting at Purchase College) before nabbing small roles in shows like Manifest (2018) and FBI: Most Wanted (2021–2024). He's now winning over hearts as Belly's silly but surprisingly thoughtful older brother, Steven.
Throughout the series, Kaufman has taken the sidekick character to some pretty intense places. One of the most affecting moments — both for the audience and Kaufman himself — came in season 2 when he helps his best friend Conrad through a panic attack.
As he told EW in 2023, the moment felt 'really, really important, talking especially about mental health — which I feel like isn't talked about enough in general — but then also with young men.
As Belly's best friend Taylor, Rain Spencer has the privilege of telling our romantic leading lady to get her act together when it comes to these two brothers. Taylor is supportive but honest and she doesn't let Belly get away with her poor decision-making tendencies.
Since being promoted to series regular for season 2, Spencer has made Taylor more than just a friend, opening up the naturally guarded character in emotional ways during her visits to Cousins Beach — and in her own complicated relationship with Steven.
Around the time she booked her role on the Amazon hit, the young actress got some experience tackling life's tougher moments, starring as a teen battling drug addiction in Good Girl Jane (2022).
She may be one of the adults on The Summer I Turned Pretty, but that doesn't mean Belly's mom, Laurel, is just another 'invisible parent' archetype. Beyond raising a daughter she doesn't always understand, we watch her grapple with grief, divorce, and how to move forward after deep loss.
Veteran actress Jackie Chung is interested in showing all shades of the character, telling Timid Magazine, 'I love seeing Laurel's full and complicated life! I draw inspiration from many of my mother friends who manage the tightrope that is motherhood with grace, competence, and humor.'
Chung has a career full of different shades, too. She started out in theater, has appeared in both short and feature films, and even booked guest spots on Grey's Anatomy (2017) and Station 19 (2019).
Conrad and Jeremiah's mom, Susannah, looms large over the series, even though — spoiler alert — she dies between the first and second seasons.
She was the one who began the tradition of summers in Cousins and brought the 'magic' to the beach house. Her meaningful friendship with Laurel also made her an important part of Belly's life, helping anchor the whole show as a result. Even after her death, she features heavily in flashbacks.
Rachel Blanchard brings the character to life. One of the most recognizable faces in the main cast, she was drawn to the role's depiction of adult female friendship — and her instant rapport with Chung. 'It's always exciting to be a part of a show and play a relationship when the chemistry is a given,' she told The List.
The Canadian actress has been working since childhood, landing parts in her native country's War of the Worlds (1988–1990) and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990–1993). Not long afterward, she broke through on American screens as Cher Horowitz in the TV version of Clueless (1996–1999).
A fixture on television, she was a regular in later seasons of 7th Heaven (2002–2004) and had a recurring role on the British cult classic Peep Show (2004–2007). In recent years, she appeared in the first season of Fargo (2014) and joined Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in the erotic thriller Deep Water (2022).
Poor, Cam. The sweetest future marine biologist in Cousins never really had a chance with Belly Conklin, did he? While that season 1 romance fizzled out quickly, Cam's flirty season 2 escapade with Conrad and Jere's cousin Skye (Elsie Fisher) was quite sweet.
Actor David Iacono didn't mind playing third fiddle to the Fisher brothers, noting to Grazia magazine: 'It's always fun playing the underdog.'
While Iacono isn't the leading man here, he has plenty of onscreen experience. That includes a bit role in the Naomi Watts/Bill Murray dramedy St. Vincent (2014) and a few episodes of David Simon's miniseries Show Me a Hero (2015).
The Brooklyn native has since scored multi-episode stints on Grand Army (2020) and The Flight Attendant (2020–2022). He also appeared in the summer blockbuster Jurassic World Rebirth (2025).
You probably know Tom Everett Scott as the nicest drummer around, Guy Patterson, from the Tom Hanks hit That Thing You Do! (1996). But as the Fisher brothers' dad, Adam, he's a tough guy to like. Adam cheated on Susannah and isn't the most present father. His complicated relationship with his sons makes for some emotional drama when the three are together.
Scott hasn't only played lovable drummers and problematic fathers during his decades-long run in Hollywood. He's appeared in several high-profile movies, among them One True Thing (1998), Boiler Room (2000), Because I Said So (2007), and Best Picture winner La La Land (2016).
The veteran actor has been just as busy on the small screen, landing on ER (2002–2003), Sons of Anarchy (2008–2009), Southland (2009–2013), and 13 Reasons Why (2017–2019). Speaking of dad roles, he was recently cast as Elle Woods's father in the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle.
As the other dad on the show, Colin Ferguson's John Conklin — father to Belly and Steven — is mostly well-meaning as he attempts to smooth things over with his ex-wife and kids.
Ferguson is best known as Sheriff Jack Carter on the sci-fi series Eureka (2006–2012). The Quebecois actor has also booked recurring roles on Haven (2013–2015), The Vampire Diaries (2014), and You're the Worst (2017), in addition to a recent guest spot on Landman (2024).
If you can't quite place him but know you've seen his face somewhere… he's been the 'Maytag Man' since 2014.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. The first two episodes of season 3 premiere on July 16, with new episodes out on Wednesdays.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly