We’re heading back to Cousins Beach this summer, and the stakes are getting higher. And The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno, who plays Jeremiah Fisher, knows a thing or two about the drama waiting in season 2.
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 brings Jenny Han’s book series to the screen once more, putting us right back in the middle of the wonderfully messy and incredibly complicated Conrad-Belly-Jeremiah love triangle. But while the first season was light and romantic, season 2 comes with a heavier context: Jeremiah and Conrad’s mother has passed away from cancer, leaving devastation in her wake.
We first met Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) last summer as she blossomed from the best friend/little sister role in the Fisher brother's eyes to a burgeoning young woman — and both brothers noticed the shift. Now, after a harrowing “will they or won’t they” explosion in TSITP season 1, followed by a fan favorite friends-to-lovers trope, we find Belly back where she started: romantically wedged between two brothers. The series has kept a devoted fan base from book to screen who are notoriously divided into factions. You’re either #TeamConrad or #TeamJeremiah (and shout out to the small but mighty #TeamBelly fans).
We’ve followed these three over the course of many summers, watching their worlds flow, surge, and ripple between each other. Now, with season 2 premiering on July 14, Casalegno expects fans to be swayed to join Team Jeremiah. Ahead of the launch, we spoke to him about vulnerability, little brother syndrome, and his favorite moments this season.
Teen Vogue: What was it like going through that shift from season one which really felt, for the most part, light and airy, to now a more intense vibe?
Gavin Casalegno: I think it just shows the maturity level of everybody. I think every character is growing, especially Jeremiah with his mom and the relationship with Belly and Conrad. I think he is just having to undergo so much growth and maturity so quickly — more quickly than a normal teenager should. You'll see the result of that unfold as you watch the series.
TV: What was it like navigating that and figuring out how you wanted to approach Jeremiah this season?
GC: I was going through personally, just a lot of emotional walls, and I think that this journey helped me relate to Jeremiah a lot because that's exactly what he was doing. He was hardening himself to protect himself in a very not healthy way. I just think throughout this series, you start to see him chipping away at it a little bit. That's just the beauty of what growth is and what maturing and becoming your own man is.
TV: How do you see Jeremiah in relation to Conrad when it comes to their brother bond and how this love triangle affects that? How is it navigating this love triangle as the little brother?
GC: Through watching season 2, you realize that Jeremiah has always somewhat looked up to his older brother. Even though they're polar opposites, there are things that Jeremiah admires about him. But then I think through the growth process that he goes through, he finds that there's actually... It's kind of like realizing your parents don't have it all together. Jeremiah knows that Conrad doesn't have everything together, but he still thinks there's qualities about him that he likes. And as the little brother, you look up to him. I think that he's really navigating a whole different world as far as relationships go because Conrad handles it so differently. Conrad is closed off and kind of secluded and not wanting to share his feelings, and Jeremiah's like, "I'm vulnerable. Here's everything on the table. I love you. I like you. Let's do this thing." And I think that's a super great quality to have.
TV: Have you ever fallen for your best friend like that in real life? Or if not, what would be your advice for someone dealing with starting to have feelings for someone they’re so close to?
GC: Oh, boy. Oh, I'm going to get so much flack for this. I already can just see the DMs being like, "I took your advice and it didn't work." So this isn't foolproof, just a disclaimer, but I think that the best relationships are with your best friends. I know that because beauty will fade, beauty is fleeting, and what's left when you're both old and wrinkly? If it was just because you were physically attracted to that person it won't last. And so, do life with someone that you enjoy being around. Someone that you can't get enough of, and that's not just a spark, but something that's like a well-soiled and grown relationship or seed.
TV: What was it like getting to work on set this season and having those big group moments on screen with the entire cast?
GC: We probably had too much fun, honestly. We're all just kids at heart. Although we're super professional on set, we also like to goof off a little bit, steal a few golf carts and all of that. Doing scenes with everyone was so special because you have your own relationship with everyone, and in the same way Jeremiah has his own relationship with everyone. The dynamic was always changing, always growing, always different, and you just didn't know what to expect that day.
TV: Do you have any specific favorite moments from being on set?
GC: I have a lot. One of them was the game “Push Bush.” I said, "Hey Sean, have you ever heard of the game Push Bush?" He's like, "What?" And I hip checked him into the bushes right before we were filming. It was during rehearsal, and we just lost it. It was hilarious. But there were so many pranks and just amazing memories and pies to the face and eggs on people's heads and just all kinds of things, honestly.
TV: What do you think is going to be one of the biggest takeaways your character Jeremiah has after this season?
GC: Man, I think... You know what? I think he's going to be able to understand how to talk to his brother better because there's so much misunderstanding and bad blood. I think that it's so important for you to find ways to talk with the people that are harder to talk to. With Jeremiah, towards the end of the season, speaking to his brother, it's not something that he does normally. Those harder conversations, especially being as vulnerable as he was and as open-handed, being like, "I really like her, but you also need to tell her because I don't want to get in the way if she's still into you.” There's just a lot of vulnerability there and surrendering. I think that that in itself is a really neat thing that develops over the season for Jeremiah.
TV: What does vulnerability look like in your real life?
GC: I have a quote and it's, "To love at all is to be vulnerable." And I think that it's important. Vulnerability is a form of love. And I think it's important that you aren't necessarily vulnerable with everybody, but the people that are going to genuinely care about your heart and your wellbeing, I think it's important to have those people around in your life. There was a point in time in my life where I was vulnerable with everybody, and it just ended up biting me in the butt more than not. And so, to learn to be vulnerable with the right people that care about you and that are looking out for you, and that will spend hours on the phone with you, I think that's the relationships that you need in your life.
TV: If there were no rules, and Belly were out of the picture, who could you see Jeremiah with, if not Belly?
GC: If not Belly? What's interesting is in season one, Gigi, that was an interesting dynamic, but Jeremiah tends to like the ones that aren't always for him, and Gigi was always after him. And so I'm going to have to say Taylor. I think that's it. She's closed off. She's a little feisty. I think that their relationship would be really interesting. I think that Jeremiah would have to grow a lot, but that would be a really interesting dynamic that would be fun to see on screen. I don't know if it'll ever happen. Doubt it, but it's fun.
TV: Are there any character dynamics or interactions you'd love to see more of in the future?
GC: That's actually one of the things that I was talking about with Jenny about. I would love to have more scenes with Sean. I would love to see more scenes with Steven and Jeremiah. Their relationship, even from the very first scene that they have together, is so connected. They are so, so, so tight. They're all over each other, and they're just having a good old time. It would be really fun to see that relationship build. Jeremiah doesn't really have a best friend. He's kind of just lone wolfing it, and I think Conrad has Steven, and I think it would be really cool to see Steven be on both sides.
TV: I unfortunately am a sucker for love triangles. I think they're amazing, and I just enjoy them in all TV shows. Do you have a favorite love triangle in a show outside of this one?
GC: Dang, I feel like there's so many good ones. For some reason, I'm throwing it back, but I'm going to say Vampire Diaries.
TV: I was hoping you’d say Vampire Diaries. I love Vampire Diaries.
GC: Vampire Diaries is incredible. I binge-watched the crap out of that show, and everyone's so sweet, too.
TV: Also, another brother love triangle. What do you feel are your biggest differences between your character, Jeremiah, and you?
GC: I know when to have a hard conversation. I think that Jeremiah means well. He just sometimes gets ruled by his emotions, and it doesn't allow him to think more clearly. So I would probably say the difference is taking every thought captive versus letting them run. Jeremiah kind of just goes with the flow and goes by the seat of his pants, and it's fun. Don't get me wrong. It's so fun to be in that head space. But I learned to just be more mature and steward my relationships better.
TV: Would you rather deal with unrequited love or be in the middle of a love triangle?
GC: I'm going to have to go with unrequited love. Love triangles are too complicated, man. I've been in one of those. It's not as fun as it seems. It's not as thrilling.
TV: In real life? You've been in a love triangle?
GC: Yeah, in middle school, man. It's crazy. So many deep feelings and deep thoughts, and everything in life around middle school is like life or death, and it's just obnoxious.
TV: Middle school's tough. Lastly, how would you describe season 2 in one sentence?
GC: I think people are going to be changing teams.
