The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Lola Tung recently spoke about her time filming the show in a recent interview. She also addressed how online criticism impacted her and her fellow cast members. The coming-of-age romantic drama is Tung’s first major on-screen role. She is set to make her film debut with the horror-comedy Forbidden Fruits.
Lola Tung reflects on why she stays offline
Lola Tung recently sat down for an interview where she discussed her fame after appearing in The Summer I Turned Pretty.
“When we were filming the show, people were like, ‘Your lives are going to change,'” Tung told Elle. “And we were all like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.'” Tung said that it was “really wonderful” to learn that there were people who loved the show and that their work meant “something to them.”
The 22-year-old later expressed gratitude at getting to portray Belly Conklin for all three seasons of the show. She likened the feeling to that of “graduating.” “I’m excited to show a different part of myself—and even have people see me in a different world,” she added.
She later recalled a particularly upsetting incident, wherein one of her fellow cast members, Elsie Fisher — a nonbinary actor who plays Skye, Jeremiah, and Conrad’s cousin — received online criticism. Tung shared that she and her fellow cast were upset about the criticism, noting how Fisher was “wonderful” and “an incredible addition” to the show’s cast.
“We’re human beings,” she stated. “A lot of times, we see what you say, especially if it’s mean, and those things stick with us.” Tung continued, “A lot of it is so unnecessary, especially when it’s not about the characters and it’s about the actors, ultimately, you don’t really know these people.”
Ahead of Season 3’s launch, the official Instagram account for the series announced a new anti-bullying policy via stories. It stipulated bans for those who engaged in hate speech/bullying, targeted cast and crew, and harassed/doxxed members of the community. (via Cosmopolitan)
Lola Tung also explained why she tried to avoid social media. “You just can’t really engage [with the comments], because then it feeds the fire a little bit.” She further stated, “It sucks. Because people can be mean when they’re behind their screens, which, I’m not saying anything new.”
The Summer I Turned Pretty is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Besides Tung, the show also stars Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, and Sean Kaufman, among others.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on ComingSoon.
