The Summer I Turned Pretty introduced several cheating story lines in season 3 — and Sean Kaufman is now breaking down the thought process behind Steven and Taylor’s infidelity.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Kaufman explained why Steven and Taylor’s (Rain Spencer) decision to be unfaithful — with each other — made sense in the context of the show.
“I don’t condone cheating and I don’t think that it’s the right thing to do. But I also think that it’s a mistake that people make,” he said of the fictional couple. “I think [sometimes] we hold people to one mistake for the rest of their lives always. Some people deserve that. But in this case, cheating is a thing where it’s obvious you just hope that the person who made this mistake can learn from it.”
Kaufman, 25, saw Steven and Taylor’s secret hookups as a lesson for both of them to learn.
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“[Hopefully they can] grow and try not to hurt the people that they love. For Steven and Taylor, I don’t think it’s where they want to be or where they need to be,” he noted. “But it’s where they have to be because they keep putting themselves in positions where they think what they’re doing is what they want. When in reality, they just need to get over the hump and stop hurting each other.”
He continued: “I love how this show is so dramatic but eventually it’s all going to blow up in [their] face. It’s all going to come back to bite you and it’s all going to happen. It just happened to be that that was a life or death situation with the car accident, which is very dramatic and funny. But I think that the rest of the season is an awesome learning experience for Steven — and hopefully Taylor — that you must learn to put your feelings in a line with what you want and not cheat and go after things that aren’t actually fulfilling to you in your life.”
Based on Jenny Han‘s book series, The Summer I Turned Pretty explores a love triangle between Belly (Lola Tung) and the Fisher brothers: Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Following the show’s Prime Video premiere in 2021, viewers have found themselves very invested in other characters — including Belly’s scene-stealing brother (Kaufman).
Kaufman previewed what fans can expect from Steven’s story in season 3, telling Us, “It was definitely open-ended. I had no idea. And [creator] Jenny [Han] likes keeping us all on our toes, which is always fun. I was just kind of along for the journey. It’s definitely one where — as an actor — I love to know where I end up so I can see the full arc and know where [my character is] headed.”
The actor found it an “interesting challenge” to switch up his approach.
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“[It felt like] I don’t know where I am. I think I kind of related that to Steven in the moment where he doesn’t know where he’s at,” he noted. “Especially after the car crash, he actually doesn’t know what the future holds or what the next step is. So I tried to play with that uncertainty in adult life a little more.”
While Kaufman couldn’t give away where his — or anyone’s story — will end up, he did weigh in on a popular fan theory that Steven will have a love triangle of his own with coworker Denise.
“Because of the work banter? I get it. I will say that Jenny has a very creative imagination,” he teased. “I think fans have got to remember to trust her. She knows what she’s doing. So I’m excited for you guys to see [how the show wraps up].”
Kaufman went on to say he wasn’t ruling out a possible onscreen reunion with the cast in the future. In fact, Kaufman elaborated on how his passion for playwriting could pave the way for more chances for him to share the screen with his now-former coworkers.
“[To write something that stars my TSITP costars] would be a big dream of mine. If I could get them, are you kidding me? They probably wouldn’t do it,” he quipped. “I’d have to pay ‘em a lot. Chris is off-Broadway right now. He’s killing it. He’s incredible. Lola’s been on Broadway and Rain is doing these incredible plays in L.A all the time. So if I could get them, I’ll take them.”
The Summer I Turned Pretty airs on Prime Video Wednesdays.
