Isabel “Belly” Conklin (played by Lola Tung) is the heart of the show, navigating love, loss, and growing up. Belly finds herself caught in a love triangle with her childhood best friends: the boy she’s had a crush on since the age of 12 (Conrad Fisher) and his younger brother (Jeremiah Fisher). Watching Belly navigate her evolving relationships with others and herself forms the emotional core of the series.

At the age of 18, Lola Tung was cast as Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty. This role marks Tung’s first official acting credit, as she had previously only taken part in school productions and drama classes (per Late Night with Seth Meyers).

In July 2023, Tung opened up to Town & Country Magazine about what she loved most about portraying Belly. “All of it,” she replied briefly, adding, “She is such a complex character — more than people give her credit for.” Tung then went on to explain how she feels a personal connection to Belly’s journey, saying, “I have just so much love and respect for her.”

In an interview with The New York Times, Tung opened up about how she “would journal a lot and write a lot, especially from Belly’s perspective.” She even wrote letters in “Belly’s voice.” 

Steven Conklin (played by Sean Kaufman) is Belly’s highly protective older brother. Like Belly, Steven is best friends with the Fisher brothers. He spends much of his time light-heartedly teasing Belly. Kaufman describes the character as “a lovable S.O.B…snarky, smart, and a little vain” — “[a kid learning] how to be an adult” (per TIMID).

Interestingly, Steven has a far more significant role in the Prime series than his written portrayal in Han’s trilogy.

Despite constantly teasing his sister, Steven remains optimistic about their relationship. Speaking to TIMID, Kaufman confirmed his hopes, saying, “It will only be natural for Steven and Belly to come to that conclusion and grow stronger in their connection.”

He also expressed admiration for his co-star, adding, “Plus, I love Lola Tung so much, so I hope they get closer so I can act with her more.”

In an interview with Seventeen, Kaufman recalls his favorite on-set memory with his co-stars from Season 1 on the last day of shooting when he and Gavin began dancing: “It was just me and him on the dance floor, just having the time of our lives dancing…it was the perfect, perfect, perfect ending to a perfect summer,”            
   
Prior to his portrayal as Steven, Kaufman had minor roles in Law and Order: SVU (2018) and Manifest (2018).

Fiercely loyal and funny, Taylor Jewel (played by Rain Spencer) is Belly’s ride-or-die best friend. While Season 1 saw some quintessential teenage behavior (like secretly hooking up with her best friend’s brother), Season 2 saw a more mature and devoted friend. Spencer portrayed Taylor as a person who often struggles to “think before she speaks.” (per EUPHORIA. Magazine).

Although Taylor experiences her fair share of relationship drama, especially in Season 2, one scene from the series is particularly iconic. During a house party, Taylor and Steven take the spotlight by performing a choreographed dance to Miley Cyrus’s "Party in the U.S.A."

Spencer revealed to Entertainment Weekly that after reading the script for the episode, she was shocked at having to dance; she recalls thinking, “Oh god, I have to dance?!”

Before her role as Taylor, Spencer starred in Good Girl Jane (2022), which earned her an award for Best Performance at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Cam (played by David Iacono) has a minimal part as Belly’s first boyfriend in the book trilogy, onscreen, he has a more prominent role in the television series. Described as sweet, respectful, and clever, Cam previously met Belly at a Latin Convention when they were younger. Iacono described Cam as “confident in his awkward behavior,” but by Season 2, “he’s feeling a little more comfortable” (per EUPHORIA. Magazine).
 
Cam, like many of the characters, has suffered the significant loss of a loved one. 

Despite a combative relationship with the Fisher brothers in the first season, Cam eventually becomes their friend. Iacono suggests revelation about his older sister’s death allows the brothers to see him in a new light. “They look to him for wisdom or guidance — it’s one of the first times grief outside of their mother’s passing is addressed in this world,” he shared in an interview with The Wrap.

Iacono has had several roles throughout his professional career. Most notably, he appeared in Grand Army (2020) and The Flight Attendant (2020-2022).

Gigi Boucheron (played by Lilah Pate) is a role created solely for the show and doesn't appear in the book series. So far, Gigi has only appeared in six episodes of Season 1. She’s also one of the many girls who have a crush on Jeremiah.

Pate, best known for her role as Peeler in Outer Banks (2020–2024), landed the part of Gigi entirely on her own merit. Despite her father, Jonas Pate, being the creator of Outer Banks, he told Port City Daily that Jenny Han, the show’s co-creator, “didn’t know that Lilah was the daughter of the Outer Banks creator... Lilah got it straight-up, 100% on her own.”

Aunt Julia (played by Kyra Sedgwick) joined The Summer I Turned Pretty in Season 2 as an unsuspecting antagonist. Kyra enjoyed playing Susannah’s half-sister because she “comes in and affects change.” According to Sedgwick, “without her, there wouldn’t be a plot [in Season 2]” (per The Wrap).

Julia’s backstory was one of Sedgwick’s suggestions; she ran the idea by the show’s producers (including Han). Kyra wanted Julia’s motivations to be deeply rooted in her own past traumas, which justifies her desire to sell the beach house.

Audiences will recognize Sedgwick from her long and well-known professional acting career. The Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner has appeared in The Closer (2005-2012), Phenomenon (1996), and Something to Talk About (1995).

Belly harbors a deep, introspective crush on Christopher Briney’s character, Conrad Fisher. To Belly’s excitement, Conrad begins to notice her in Season 1.

When Briney first read the books, he wasn’t a fan of Conrad’s character. However, in a June 2022 interview with PS, he admitted that, upon reflection, Conrad wasn’t as bad as he initially thought. “He’s just young and trying to keep it together for the people he loves… but he’s 17,” Briney explained. “He can make mistakes. He’s going to continue to make mistakes, and he’s just hurt.”

The Summer I Turned Pretty marked Briney’s breakout role, though he had a few film credits to his name beforehand, including Daliland (2022).

In an interview with Seventeen, Briney reflected on being new to television and working alongside Tung. “It was our first TV role, our first adaptation with the weight of fans. It really felt like we were making something for an audience, which can be really scary.” Despite the pressure, he praised his friendship with Tung, adding, “It just meant a lot to have her there,” and commended her ability to stay cool, calm, and collected throughout the process.

Recently divorced Laurel Park (played by Jackie Chung) is Belly and Steven’s mother. She’s also a novelist and best friends with Susannah Fisher.

Chung describes Laurel as “loyal, capable, funny, and smart...she doesn’t take s*** from anyone” (per TIMID). Like many mothers, she struggles with watching her daughter grow up.

Chung revealed that she drew inspiration for her role as Laurel from her friends who are mothers. However, dealing with significant grief in Season 2 is difficult for Laurel. 

Jackie Chung’s professional acting career began in 2005. However, she appeared more recently in Grey’s Anatomy (2017) and Station 19 (2019).

Nicole Richardson (played by Summer Madison) is an early romantic interest for Conrad in Season 1 and is Belly’s peer mentor for the debutante ball. She is friendly, helpful, and kind.

Nicole helped Belly navigate social circles, but given Belly’s interest in Conrad, it was inevitable that the girls’ friendship would encounter hiccups. Like a few other characters, Nicole was created just for the television series.

Madison told Pop Culture Planet that even though the debutante ball was not part of the book, she believes that “people will be pleasantly surprised by what Jenny did to fill out that world.”

Prior to her role in The Summer I Turned Pretty, Madison appeared in a handful of other television series, including Mike (2022) and The Wonder Years (2022). She has also appeared in several films, notably Emergency (2022).

Shayla Wang (played by Minnie Mills) is one of Steven’s love interests and is introduced to audiences as one of the debutantes. Mills described Wang as “confident and self-assured” and “someone who cares deeply about her friends” (per TIMID).

Mills said she was in awe of Shayla’s confidence, especially because she grew up thinking she was “unremarkable” as an Asian in a mostly white community. 

Like many of her co-stars, this is Mills’ first acting credit and breakout role. However, like Shayla (created just for the television series), she is a woman who does it all.

Alongside acting, Mills is double majoring in Biomedical Neuroscience and Behavioural Neuroscience (per Wonderland Magazine). She also shares a desire to help others and does so by working with the UN to help refugee children. 

Despite the dissolution of his marriage with Laurel, John Conklin (played by Colin Ferguson) remains friendly with his ex-wife for the sake of their children.

John isn't in the first season; he appears in five episodes of the second. John also supports his ex-wife’s career, encouraging her to promote her newest novel. 

Ferguson has appeared in numerous television series and films, including Haven (2010-2015), A Town Called Eureka (2006-2012), and Eureka: Hide and Seek (2006). 

Another major love interest of Belly’s, Jeremiah Fisher (played by Gavin Casalegno), is Conrad’s younger, easygoing brother. In contrast to his literary counterparty, Jeremiah is portrayed as sexually fluid. 

Han told E! News the decision “felt right for the character and right for the moment.” She believes that younger generations are “less of a binary… they’re more relaxed about sex and people’s identities, and it doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

In an interview with Shondaland, Casalegno revealed he really identified with Jeremiah. “Like Jeremiah, I was a little bit of a people pleaser and know how to make people feel good and feel valued. I think that’s one of his most endearing qualities.” 

His co-star, Tung, also praised Casalegno’s performance, stating he gives “the audience the happy and energetic side of Jeremiah that they know and love, but also showing the more emotional and vulnerable side that makes him even more lovable, real, and relatable.” 

Unlike Tung and Briney, Casalegno has more experience in front of the camera. He previously had small roles in The Vampire Diaries (2017) and Walker (2021).

Rachel Blanchard portrays Susannah Fisher, the cherished matriarch of the Fisher family. Deeply connected with her best friend Laurel Park, she views Belly as the daughter she never had. She also harbors a quiet hope that Belly will eventually find a romantic connection with one of her sons. 

As the owner of the iconic beach house, Susannah plays a significant role in shaping much of the series’ storyline. Throughout Season 2, her appearances are mostly portrayed through flashbacks, highlighting her vital influence in the lives of the other characters.

In an interview with Nerds of Color, Blanchard emphasized that Rachel’s onscreen friendship with Laurel showcases how “sometimes your greatest love affair can be a platonic friendship.”

Fans will recognize Blanchard from her previous roles as Cher Horowitz in the television version of Clueless (1996-1999) and as Roxanne Richardson in 7th Heaven (2002-2004). She most recently starred in You Me Her (2016-2020).

Cleveland Castillo (played by Alfredo Narciso) was created as Laurel’s love interest for the television series. Like Laurel, Cleveland is a novelist, and the two quickly bond, sharing intimate moments throughout the first season.

Cleveland also acts as a mentor to Conrad, helping him deal with his anxiety attacks. Like Jeremiah, Cleveland is an LGBTQ character, revealing he had a deceased ex-husband.

Narciso admitted feeling the weight of responsibility when portraying Cleveland, a character he described as deeply tied to Jenny Han’s personal experiences (per Backstage Features). “He was [Han’s] way of sort of inserting herself into the story,” said Narciso, noting that some of the things he says “are things she actually experienced.”

Before his role as Cleveland, Narciso appeared in many television series and films. Most notably, he had parts in Manifest (2018-2019), Person of Interest (2011-2016), House of Cards (2013-2018), and The Blacklist (2013-2023).

Skye, played by Elsie Fisher, was created specifically for the show as Julia’s daughter, making her the cousin of Jeremiah and Conrad.

Skye has a close bond with her mother and tends to have only a few friends. She ultimately aligns herself with her cousins in the debate over the beach house sale.

When Fisher first began their role, they had plenty of “nerves stepping into a pre-established show” but soon realized how amazing it was to be part of the series (per E! News).

Fisher admitted that playing Skye, who is non-binary,  was important because “people who don’t fit into ‘male’ or ‘female,’ can be portrayed as very ‘other than’ and don’t always have those happy endings or any sort of connection to others” (per LA Times).

Before their role as Skye, Fisher appeared in Eighth Grade (2018) and Castle Rock (2018-2019).

Tom Everett Scott portrays Adam Fisher, the patriarch of the Fisher family. He navigates a complex relationship with his wife, Susannah, with whom he shares legal ties despite their separation.

Adam also has a strained relationship with Conrad. He rarely visits the beloved family beach house. Despite the complex dynamics, Adam ultimately does the right thing for his family.

Fans will recognize Scott from his iconic role as Guy Patterson in the Academy Award-nominated film That Thing You Do! (1996). He’s also appeared in Southland (2009-2013), Saved (2006), and Philly (2001-2002), among many others.