NEED TO KNOW
- The cast of The Summer I Turned Pretty is sharing how they reacted to seeing the steamy finale scene
- In the scene, Belly (Lola Tung) and Conrad (Chris Briney) reunite in Paris as Taylor Swift’s “Dress” plays in the background
- “We moms don’t need to see this,” Jackie Chung, who plays Tung’s onscreen mom, joked about sitting next to Tung’s mother at the event in Paris on Wednesday, Sept. 17
Like viewers at home, The Summer I Turned Pretty cast also had a big reaction to seeing the steamy reunion scene in the finale of the hit Prime Video show.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is based on Jenny Han’s trilogy of novels of the same name, originally published between 2009 and 2011. The series follows Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she navigates adolescence, and a love triangle between brothers Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad Fisher (Chris Briney), whom she has known since they were children.
The season finale sees Belly and Conrad having a passionate reunion after he shows up at her doorstep in Paris on the eve of her birthday. The steamy scene is soundtracked by Taylor Swift’s Reputation track “Dress.”
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, the cast opened up about their own reactions to seeing the scene on the big screen at the finale screening in Paris on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
“Oh, I just knew that the walk out from the bathroom, I was like, ‘Thanks, guys. Go Belly,'” Tung, 22, joked about leaving the room for the intimate scene and returning to see the audience’s reactions in real time.
“I was like this the whole time,” Casalegno, 5, joked as he covered his eyes with his hands. “I was like, I’m not watching this. Jenny, how long does this go? I was like, checking my watch.”
“Belly’s real mom was sitting behind me, and she was covering my eyes,” Jackie Chung, who plays Belly’s onscreen mom, Laurel Park, said with a laugh. “She was like, ‘We moms don’t need this.’ ”
Casalegno jumped back in, “I kept peeking. I think I did that about three or four times… I was like, ‘It’s still going!”
Sean Kaufman, who plays Belly’s onscreen brother Stephen, quipped, “You’re like, ‘is it over?'”
Briney, 27, on the other hand, did not feel the need to avert his eyes. “I mean, it’s another day at work,” he said.
“I think it’s more nerves about getting the beats, right, and telling the story right and making sure you hit whatever mark you need to do that,” Tung replied.
“Right, and not block light,” Briney added.
“It’s so technical,” Tung said with a laugh.
Han, 45, opened up about her choice in soundtrack for the pivotal scene.
“I knew I wanted to use ‘Dress’ in the scene. You know, it tends to be the big emotional scenes, I already know what I want to do. I wouldn’t say it inspired the scene, but I knew that’s what I wanted for the scene,” the author explained.
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Just hours after the finale’s release, Prime Video announced that the story wasn’t over just yet, as a feature film is in the works.
“There is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due,” Han, who will return to write and direct the project, said in a press release. “I’m so grateful to Prime Video for continuing to support my vision for this story and for making it possible to share this final chapter with the fans.”
The film’s release date is to be determined.
All episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty are now streaming on Prime Video.
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