Summer I Turned Pretty’s Gavin Casalegno Defends Denise, Jeremiah

Gavin Casalegno weighed in on why Denise is a better fit for Jeremiah than Belly on The Summer I Turned Pretty.

“I think Denise does see Jeremiah in a different light,” Casalegno, 26, exclusively told Us Weekly at the T-Mobile exclusive unveiling at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. “Belly growing up with Jeremiah, there’s like a little bit of familiarity that might have stunted things.”

Casalegno could see why newcomer Denise (Isabella Briggs) makes more sense for Jeremiah. “Denise is more real and brings different parts of Jeremiah out of him,” he added. “But I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing.”

Despite Jeremiah ending the show in a relationship with Denise, Casalegno recalled having questions about the decision.

“It might be a little too early for him to be jumping back into a relationship — if Gavin was giving advice,” Casalegno quipped. “But he’s not, so whatever makes him happy. Go for it but I am definitely hesitant about a relationship for him.”

Pulling inspiration from Jenny Han‘s novels The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer, Prime Video’s hit series followed the love triangle between Belly (Lola Tung), Conrad (Chris Briney) and Jeremiah.

The finale, which aired in September, appeared to be the end of the franchise — until Prime Video announced that they greenlit a feature film that will conclude The Summer I Turned Pretty story.

“I don’t have a script. I don’t have anything. I don’t even know when I’m filming,” Casalegno revealed to Us. “I know I’m filming next year so I don’t even know what it’s going to be about. Your guess is as good as mine.”

According to Han, there “is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey” that has yet to be told. “I thought only a movie could give it its proper due,” Han said in a September statement. “I’m so grateful to Prime Video for continuing to support my vision for this story and for making it possible to share this final chapter with the fans.”

Casalegno expressed excitement at where Jeremiah’s story goes from here, saying, “I hope he continues cooking. I hope he continues pursuing his own passions — but I really don’t know. I even called Yana Grebenyuk Jenny the other week and was like, ‘So what can you give me?’ She didn’t give me anything.”

After having to keep Belly’s choice a secret over the years, Casalegno no longer has to tease Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad.

“I’m not going lie, I had a blast teasing everyone being like, ‘Hey, younever know if it will be like the book,’” he recalled. “Then they start going crazy in their heads. I had a lot of fun with that. I had a lot of fun being Team Jeremiah. Honestly, I think it’s fun seeing the reactions.”

Before Casalegno returns to set, he attended the T-Mobile exclusive unveiling where executives took the stage at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to share major news and address how the Un-carrier is tackling another customer barrier, along with what’s coming to LVGP this year. With switching being a long and complex process, T-Mobile is here to fix it with a new experience on T-Life, leveraging new AI-powered tools that make switching fast and easy.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Prime Video.