Billie chats to the stars of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Supplied: Prime Video
To celebrate the release of Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Billie chats to the stars Lola Tung and Sean Kaufman about the Prime Video show.
FINALLY Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty is here.
After binge watching XO, Kitty in record time, I was ready for some more Jenny Han goodness.
If you are a fan of teen drama/romance and you haven’t heard of Jenny Han then boy are you in for a treat. The author is the Queen of this genre and we can only pray she continues to write.
Aside from To All the Boys I’ve Ever Loved, The Summer I Turned Pretty is one of her biggest hits and was turned into an Amazon TV series last year.
The story, originally written over three books, follows Belly Conklin and her love triangle between two brothers (and her closest family friends) Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher.
Last season we were left with a cliffhanger - who will Belly choose? She’s always had a thing for brooding older brother Conrad but golden-retriever-in-human-form Jeremiah admitted he had feelings for Belly.
Well the wait is over and Billie was lucky enough to have an early sneak peek at Season 2. Even better, we got to speak with two of the stars, Lola Tung and Sean Kaufman who play sister and brother, Belly and Steven Conklin!
During our chat, it was clear that the sibling-like banter between Lola and Sean continued off-screen. The pair both agreed that there was a brother/sister dynamic in their friendship.
“We bicker and get into fights and sometimes I think I’m her older brother and I’m [texting her] like ‘no you can’t go out tonight’, laughs Sean.
Lola laughs too, adding “[I’ll reply saying] why are you texting me right now?!”
Supplied: Prime Video
If you have read the books and think you know how season two is going to play out, don’t be so sure! There are still plenty of new twists and turns that will keep you surprised, as well as the introduction of two new characters - Julia and Skye - the Fisher boys’ aunty and cousin.
Unlike the second book, It’s Not Summer Without You, we see a lot more of some key characters from the first season in the second. In particular, Steven (Sean) and Belly’s best friend Taylor (played by Rain Spencer), who have a much bigger part to play. Even Cam Cameron (David Iacono) shows his face a few times too.
The inclusion of more screen-time, particularly for Steven and Taylor, helped to make the story a little lighter than in the book and includes a lot more laughs.
Supplied: Prime Video
One of my favourite things about this season was that it was jam-packed with memorable scenes I couldn’t stop thinking about. Once you see the party scene and Belly’s outfit, you’ll know what I mean.
But it was a scene that Steven and her filmed together that was Lola’s favourite, she tells Billie.
“There’s a scene in episode one that we have together at Steven’s graduation party. That’s a more emotional scene but I think it was a really challenging-but-fun scene to film.”
“You chose one of ours? Awwww!” Sean replies, obviously touched.
“My favourite scene to shoot was like every single one,” Sean says enthusiastically.
“Although I can’t pick favourites, the first one that comes into my head is in episode 7 where we do a little dance to The Strokes. I remember on the day we were just so tired and it was just such a fun release.”
Supplied: Prime Video
Apart from all the epic scenes, one of the best parts of Season Two of The Summer I Turned Pretty is the soundtrack. Just like the first season, this one is filled to the brim with music that we know you love but it also fits PERFECTLY with every scene.
Although we can’t share any details about which artists are featured on the show, we can say that it’s the perfect playlist for a teen summer.
As our interview drew to a close, I took the opportunity to ask the pair to finish the sentence, "It's not summer without…?”
“It’s not summer without ice cream truck music,” Sean says with a smile.
But it was Lola’s answer that was our favourite.“It’s not summer without fun!”
And as far as The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 is concerned, it’s a TONNE of fun to watch. So, we guess it’s not summer (or winter here in NZ) without The Summer I Turned Pretty!
The first three episodes of the Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 are available to watch on Prime Video now, with new episodes dropping weekly.
