Corinna Brown, who plays Gemma in the Amazon Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty, told the BBC that production secrecy for the show began before she even auditioned, with codenames used for the series and characters to guard against spoilers ahead of the season three finale.
The finale of the YA romance series is due to drop on Prime Video on Wednesday, and producers have taken extensive steps to limit leaks as the show’s fan base intensifies scrutiny of the season’s central love triangle involving Lola Tung’s Isabel “Belly” Conklin and brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, played by Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno.
Brown, who joined the series in its Paris-set episodes, said “there were codenames galore,” and that she believed her character’s name was Maeve until shortly before filming began. The London-born actor described Gemma as a “kindred spirit” to Belly, and highlighted a scene in which the two meet outside a nightclub as one of her favorites because it depicts “women supporting each other.”
Prime Video reported that the first episode of this season drew 25 million global viewers, a 40% increase on the previous season, and said the season is its most-watched TV series among women aged 18 to 34. Fans have widely discussed elements of the season, including a small engagement ring, a two-tier mirror-glaze chocolate cake, and a widely shared intimate scene set around a peach.
Asked about the size and passion of the fandom, Brown said she did not fully appreciate how large it would be until the show’s release. She noted that social media reactions and fan edits have generally been positive toward her character, with viewers praising Gemma’s frank advice to Belly. Brown said she feels fortunate to be part of the adaptation of Jenny Han’s young-adult novels, attributing much of the show’s appeal to the source material and its writer’s skill at engaging readers and viewers.
Brown previously appeared as Tara Jones in the Netflix series Heartstopper. She said that working on dramas aimed at younger audiences carries responsibility because the shows can have influence over impressionable viewers, calling that awareness “an honour in itself.”
BBC News conducted the interview under the condition that Brown would not discuss the ending of the current season. When pressed on whether she sides with Conrad or Jeremiah, Brown declined to reveal her preference but said she was “Team Gemma and Team Belly's friendship forever.”
The series, adapted from Han’s novels, has been a breakout hit with a wide young-adult audience and has generated extensive online discussion. With the season three finale imminent, Prime Video and the show’s producers continued to enforce anti-spoiler measures, while viewers and critics alike awaited how the televised adaptation resolves its central romantic and interpersonal conflicts.