“The Summer I Turned Pretty” - Newcomer Sean Kaufman Talks About His Experiences in His First Major Role
written by Nicole Abriam, interviewed and photographed by Elinor Kry || interview originally conducted on May 27, 2022 with co-star Minnie Mills present
Jenny Han, the brains behind the famed and beloved “To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” returns with another on-screen adaptation of her hopeless romantic young adult trilogies - this time, premiering on Amazon Prime. Rice and Spice sat down with some of the cast of Amazon’s new series “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” which released on June 17, to discuss their experiences acting in their first big-actor role, as well as their trials and tribulations as they navigate their young and blossoming careers.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” explores Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s summer in her family’s beach house. As she spends it with her good friends, brothers Conrad (played by Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (played by Gavin Casalegno) she becomes entangled in a love triangle as her feelings for Conrad linger (we won’t spoil it for you). It is a coming-of-age story that explores first love and heartbreak in a seemingly perfect summer that features a cast of newcomers.
Sean Kaufman plays the older brother of Belly, Steven - “a little vain, a higher achiever[…] who is becoming his own man,” as described by Deadline. A recent graduate and just slowly settling in New York City, Kaufman has appeared in “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Manifest,” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is his first major role, and Rice and Spice sat down to speak with him about his experiences.
RS: You've had past roles on “Manifest,” “Law and Order,” and “FBI.” What has been the experience of transitioning from these guest appearances to a major role?
SK: It's been really cool. The main switch for myself, though, was probably the fact that I really felt I was a living breathing person in this world. I felt like I was in this world.
It feels like I had a character arc. I had a beginning part of the season, I had my trials and tribulations throughout the season. And then I did come to a conclusive end, by the end of the first season, [which] was kind of like my storyline. I think that's so different than doing one or two scenes for an episode of some show, because you really get to build this person, and live, really, really live in this world more than you do other times.
Have you read the book? Do you know if they changed the character Steven in any way? How have you embodied him in your acting and in what ways are you similar and different?
[Minnie Mills: Yeah Sean, you've read the book?]
They definitely have changed him since the book - I have read the book. By the way, if any of my bosses ask, I have read the book. But in the book, he had a much smaller role than I feel was brought to life in the show, which is awesome because I don't play him in the book I play him in the show. But I don't think there's many differences. He just gets fully fleshed out and in the show, which I can appreciate which I can really, I mean, it's kind of like a role that I feel like I can dig my claws into and you know, take apart.
What has been your favorite experience so far during the process of filming the series? Or if you have a couple?
I don’t know. People always ask that. It's so hard. [Minnie Mills: like everything.]
Because it was really just like four months of so much fun. I still cannot believe I get paid to do what I do. The experience itself was more than enough. But I think probably my favorite, favorite, favorite memory from shooting was the very last day of shooting - we were shooting Episode Seven: The debutante ball. Gavin and I do this little escort dance.
I remember at one moment, we're supposed to do it with a bunch of other people. The cameras weren't on us for one take. So Gavin asked everybody if they could not do it, and it was just me and him. It was like the last day, [the] four-month culmination of everything. [We] just danced on this ballroom floor together like dancing to some hip-hop song. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Because it just showed how much everybody in the entire experience meant to me.
[Minnie Mills: So cute, that's a good one!]
What can the audience expect from the series? What are you looking forward to about the release?
Oh man, audiences can expect to see... I like to say they can expect to see a [young adult] drama turned on its head. I think that the show offers a lot that I think typically shows like ours don't.
There's an entire subplot of extremely deep and life-altering stuff, especially for young kids to try to cope with. [I] Think there's a level of maturity that each character in the show goes through. There's a level of maturity that each audience member can go through watching and understanding, which is so important for kids at a young age.
I'm just excited for everybody to fall in love with the characters on the show, you know, because everybody's so brilliant. Everybody has worked so hard and [is] so talented. And I'm excited for the world to fall in love with the people that I can call friends.
