Latest news with #SummerOf69
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Summer Of 69' Star Sam Morelos Talks Acting And Being Asian American
Sam Morelos In the new Hulu original comedy Summer of 69, Sam Morelos stars as Abby Flores, a socially awkward high school senior who's determined to win her crush after learning he has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend. When Abby hears of his particular fondness for a certain sexual position, she hires a local stripper named Santa Monica (played by Chloe Fineman) to give her a crash course in the 'bedroom department,' leading to an unlikely friendship and a journey of self-discovery. Poster for 'Summer of 69' There's a lot to like about comedian Jillian Bell's directorial debut—its quirky humor, the nods to classic teen comedies like Risky Business, its ability to entertain audiences without being too raunchy (there isn't a single sex scene in Summer of 69, despite the title). But perhaps the best part about the movie is Morelos' show-stopping performance as Abby. Morelos makes Abby wholly believable and endearingly awkward, delivering lines with an impeccable comedic timing usually seen in only the most seasoned actors. It's hard to believe that Morelos is only 19 years old and just finished their freshman year of college. They enrolled at NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts last August—less than two weeks after filming for Summer of 69 had concluded. 'It was the craziest turnaround,' Morelos tells Forbes. 'I wrapped Summer of 69, had a vacation for like a week, and then two days later, I moved into my dorm.' For the young but already in-demand actor, a packed calendar is nothing new. Recently they've been cast in the upcoming screen adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel Regretting You, which completed filming in Atlanta earlier this month. 'I would fly back and forth to New York like every other weekend from Atlanta. I've been on a plane 12 times in the past month,' Morelos says. Fortunately, that dizzying schedule has taught them to strike a healthier balance between school and acting. 'Because I had that experience, now I know for the future that it's not worth putting 50% of yourself everywhere. I'm learning to choose one at a time,' the busy actor admits. 'I feel like my college experience is not going to be linear. If I don't go to school, that means I'm working, and I get to learn somewhere else. And if I don't book, that means I get to go to school. I tried to have both things at the same time. I'm glad I did it, because now I'm not gonna do it again.' SUMMER OF 69 - An awkward high school senior hires an exotic dancer to help seduce her longtime ... More crush before graduation, leading to unexpected friendship and lessons in self-confidence, acceptance, and adulthood. (Disney/Brett Roedel) SAM MORELOS, CHLOE FINEMAN Morelos, who grew up in San Gabriel Valley just outside of Los Angeles, started out doing musical theater in their local community at the age of four. 'I was a singer first. I didn't think I was a very good actor,' Morelos reveals. The budding star was studying musical theater at a local performing arts high school when the pandemic hit. They credit one of their acting teachers at the school for making them fall in love with acting. 'She was like, 'We can't do musical theater on Zoom. Let's make this a camera acting class,'' says Morelos. 'I was like, 'Oh my God, I love this!' And then that year, I switched into the acting department, and it was that year that I booked That '90s Show.' That '90s Show—the spinoff of That '70s Show—was Morelos' first taste of professional acting. Morelos, who received rave reviews for their performance as Nikki Velasco in the sitcom, eventually landed the role at the age of 16 after submitting to an open casting call, launching their whirlwind introduction to Hollywood. 'I got the call that I got '90s on a Thursday, and then on Friday, I told my teachers that I'm not going to be in class for two months. Saturday and Sunday, we had to find some way of getting a work permit really quickly for a minor, and then Monday, I was on set for pre-production, COVID testing and costume fittings,' Morelos says. 'So yeah, in conclusion, I don't sleep, and I haven't slept since,' they comment half-jokingly. Summer of 69 marks Morelos' feature film debut. As for what drew them to the movie, Morelos remembers 'laughing out loud' when they first read the script and thinking that it was something they would want to watch. 'And the more I got to know Abby, and the more I got to know about Jillian and the production and what the messages were, it went beyond my expectation of what this movie could be, which is—at its core—a movie about self-love, confidence, taking your own time to do things and being true to yourself,' Morelos says. SUMMER OF 69 - An awkward high school senior hires an exotic dancer to help seduce her longtime ... More crush before graduation, leading to unexpected friendship and lessons in self-confidence, acceptance, and adulthood. (Disney/Brett Roedel) SAM MORELOS 'Also, the makeover that Abby undergoes is not the typical ones that you see in these teen sex comedies, where the protagonist takes off her glasses, takes her hair down. The second that she fits into a mold of what a woman is supposed to look like and be, she's desirable,' Morelos points out. 'It was so not Abby. Abby's a nerd. Abby likes to game, and the second that she started to really embrace the things that she loves about herself, she [becomes] a magnet to other people, because people really want to be around people who know themselves.' To bring Abby to life on screen, Morelos explains that they focused heavily on physicalizing the character. 'I thought a lot about how Abby takes up space—just physical space. How does she carry herself? How does she walk? She waddles a little bit. She's very stiff. The posture that she has is very hunched over and almost protective—like she's protecting something about herself,' Morelos says. 'But as she gets more confident, you see her spine straighten a little more, and you see her more willing to take up space,' Morelos goes on. 'There's a parallel shot of Abby walking across the parking lot at the very beginning, and also at sort of the middle. We shot [both scenes] on the same day because it's the same setup, but in one, I was hunched over with my head down, and in the second take, Abby was waving to people, like, 'Oh, hey, how are you doing?' Just taking up space. Abby never changed—she just grew.' Director, co-producer and co-writer Jillian Bell and actor Sam Morelos on the set of the Hulu movie ... More 'Summer of 69' Morelos notes that they and director Jillian Bell—who also co-wrote the screenplay—shared the same perspective on Abby, which made the character feel very relatable to Morelos. 'Jillian had a very specific vision for Abby, and we just happened to agree. It was really inspired by her life, because Abby is Jillian, almost. And Santa Monica kind of represents the mentorship that she got from her older sister Breanna, who produced Summer of 69.' It also helped that, like Abby, both Bell and Morelos came from a Catholic background. 'Jillian went to Catholic school, [where] topics around sex are just shrouded in shame and guilt. I'm the kid of two immigrant parents from the Philippines, and I grew up Catholic and went to church every Sunday. So it was something I could relate to,' says Morelos. 'But I don't think it's a coincidence. It felt like fate,' they add. Sam Morelos as Abby Flores and Chloe Fineman as Santa Monica in 'Summer of 69' Like Morelos, Abby Flores is of Filipino descent, but the character wasn't originally written that way in the script. 'The audition that I got was any ethnicity, and then the second that I was cast, Abby's Filipina,' Morelos says. 'Same as in That '90s Show—Nikki never had a last name, and then season two, it was Nikki Velasco. I think that I'm so vocal about it that productions can't unhear my voice being like, 'Yeah, I'm a proud Filipino American.' It's a huge part of my identity. It's the one thing I can't take off. So every single character that I will ever be will always be Filipino. Always.' In Summer of 69, Philippine influences can be seen throughout Abby's house, though Morelos points out that they fortunately didn't have to push for any of that. 'Our set designer is also an Asian American woman. So she knew,' says Morelos. Besides the Philippine flag proudly displayed in Abby's room, elements of her Filipino heritage can be found throughout the kitchen. 'There's a whole box of mangoes and shrimp chips. There's a 'Live Laugh Love Lumpia' sign. Like little details,' Morelos explains. 'And for some reason, in every Filipino household, there's a giant wooden fork and spoon decoration in the kitchen. Don't know why, but that was in there too.' And with Summer of 69 premiering in May—which also happens to be AAPI Heritage Month—some viewers might be wondering: was that a pure coincidence? 'It's fate,' Morelos says with a smile. Summer of 69 is currently streaming on Hulu.
The Review Geek
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Summer of 69 (2025) Recap & Ending Explained – Does Abby win Max over?
Summer of 69 Plot Summary Hulu's Summer of 69, directed by Jillian Bell, follows Abby (Sam Morelos), a high school teenager eager to get with her childhood crush, Max (Matt Cornett). Max's recent break-up with his long-time girlfriend Mercedes (Ava DeMary) gives Abby the chance to fulfil her sexual desires before high school is over. However, Abby has so much to learn, and the only place to find the wisdom she seeks is the local strip club, Diamond Dolls. The confidence of the club's top dancer, Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman) blows Abby away. Therefore, she decides to hire Monica as her tutor. Why does Monica agree to tutor Abby? Diamond Dolls is like a second home for Monica and her friends who work at the strip club. The club has not been doing well, so the owner took a loan from another club owner, Rick Richards. The deal was that if Betty could not pay back the loan on time, Rick would take over the club. Rick is a prick, and Monica does not like him. She had auditioned for his club before, and Rick had asked her to dance naked for the audition. To save the club, they need to come up with 20k in one week. Therefore, when Abby calls, Monica answers. At first, Monica does not like the idea since Abby is a teenager and might not have the money. Abby makes a down payment of 5K, promising to pay the rest within a week. Monica agrees to be her tutor so she can raise the money and become the club's owner. What happens between Abby and Monica? Monica first says that they should not have small talks as their relationship is strictly professional. However, they soon start to vibe and become friends. Monica teaches Abby about sex by taking her to a sex toy shop. She also tries to instil more confidence into Abby so she can be more interesting. This does not mean having extreme makeovers, but it is about helping Abby become more confident in her skin. Abby starts to walk more confidently to school, saying hi to friends, and can talk to Max without hallucinating. On the other hand, Abby learns that even though Monica looks confident, she has low self-esteem because she feels like she has not done anything significant with her life. Monica went to the same high school as Abby, and she still hides from former teachers and classmates. Their class is planning a reunion, but Monica does not plan to attend. Monica opens up to Abby about herself, saying that she feels like a failure, and she wants to buy the strip club so she feels like she has accomplished something during the reunion. Abby gets so caught up in spending time with Monica that she cancels her live streams, which costs her money and friends. Abby cannot make the money overtime, and she has to come clean to Monica about it. The two spend a fun time watching Risky Business and have an emotional talk afterwards. Monica tells Abby that she might not be ready for a sexual night with Max. Abby sees it like Monica telling her she is not good enough. They get into an argument after Monica learns that Abby will not help her save the club. How does Abby help Monica? Monica goes to the reunion since Abby got her mother's suit. During the reunion, Monica realises that the classmate who made her feel small, Robin, does not have her life sorted out. The two bond over drinks, and Monica realises that she cares more about Abby. Meanwhile, Abby throws a party at her house since her parents are away. She gets some time alone with Max and learns that Max already likes her, but not in the way she thought. Like her, Max has never had sex and is not into crazy positions like Bernie the Mascot had made Abby believe. Abby tells Max about Monica, and how she feels she has let her down. Suddenly, she has an idea. She takes all the 18-year-olds at the party to the strip club and does a live streaming performance to raise money for Monica. Finally, Abby is confident enough to dress up like Tom Cruise from Risky Business and give a performance. How does Summer of 69 end? Funds gathered on the live stream and from the people at the club are not enough to save Diamond Dolls. Luckily, Robin steps in the last minute with her husband, who frequents the strip club. Robin helps save the club from being sold to Rick. Monica had brought Max with her to the club. He is not 18, so he waits for Abby outside. Abby and Max finally kiss because they like each other. Monica and Abby head back to her house in the morning. They sit by the swings watching as the party goers leave. Abby's parents come back. They scold Abby for throwing a party. Abby just smiles and tells them that she made a friend.
