Anytime you watch a new show, it’s always entertaining to learn a few of the behind-the-scenes secrets and fun facts about the cast or things you didn’t catch on-screen. If you’re a fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty, your TikTok and other social media feeds have likely been chock-full of information about the stars and filming process.
But there are always a few fun facts that you may not know about a show. We’ve got the 411 on all things The Summer I Turned Pretty, including the actors’ first roles, stories about on-set accidents and which co-stars went to high school together. Buckle up fans, because you’ll never believe these behind-the-scenes secrets about the series.
1. ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is Lola Tung’s first professional role
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Yep, you read that correctly. Lola Tung, who fabulously portrays Belly Conklin in the series, booked the series as her very first professional role. The actress was 20 years old when Season 1 aired, but she was even younger when she was cast. Tung was actually a student at Carnegie Mellon while auditioning for the series.
“I was a major theater kid before this,” Tung shared. “I had done the whole school auditions and college auditions, but this was my first real TV audition — and job. The audition process was entirely over Zoom, which was very interesting. But it’s also all I’ve really known. I was at school at the time, in my first year at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, and so I was Zooming in after classes for my chemistry reads.”
2. Lola broke her foot while filming an episode
It’s all fun and games on set until someone gets hurt. It seems Lola Tung experienced this firsthand as she broke her foot while filming an episode in Season 1 and it seems one of her co-stars is technically to blame.
While filming a flashback scene, Tung and Kaufman, who play siblings Belly and Steven, were fighting over a muffin and Steven was throwing it to the other boys so she couldn’t catch it. Well, while throwing it, Tung jumped and landed awkwardly, fracturing her foot. They explained the situation in an interview and how it isn’t really Kaufman’s fault.
“Lola broke her foot,” said Jenny Han, with Chris Briney chiming in with, “Sean broke it!” Han added, “So, did Sean break her foot? Was he, like, the cause of it? I mean sort of?” Lola clarified, “It’s not Sean’s fault. But at the same time, it is, right?”
3. Gavin Casalegno had a major role in ‘The Vampire Diaries’
While The Summer I Turned Pretty may have been Lola Tung’s first role, it wasn’t Gavin Casalegno’s, who stars as Jeremiah Fisher and actually had a role in The Vampire Diaries.
Casalegno appears in Season 7 Episode 7 of the hit series, which has a very similar dynamic to The Summer I Turned Pretty, with two brothers vying over one girl.
“One of the previous projects I did was The Vampire Diaries, and I was Young Damon, so I’m basically legally bound to Team Damon,” Casalegno shared. “I was definitely Team Damon… [but] I know it’s super similar to Conrad.”
4. Jenny Han makes multiple cameos
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Jenny Han is the author of the books, creator of the show, showrunner, executive producer and actress. She might not be an actual character in the show, but Han does make a cameo in both seasons. In Season 1, she appears at the debutante ball, while in Season 2, she is in the gas station while the kids attempt to purchase alcohol.
5. Three of the stars went to high school together
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It’s always a funny coincidence when you and a co-worker find out you grew up near each other, but what about when you realize you went to the same high school? Lola Tung (Belly), Sean Kaufman (Steven) and David Iacono (Cam) all attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City.
“I didn’t expect Sean to remember me since I was a sophomore while he was a senior,” Tung explained, “but I was, like, ‘I remember you. I saw you in a show at my school!’”
Iacono spoke about finding out his friend was cast in the series while auditioning. “I had already known that Lola was cast in the show because we went to high school together and it was a big deal that it was announced that she was the lead.” The two ended up playing a couple in the series, so it’s sweet to know they have a history as friends.
6. Lola, Chris and Gavin recorded their characters’ parts for The Summer I Turned Pretty audiobooks
Craig Barritt / Stringer
If you read The Summer I Turned Pretty books before the series came out, you probably made up the characters in your head and their voices as well. But once the show was cast, Lola Tung, Chris Briney and Gavin Casalegno recorded their respective parts for the audiobooks.
“It was really fun to do,” Tung shared. “I wouldn’t mind doing another one. It was very quick, actually. I think it was about six days for three books… It was really cool to figure out how to convey all the things that Belly was feeling and get those emotions across through my voice when I’m used to the physicality [of acting]—and facial expressions. It was cool to work in a different medium.”