The Summer I Turned Pretty’s actress Lola Tung grows up, as does her TV character

NEW YORK – Lola Tung was taking classes as a first-year acting student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, United States, when she heard the news.

She had just been selected to play the lead in a new Amazon Prime Video series called The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022 to present), based on the best-selling young adult novel by American-Korean author Jenny Han.

“I was just in shock because I didn’t expect this,” Tung, 20, a New York City native with Chinese and Swedish heritage, said in a video interview in June. “I called my mum after and we were just crying together over the phone, which was lovely. But it was the best surprise ever.”

Tung, who was 18 and had acted only in school plays, took a leave of absence from college in 2021 to go to Wilmington, North Carolina, to join the production of the show, which tells a story of romantic awakening set at a beach house.

As summer commences and the show’s two central families head to the coast, adolescent Isabel Conklin (played by Tung), known as Belly, becomes caught in a love triangle with two of her childhood best friends, who also happen to be brothers: Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).

The romantic tension captivated teen and young adult viewers when the series debuted in 2022 and helped turn the show into a social media sensation.

The hashtag #TheSummerITurnedPretty has accumulated millions of views on TikTok as users post fawning videos in support of Team Conrad or Team Jere.

“I knew it would be special, but I think nothing can ever prepare you,” Tung said. “There’s no way to know how it’s going to be received and how your life will change after.”

Tung continued her college leave to star in the show’s second season, which is available on Amazon Prime Video.

If watching the first season felt like basking in a perfect summer day – full of pool parties, passionate kisses and Kim Petras lyrics – the second season feels darker, cloudier and shrouded by loss.

Both Tung and her character have weathered a series of changes between the two seasons.

Tung now has red-carpet interviews, a partnership with fashion label American Eagle and millions of Instagram followers; Belly has lost a close family friend and must fight to save the beach house. Both are learning what it means to grow up.

How do you get in the mindset of preparing to play the role of Belly?

Music plays such a big part in prepping for different scenes. We were jumping around a lot emotionally in Season 2, so I think music was a way to very quickly get into the head space of the character.

I would journal and write a lot, especially from Belly’s perspective.

The first season, I wrote letters to each of the characters in Belly’s voice, which was really cool. I think when you journal and you write just sort of like stream of consciousness, you learn a lot about the character.

What do you think this season says about the themes of change, loss and growth as a young person?

The characters have experienced a lot of growth and change since we last saw them. That is a really hard thing for all of them to deal with, and they are sort of on their own at the beginning.

Season 1 was so much about these characters growing together and having each other to lean on. Season 2 is a lot about individual growth and how to take initiative, especially for Belly.

She is really isolated from the boys and her family, and feeling completely lost without (mother of Conrad and Jeremiah) Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) there.

It was really cool to get to figure out what the next step was for her and how she moves forward from the weight of grief. It is about learning that change is okay and normal.

Are there aspects of Belly’s character you relate to – and feel are very dissimilar?

We are pretty similar, and I absolutely bring some of myself to her. It is only natural if you are playing a character, especially one so close in age.

She is a very emotional person and leads with her heart and cares a lot about the people in her life, especially her family, even if it is hard to express that sometimes.

I think she is bolder than I am and she is more of a risk-taker, and that was something I thought would be a challenge. But I really enjoyed getting to tap into that part of her, and I learnt from her in that way.

Are you on Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?

I always say I am the biggest supporter of Team Belly, and I will always stick with that answer because I really do believe she is the only one who can make that choice. And if we are doing our jobs right, I think you can see why she loves both boys. Ultimately, it is just about her following her heart. NYTIMES

The Summer I Turned Pretty 2 is available on Amazon Prime Video.