The "Cruel Summer" Cast Breaks Down What It Was Like to Film This Twisty Mystery
After two years, we're finally back in the twisted world of Cruel Summer — and the show has already reeled us in hook, line, and sinker with a new mystery.
The second season, which premiered the first two episodes on Freeform (you can stream the show on Hulu!) on June 5, introduced us to a love triangle, Y2K vibes, and murder. Set in the Y2K era, the new season of the anthology series follows three separate timelines told in a disjointed order, completely unrelated to the first season.
Recently, Seventeen sat down with stars Sadie Stanley, Griffin Gluck, and Lexi Underwood to get the scoop on what it was like to film Cruel Summer. Just like us, the leads of the series were kept in the dark about major plot points and spoilers until the last possible moment.
Because the scripts were changing often, the higher-ups at the production company didn't want their young cast learning what was supposedly going to happen with their character, only to then switch up everything at the last minute.
"We were left guessing, and, although it was incredibly frustrating, to be honest [laughs], it also made it really rewarding," Griffin said, "because, for six months, we were really invested in every single script. What are we gonna find out next? How are we going to nail it? What do we need to know? When do we get to know it? And it just kept us on our toes."
Griffin's co-star, Sadie, shared how the cast would get together each time they received a new script and theorize about who the killer could be and what was going to happen next — just like you and the group chat will do this summer after each episode premieres.
"We were wrong most of the time," Sadie admitted. "I think we guessed some of it right, but we were all pretty shocked when we got those final pages."
Lexi shared a similar sentiment with Sadie, confessing she never correctly guessed what happened, either. "The ending I thought was gonna happen was definitely not, and when they told us, I was not expecting that at all," she dished. "But, it was really interesting. It was kind of funny because our theories were so out of the box."
OK, if the cast making the series were caught off-guard by the big twists and turns, then we just know this is going to be *the* show of the summer!
And thanks to the amazing writers and crew, the actors didn't have trouble keeping the different timelines straight in their minds when it came time to film each scene. "We really have hair, makeup, and wardrobe to thank when it comes to keeping us on track, because those looks really do help," Lexi explained. "It makes a difference when you are fully stripped down and you are in a completely different look than you were for Summer ‘99 [the first of the three timelines]. It really makes you immerse yourself in everything that is happening in your character’s life in that moment."
Lexi also shouted out her amazing co-stars, who made it easy for her to "bounce off of their energy."
During the interview, it was obvious the trio were good friends and had a blast filming in Vancouver together. When asked what they did for fun on their days off, Sadie shared they had deep talks and did blind dining, which is when you go to a restaurant with the lights off and are served by blind waitstaff.
"They help you navigate through the entire experience and you just eat an entire dinner unable to see," Sadie said. "It's so cool."
While Sadie, Griffin, and Lexi get along in real life, the same can't be said for their characters. We're stoked to see how each of their stories unfold this summer!
These interviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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