Lola Tung Talks ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Movie, Hudson Williams, & Horror Films | Up Next
Why It Matters
Tung’s experience illustrates the new normal for young actors—mastering multilingual roles, leveraging remote auditions, and maintaining educational pursuits—trends that reshape casting strategies and talent development across the entertainment industry.
Key Takeaways
- •Lola Tung navigated bilingual acting challenges on 'Summer I Turned Pretty'.
- •Pandemic-era Carnegie Mellon training shaped her improvisational and physical skills.
- •Self‑tape audition process was rapid, leading to swift casting.
- •Lola balances acting career with ongoing education and voice training.
- •She remains neutral on love‑triangle fandom, emphasizing audience experience.
Summary
Variety’s Up Next podcast welcomed newcomer Lola Tung, the breakout star of the upcoming “The Summer I Turned Pretty” movie, to discuss her New York roots, recent Paris Fashion Week stint, and how she landed the role of Belly.
Tung revealed that filming required her to deliver three lines in French, a language she barely remembers from high school, and described the anxiety of sounding natural on set. She also recounted her pandemic‑era education at Carnegie Mellon, where a “baboon” animal‑project forced her to explore physicality and improvisation, skills that proved useful during the remote self‑tape audition that secured her casting within days.
A memorable moment came when Tung joked about testing her luck with a beach T‑shirt from her first tape, calling it a good‑luck charm. She also emphasized her neutrality in the series’ love‑triangle, saying the audience’s experience matters more than her personal team, and highlighted the supportive French crew who praised her every attempt.
The conversation underscores how emerging talent must juggle multilingual performance, pandemic‑induced training adaptations, and rapid virtual casting, signaling a shift toward more flexible audition pipelines and the growing importance of cultural authenticity in teen‑drama adaptations.
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