- 11 months ago
'The Summer I Turned Pretty' stars Lola Tung and Christopher Briney sits down with Teen Vogue in an exclusive interview to discuss the finale of the show, fan reactions and their best guesses for what's to come in the upcoming movie.
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00:00Well, I was going to ask you how it feels to not have to worry about spoiling anything, but
00:03now you have a whole other thing to spoil.
00:07I got nothing to spoil. I don't know shit.
00:09Hey, that's something.
00:11I will say, though, after the movie announcement came out, I think my body was just like,
00:17like, sigh of relief, and I got home and I was like, I feel so tired.
00:23Like, this just huge release, so I just crashed, went to bed.
00:26When did you first hear that there was going to be a movie?
00:29There have been rumblings about it for a while, but, like, knowing that it was actually a
00:36thing happening, being made very recently.
00:40Yeah. Jenny keeps things close to the chest.
00:43It seems that way.
00:44Yeah.
00:46Well, there's so much in this season to unpack, but I wanted to ask about the birthday party
00:52scenes and how, like, what it was like to just kind of, like, hang on to that tension.
00:58Between Belly and Conrad for so long.
01:01Like, how do you maintain that?
01:03You're doing a lot of acting with, like, just your eyes.
01:05Like, how are you guys kind of talking about how to approach those scenes?
01:09Um, I mean, we don't, like, talk about it much.
01:11We just sort of do our own work.
01:13Maybe just do it.
01:14No, I mean, I mean, like, character-wise, there's a lot of, like, journaling and understanding
01:19of, um, like, not only where they are, but also where we are in the story and things to
01:26come, so you, um, like, that's before, um, they, like, go do their own thing.
01:36And so it's sort of, like, sussing out the situation, but it does, like, there are definitely
01:42feelings of, like, this is kind of nice to be together again.
01:45Um, I don't know.
01:47A lot of journaling and just understanding the moment in the story.
01:51Yeah, I think that also we just, with everything in Paris, wanted to really be able to show
01:58that, um, that both of them had grown and that, especially for Belly, it was, like, that
02:04she has this really nice little life here and I think she's inviting him into it and you
02:13want it to feel like she's very comfortable and he's uncomfortable and sort of taking it
02:19all in and, um, yeah, I mean, the simple job is an actor just to listen, you know, and
02:25not understand what they're saying and be like, oh, they have inside jokes and they know this
02:29person who, who I used to know so well.
02:33Yeah.
02:34Well, especially in the scene where they're kind of reenacting the season one, like, quotes
02:39about the joint and, like, what the weed does to you.
02:42Like, how do you kind of show the character growth that you've been through while repeating
02:47these old lines in a different way?
02:51I don't know.
02:52It's funny because, like, I'm like, does that work outside of a TV show?
02:59I mean, it depends on the person.
03:00Maybe it depends on, like, the person.
03:02It has to be the exact right, you know what I mean?
03:05Everything clicks.
03:06Yeah.
03:07It's like, how do you even remember that?
03:09Right, right, right.
03:10Yeah, you're, I think that's why it's so sweet because they do, you know.
03:13Because, yeah, remember everything that the other says, yeah.
03:16Yeah.
03:17They can quote conversations between the two of them.
03:20Yeah.
03:22I mean, it's a lot of that, I guess, going back to, we were talking about sort of, like,
03:27it's a lot of that kind of, like, role reversal of, you know, Belle is sort of the one who's
03:32withholding and a little bit, she's excited, obviously, that he's in Paris, but, you know,
03:38even hesitant to, like, invite him to the birthday dinner at first and hesitant to show him her
03:43life here.
03:44And I think he's so enthusiastic about it and excited about it and wants any little, like,
03:49piece of information that he can kind of get.
03:50He'll take whatever he can get.
03:52Yeah.
03:52So I think it is funny to see those little moments where it feels like they've kind of
03:58swapped a little bit.
03:59Yeah, I thought about what you were saying about remembering every word when Belle just
04:06magically thinks of Susanna saying, like, she's a girl who knows her own heart.
04:11And I was like, I wish that's how life was, that you could just, like, call to mind the
04:14exact wording someone has told you.
04:16Well, but I will say there will be specific moments where, for some reason, I'm like,
04:21I have no clue why, but I will never forget, like, this little thing that someone said to
04:26me that they probably don't even remember they said to me, but I remember it and it
04:29stays with me, you know?
04:30Yeah, there's things, yeah.
04:31I mean, they remember everything.
04:33They have great memories.
04:34Yeah, yeah.
04:35But, yeah, there are certain things that for some reason you're like, I don't know why,
04:39but I remember the exact way that the person said that to me.
04:42What they were wearing.
04:43Yeah.
04:44Yeah, that's true.
04:45Mm-hmm.
04:48In the scene where they are, you know, talking honestly for the first time about, or one of
04:55the first times, about, like, what is actually holding Belli back here, where she, like,
04:59mentions that it's, that it's, she's worried that Susanna's death has, like, changed the
05:04whole course of their relationship.
05:06Oh, right.
05:06Like, what do you guys think of how that scene worked?
05:10Like, why did it feel important to have this moment where Belli is like, it's this, it's
05:15this thing that's been bothering me?
05:18I think, like you said, it kind of is the first time that they're both being honest at
05:22the same time.
05:23Right.
05:23You know, the one right before the train station.
05:28Oh, okay.
05:28Okay.
05:29Okay.
05:29Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:30That we were talking about before, sort of.
05:31Yeah.
05:31Like, we were saying, you know, there are all these moments in season one and season two
05:36when Belli's honest with Conrad about her feelings, but he kind of isn't as honest because
05:40he's going through his own shit.
05:42Right.
05:42And then this season, you know, Conrad pours his heart out on the beach and Belli has to
05:45sort of not be honest because she's about to marry his brother.
05:50So it's like, this is the first time that these two people have had time to think about
05:55their relationship and everything that happened and can properly sit down and have a real mature
06:00conversation.
06:00Right.
06:01And it's also, what I remember is like the sort of, what I find like interesting about
06:09it is like, they both had these thoughts and made decisions about the situation and about
06:14what it is and like labeled it with all these things.
06:17And then you say it out loud and the other person's like, what?
06:19Like, that's so like ridiculous, you know, like that's so out of left field.
06:25And I think that's a nice thing as a human to be like, I've been thinking about all this
06:31stuff.
06:32And the other person's like, I was never once thinking about that, you know, it's
06:35sort of refreshing to make those discoveries.
06:40Yeah.
06:42Conrad has been really celebrated as like a real like yearner this season.
06:47Cool.
06:47I'm curious, like, why do you think like fans love to see a man specifically just like yearn
06:52and like long for someone?
06:55I don't know.
06:56Maybe because it's often the other way around.
07:00Like in a lot of things.
07:02There's a shortage of yearning.
07:04Yeah.
07:05I mean, I can think of, I don't know.
07:06I don't know.
07:08Because I can think of a bunch of examples where we got boys yearning.
07:11In like film and TV.
07:12Yeah, in film and TV.
07:13No, I didn't realize.
07:17But I don't know.
07:18I think part of it's just his growth and willingness to be honest with his feelings.
07:29And that's exciting to see.
07:32Someone who knows themself better.
07:36Yeah, I don't know.
07:38Someone who goes to therapy.
07:39Someone who goes to therapy.
07:40Well, pretty easy bar to reach.
07:45You'd be surprised.
07:46Well, insurance makes it so good.
07:48No, that's true.
07:49That's a good point.
07:50That's a good point.
07:50You're absolutely right.
07:51It's actually such a problem.
07:52And also, I guess there's also the issue of like over-therapizing as well.
07:56Yeah.
07:57And if you're the wrong therapist.
07:59Right.
07:59Someone you don't work well with.
08:00So never mind.
08:01I take it back.
08:02Yeah.
08:03Listen.
08:03Hey, listen.
08:04Simple in theory.
08:04It's not.
08:05It's definitely not.
08:06Yeah.
08:07Therapy.
08:08Therapy.
08:09No.
08:12They also have a conversation about Belly thinking that she's the villain.
08:16And I was interested in it kind of as like a meta commentary on how people see the season
08:23and these characters as a whole.
08:26I think Belly gets kind of, she takes a lot of shit from fans online who I think sometimes
08:34like applaud Conrad in ways they aren't applauding Belly when they do the same things.
08:38I'm curious what you think of that.
08:41And if like you think kind of Belly, if the show does a good job of like saying this is,
08:46she's not the villain.
08:47Like it's okay.
08:48I don't think anyone's the villain.
08:50I don't think that's the point of the story.
08:52People are really quick to label.
08:54Villain is like such a strong like word too.
08:58Right, right.
09:00And I, yeah, people are very quick to label and I think that it's a beautiful thing to
09:05get to see how much Conrad grows and not to diminish that at all.
09:10But I also think, you know, it can be, you know, a little like harmful to label certain things
09:20as like good and bad when you're like, there's a whole picture and you have to see where each
09:30character is coming from and why they can't share all their feelings.
09:34And I mean, again, Conrad went through this for, for seasons of, of, you know, having something
09:40that made him.
09:42Yeah.
09:42The label of emotionally unavailable.
09:45And I think people were able to start sympathizing with him in those moments because he was going
09:49through a lot.
09:50Sure.
09:50And I think Belly's also going through a lot.
09:52And I think they've all been through a lot together.
09:54And when you have that sort of history and when it is as complicated as it is, we're in
10:00a love triangle with two brothers.
10:02Um, it's like so much more layered than that.
10:07Yeah.
10:07And, um, I think like, you know, I think we can all just get along and enjoy something.
10:15I just think like, I think like, like trying to define characters like that is sort of fighting
10:23against the whole point of it, of like, they're all growing and learning.
10:27They're all like people who are messy, which is literally how people are.
10:31Also, that's how you make a drama.
10:33Yeah.
10:34You make drama by creating conflict.
10:36Drama by creating drama.
10:37Drama by creating drama.
10:39Um, no, I don't know what I was going to say.
10:41Sorry.
10:42No, but like, if you're frustrated with the character's decision, like, what if that was
10:50intentional?
10:51Wait.
10:51You know, like, what if, I don't know, crazy, crazy idea, but.
10:57I also think, and I, again, I know online, it's just like, people are, feel so strongly
11:03about it, which makes me so happy.
11:05Um, and that it's, I think sometimes you just start typing and you're like, I hate this.
11:10Send.
11:12Post it.
11:13Whatever.
11:14Um, but you know.
11:15Send it to yourself first.
11:17Send it to your friends.
11:18Yeah.
11:19Um, hate is such a strong word in this context, I think.
11:23Um, and, and, you know, I hope in the end, it, I hope the journey was an enjoyable experience
11:33because I think that's what it's supposed to be and, um, a chance for you to feel all
11:40the emotions, but hopefully also realize that nobody's the villain.
11:44Yeah, they're just people, well, characters, but.
11:48They're just people.
11:50Um, I've seen a lot of jokes that Belly's true love is the beach house, and that is funny,
11:55but I'm also wondering, like, on a more kind of symbolic level, if it's like, do you feel
12:01like any of that is true in the way that she, it, like, encompasses her childhood and, like,
12:06her family and, like, the way she's, like, loved?
12:08Like, do you think the house is her, is her true love?
12:11I think because of what it symbolizes, sure, I think, like, she grew up there and all of
12:17the people that she loved were there, and I think maybe there's some, you know, stuff
12:25that to figure out with that, like, having the attachment to that and also, like, feeling
12:31so, like, um, like, in debt, in debt to Susanna a little bit and, like, like, they all want
12:39to make her proud and all want to make her happy, and there were so many promises made
12:43to each other, and I think it's a little bit, um, in this moment, too, kind of letting
12:48go of, of that, that responsibility a little bit in Paris and being, like, we're just here
12:56together and it's okay that we've made all these mistakes and everything can still be
13:00okay.
13:00Yeah.
13:00Sorry, that's a little bit, you know, derailing from this, but, um, but I think, yeah, the
13:05house represents her, most of her childhood and her love for these people and...
13:10Yeah, and if you think about it, like, those uninhibited moments as a kid will always be,
13:17like, your happiest, really, because you're so unaffected by the world, you know, and society,
13:25and, like, these anxieties, so are we all not yearning for our childhood, you know, trying
13:32to get back there in one way or another, speaking of yearning?
13:35But I, and then I also think it's important that Belle is in Paris because then she has
13:38another place that feels like, um, you know, part of her heart is there as well, so, I mean,
13:47that apartment, it's beautiful.
13:49So nice.
13:50I'm a mort.
13:51Um, what would you be excited to explore in a movie about their dynamic that maybe we
13:57haven't seen yet about Belle and Conrad, or in relation to other characters, too?
14:02Maybe...
14:03No, I'm thinking.
14:05Oh, sorry.
14:05You got one?
14:06Yeah, yeah, I guess with Belle and Conrad, maybe, like, what a happy, healthy relationship
14:12looks like.
14:13Sure.
14:13You know, and then I guess with other characters, I mean, I love, I love Stephen and Belle's
14:25relationship, obviously, and, um, your scene with Jackie, again, is so good.
14:32So more Laurel and Conrad.
14:34Yeah.
14:34And I guess Belle and Jeremiah's relationship, maybe how it's changed or what that would look
14:40like, I don't know.
14:42There's a lot of in relation to Jeremiah.
14:45I mean, I think there's a lot of different ways in my mind that it could play out, you
14:49know?
14:49I mean, you could understand harboring resentment.
14:54Um, he also has grown a lot, you know?
14:59And I assume that he will help grow him by the time we get to him in the movie.
15:05Um, so maybe things are okay.
15:08And it's, yeah, I don't know.
15:09I don't know.
15:10It's hard to say.
15:12Um, I just want, like, a golf scene.
15:18Yeah.
15:18Yeah.
15:19Because you and Sean golf in real life?
15:20Golf all the time.
15:21Yeah.
15:22Yeah.
15:22All the time.
15:23All the time.
15:24You're tired of hearing about it.
15:25Yeah.
15:25I like mini golf.
15:27Same.
15:29Um.
15:30Yeah.
15:30Yeah.
15:30In the scene when Conrad comes to Paris, um, like, belly is so, like, cool, calm, collected,
15:37and then she goes in and puts on the lipstick and kind of is like, what am I doing?
15:41What were you thinking about, like, how does the lipstick, like, kind of mean that, that
15:47she's, she's not so calm, collected?
15:50Well, it's very disorienting when someone who you don't expect to be outside of your door
15:54is outside of your door.
15:56Probably not a move to Poland.
15:57What is happening?
15:59Um, but yeah, I mean, she's clearly a little thrown off and clearly, as we find out later,
16:08not completely over this, and, um, the lipstick moment was fun to just be like, she's like,
16:15what am I doing?
16:16What's going on?
16:17What does this mean?
16:18Who knows?
16:18Should I just go with it?
16:20It's like all those questions that run through your head, and I think she is more confident
16:23and more secure now, so she's able to sort of be cool and calm and collected, even if
16:30she's just putting it on for a little bit.
16:32She's able to, like, make it look more natural, I guess.
16:36Um, but yeah, that moment was so cute and fun, because you, you do get that peek into
16:42her.
16:42I mean, we have voiceovers.
16:44Are there any voiceovers this episode?
16:45I don't know.
16:46Like, a couple at the very end.
16:48Yeah.
16:49Um, but you get that sort of just peek into her freaking out a little bit, which is cute.
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