‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Star Sean Kaufman Explains Why Season 2 Feels ‘Crazy Different’ (Video)

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 2 delves into some summertime sadness, and the actors found it tough to stay in the season’s dramatic headspace for too long.

“Whatever acting method people choose to use —replacement or method — it’s tough because it’s like I’m surrounded by funny people in a loving environment, and all I want to do — especially in moments of like extreme vulnerability like that — is to crack a joke to ease the tension or not let myself go there because it’s too painful,” Sean Kaufman, who plays Steven on the show, told TheWrap in an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “To actually allow yourself to go there, especially day after day after day, like a lot of Season 2, it’s tough.”

In the second season of the Prime Video series adaptation of Jenny Han’s book series, Belly (Lola Tung) finds herself in a very different place as she mourns the loss of Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard) and retraces what went wrong in the beginnings of a relationship with her longtime crush Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). The consequences of both these events have isolated Belly and her brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) to the point that they don’t plan to return to Cousins Beach this summer.

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At the end of Season 1, Susannah told her sons that she would undertake a trial treatment for her cancer, which ended that part of the plot on a hopeful note. One of the first signs that she has died is a gift she sends Steven for his graduation from high school.

“Season 2 tonally felt crazy different. A huge shift while still being in the same show, obviously, but tonally I remember how many days for Season 1 my prep would be like nothing,” Kaufman said. “I would just be chatting backstage and just chillin’ and joking and relaxing and then boom, they call action and we’re in it. Season 2 was a lot of taking moments to figure out what’s going on and how do I approach this material now.”

Jenny Han’s trilogy introduced Susannah’s death in the second book, “It’s Not Summer Without You.”

“As far as I knew they were always going to stick to the books,” Blanchard told TheWrap.

Though the first three episodes take a somber approach to the second season, Blanchard, Jackie Chung and Kyra Sedgwick still see joy and levity in the show.

“I think there’s lots of moments of joy,” Chung said. “Kids are always..”

“…still finding a way to have a good time,” Blanchard finished her sentence. Which is life.”

The first three episodes of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” debut on Prime Video July 14. The rest of the episodes will release weekly on Fridays.

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