Christopher Briney Reveals the Scene in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Where 'I Probably Went Too Far' (Exclusive)
- - - Christopher Briney Reveals the Scene in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Where 'I Probably Went Too Far' (Exclusive)
Julia MooreJuly 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Tensions can be high on The Summer I Turned Pretty set sometimes, especially when it comes time to film a scene pivotal to the love triangle at the center of the story
When one such incident arose, Christopher Briney tells PEOPLE he was "letting some stuff out" and "just trying to stay in it" as a means of explaining how far he took things on set that day
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 premieres July 16 on Prime Video
It's not news that season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty didn't exactly go in Conrad Fisher's favor, so who's to blame Christopher Briney for absorbing some of that anger himself from time to time?
In the final episode, Belly (Lola Tung) chose to be with Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) after Conrad (Briney) spotted them kissing, and the trio enjoyed a ridiculously awkward car ride-turned-motel stay afterward, which saw Belly truly let Conrad down to end a season that started with the two of them in love.
When they were filming those scenes, Briney, 27, really leaned into the sarcasm and resentment his character was feeling, so much so that it left Casalegno, 25, annoyed, too — and even Tung, 22, was noticing it.
Ahead of the show's long-awaited third and final season, the cast tells PEOPLE what it was like to work on that final, tension-filled scene together in season 2 and tease how that same chemistry came into play in the upcoming episodes.
Briney was in the zone "all day," Casalegno and Tung remember, and it's safe to say he was pushing some buttons.
"I probably went too far," Briney will admit of his antics during last season's finale — both when the cameras were rolling and when they weren't. "I kept going after they cut."
Casalegno, who described the behavior as Briney going "complete goblin mode" to Entertainment Weekly two years ago, says his costar "wasn't just playing [Conrad's mood] well."
Erika Doss/Prime Video
Lola Tung as Belly, Christopher Briney as Conrad in 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' season 2
"It was an all-day occurrence," Casalegno remembers of the taunting and jerkiness.
Half kidding, Briney explains, "I think I was letting some stuff out."
In fairness to Briney, Conrad was completely devastated in those moments by Belly's choice, which somewhat explains how far he took things.
"He was method-acting that day," Tung offers as an explanation, and Casalegno seems to be willing to get on board with the idea.
"[He] decided, 'Today's a good day to method act,'" Casalegno jokes. "'For the entire day.'"
In his own defense, Briney says, "I was just trying to stay in it."
Erika Doss/Prime Video
Christopher Briney as Conrad in 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' season 2
The chance to channel such negative feelings into his performance "opened the floodgates" for Briney, Tung quips.
It was, after all, quite a challenging season for Briney's Conrad, who lost Belly after they'd finally decided to give it a go as a couple and then, more devastatingly, lost his mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), to cancer.
Briney took it "too far," and he knows it, but there are no hard feelings.
"I mean, I'll admit, I definitely took it too far," Briney says. But still: "I don't apologize."
Casalegno doesn't want an apology either. "No, I mean, you did great work. You did great work."
And Tung agrees: "The performance is worth it."
Erika Doss/Prime Video
Christopher Briney as Conrad, Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah in 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' season 2
Looking ahead to season 3, Briney reflects on how weighty scenes like those in the season 2 finale ultimately paint a fuller picture of his and Casalegno's characters as brothers.
"I think everything and every scene we shoot and all the work we do contributes to their dynamic as brothers," he says.
"But at the end of the day, they're blood, so there is that unconditional love — there's also that room to be extra brutal because of that," he continues. "I mean, who isn't extra harsh to their family? It's just sort of inherent, and it doesn't feel good, but it just sort of is like that."
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The first two episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 premiere Wednesday, July 16, on Prime Video, followed by new episodes weekly until Sept. 17.
on People
Source: AOL Entertainment
