Who will Belly choose, Conrad or Jeremiah? Fans will soon have an answer, with the wildly popular Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty now back for its third—and final—season.
The show, based on Jenny Han’s bestselling trilogy of young adult novels, follows Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she navigates a love triangle with two childhood friends, brothers Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno), in their cozy beach town.
When Tung read the series’ final script and learned Belly’s pick, her jaw hit the floor.
“I was like, whoa!” she says with a laugh at TSITP’s lavish premiere party in New York this week, dressed in an intricate white look by Ann Demeulemeester. “Any ending in a journey is pretty emotional, and so I definitely had a big reaction. But Jenny is such a good storyteller, and everything happens for a reason.”
Though Tung is coy about how the series ends, she stands by what Belly decides to do. “I’m happy for her and happy about the choices that she made. I’ve always been Team Belly. I’ve always wanted her to follow her heart,” Tung says. “And no matter what happens, Belly loves both of these boys so much.”
As the 22-year-old star says goodbye to her first professional acting role, she’s feeling proud of the work she’s done over the last several years. “After being very emotional about the show ending, tonight is really a night of celebration,” she says. “I’m feeling very grateful. I’ve grown up with Belly, and she’s taught me so much. I learned a lot about being bold, taking risks, and communicating—even through the hard things. Belly is very good at doing that, even when it’s confrontational. I feel like she’s made me more bold.”
That’s served her well as Tung begins the pivot from teen drama star to playing more adult roles, including her feature film debut in the upcoming indie Forbidden Fruits with Gabrielle Union. She also shot a scene for this year’s remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer, though it didn’t make the final cut.
“I was bummed when I found out, but that’s how it goes. It’s alright,” she says. “It was a cameo scene, and you never know what’s going to happen with those. But it was so much fun to be on that set. It was such an incredible learning experience. I was grateful that I got to do that. I didn’t get to meet Jennifer Love Hewitt or Freddie Prinze Jr., unfortunately, but I got to hang out with everybody else, and I’m really excited to see the movie.”
As TSITP’s glitzy premiere party kicked off, Tung joined Han, Casalegno, Briney, and her other castmates—including Rain Spencer, Sean Kaufman, Jackie Chung, and Tom Everett Scott—in the Refinery Rooftop’s lounge. Breathtaking views of the Empire State Building and an arrangement of blue and white hydrangeas set the scene, while guests enjoyed sliders and sipped Aperol spritzes and pomegranate margaritas—the same cocktail Belly famously got drunk on at a Fourth of July party in Season 1.
So, how did Casalegno react when he found out who Belly chose? “I was shocked,” he says, looking dapper in a sleeveless Dolce Gabbana shirt and trousers. “Jenny really did a great job—especially this season. She took some liberties with it, and I’m excited for people to see the ending. We didn’t know until the week before we were supposed to film the scene. It made it a fun little surprise. We got to talk about it, but I was shocked for sure. I was really happy with the outcome.”
And Briney? “I read it, and I was like, alright—how can I do my job to justify my character’s decisions and actions in where he ends up?” he says. “But I was familiar with the source material, and Jenny always throws in her share of surprises. I was not left unsurprised. I trust Jenny to leave these characters where she thinks they should be left.”
Following the reception, the cast made their way to Bryant Park for a public screening of two episodes from the third season. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by hundreds of adoring fans, screaming and cheering.
“Everyone who sees themselves in Belly—thank you,” Tung told fans while on stage. “You’ve made this more than a role for me!”