Lola Tung Addresses TSITP Fans’ Fear That Belly Would Choose Herself
“Why are you scared of that?”
Ahead of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 finale, which aired Sept. 17, fan theories about the show’s ending were everywhere. Audiences were busy predicting surprise pregnancies, deaths, and couples. Of course, they were also debating the merits of Team Conrad versus Team Jeremiah. But there was one worry that seemingly united the entire fandom: the fear that Belly would choose herself, leaving the love triangle behind. Now that the series has concluded, Lola Tung is speaking out about the fans’ concerns.
“I understand how obviously passionate people are about the teams, and I’m so grateful that people are even that passionate about the show,” Tung told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Sept. 19. “But I think the fear around this idea of choosing herself, I was like, 'Why? Why are you scared of that?' She can't choose Conrad without choosing herself.”
“Like Jeremiah said to Belly, like, 'I don't want some of you. I want all of you,' you can't expect all of a person,” Tung continued. “That's not fair and that's not possible. Having her go to Paris and take time away from everything that just happened and meet new people and live her life and figure out who she is without the boys is essential to the story and to her growth and to her being with Conrad. She couldn't do that without being secure in her own identity and her own life and other relationships.”
“She has to choose herself — there's no doubt about that,” she added. "I'm so grateful that Jenny [Han] wrote these episodes of her being in Paris and then of them having this really mature conversation because you can tell from that they've grown and they've both done the work and that she has chosen herself. So I don't think there's anything to be scared of with that sentence of, 'She's going to choose herself' ... and? OK, great!”
In We’ll Always Have Summer, the book that Season 3 is based on, Belly went through a similar evolution. After she and Jeremiah canceled their wedding, she spent a year studying abroad in Spain. She and Conrad reconnected through letters, but did not see each other again until her college graduation, two years later. In the end, she chose herself *and* still ended up with Conrad.
The finale was proof that Belly can have it all, whether she is on the page or screen.
