The Freeform psychological mystery Cruel Summer follows two young women — Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), the popular girl who others look up to, and Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), the nerdy girl who dreams of being popular — and what happens to the life of the latter when the former goes missing. Set over the summer in 1993, 1994 and 1995, the story’s shifting points of view change the perception of the events, as more and more questions arise about who Kate and Jeanette really are.
During a virtual junket to promote the new series, Aurelia spoke to Collider for this 1-on-1 interview about the opportunity to explore such a unique storytelling approach, what helped her connect to her character in each year, developing her own little family with her family on the show, how she reacted to the end of the season, and why she never wanted to judge Jeanette.
Collider: When this came your way, what were you initially told about what it would be and what was it that you found most appealing? Did you have a lot of information ahead of time, or did you go into this a little bit in the dark?
CHIARA AURELIA: I got the opportunity to read the first episode and I felt like I had a really exciting and interesting visual in my head of what the show was going to become. They’ve definitely met all of my expectations with this experience. There was so much that drew me to the project. Just reading it on the page, there was such a unique opportunity for this character and for this whole world that I would be able to explore in the mind of Jeanette, which was super cool.
It also seems like a really unusual experience to have a relationship at the center of this between these two girls, that’s so important to the story, but for them to not really spend much time together, at least initially.
AURELIA: I know. It’s super unusual. I think the most important relationship in the show is the relationship that you see the least, which is between Kate and Jeanette. We didn’t get the opportunity to work together too much, throughout the course of the series, but we spent a lot of time off-screen, developing our dynamic and where we imagined our relationships would be and what that meant for us, which was super cool.
Did you go through a whole audition process for this?
AURELIA: When I first got it, I didn’t expect to end up working on it. Sometimes you have a feeling when you get something, and I just didn’t quite have that feeling. I was like, “They’re not going to like me. I’m not going to be right for this.” And then, it just seemed like one piece at a time fell into place from there, from the first audition to the second to the test. It seemed to unfold so perfectly. I can’t imagine not being a part of it, at this point.
What most helped you set each version of your character apart, when you were working on each of the years? Was there an aspect of her or something about her in each year that helped you get into that mindset each time?
AURELIA: Yeah, with such drastic hair and make-up and wardrobe transformations, it can be grounding for where you are and where you left off and what’s going on. It can also definitely be confusing and complicated. There are such different parts of myself that are represented in the different parts of Jeanette, which is great to learn about and explore. In the end, I ended up loving every minute of the different years and thought it was great.
Is there one version of her that you personally found the most fun to play?
AURELIA: I think that ‘95 [version] is probably the furthest from myself, so that was definitely a fun year to tap into and develop and grow. I had more opportunity for something a little further removed from me, as a person, which was great.
Since the earliest version of her that we see is so innocent and pure, what did she tap into for that? Did you draw from your own life? Were there other people that you could draw inspiration from?
AURELIA: It’s definitely a little mix of both. I think that we all have a part of ourselves that still wants to be a kid and wants to have fun, and wants to just have this childlike wonder and excitement, just living and doing the smallest things. There’s a part of me that’s definitely like that and I got the opportunity to tap into that a bit with Jeanette and have fun in that world. Even on set, when we were filming scenes from ‘93, I was having so much fun with my other cast members. We were just running around and goofing off, and it perfectly placed us in this world.
Because you’re filming in three different years, was there a day that you had to shoot more than one year at once, or was there a specific scene that was most challenging?
AURELIA: There were many days that we would jump around in time. We’d come in, in the morning, and go into ‘93, and then jump to ‘95, and then do ‘94. There was a lot of that. There were probably some challenging days with the darker material and darker scenes, but those can also be super exciting and fun. It was hard when we would do a day where it was just the little snippets from in between scenes, when I wasn’t spending as much time with my other cast members. That wasn’t as fun. It’s always better when you have all your friends around for work.
When it came to working in the ‘90s, what did you do to get a feel for the time period? Was there anything you learned about what was specific to the ‘90s that most helped you?
AURELIA: There were so many things that I learned about. We would tap into the different music and the different movies and the different wardrobe and the different technology, like the Walkman and the pager. All of that stuff would tie you into this world and make it more exciting and fun. There was a lot that I learned about, to authentically understand the storyline.
Even though each of these timelines are really only a year apart, these girls have gone through some drastic changes, in each one of these years. Did you have a lot of conversations about how your character would change, but also how she’d be exactly the same?
AURELIA: Yeah. It was all about tapping into the nuance. It’s the same person, and she has the same heart and the same feelings and similar relationships with people, but these are such developmental years in high school. For someone who isn’t going through these extreme traumas and drastic changes, you can change a lot. Especially for these girls, they’re going through so much that they might look in the mirror and sometimes not even recognize themselves, which I think is interesting. You’re following them through some changes.
Along with the mysteries of the story, we also learn about these characters through the relationships with their families. What did you enjoy about getting to dig into those family dynamics and establish the different dynamics with her parents?
AURELIA: There are friendship relationships, and then there are relationships with their parents, as well. It shows how much these relationships can change, as she’s getting older. I ended up getting really close to Sarah Drew and Michael Landis and Barrett Carnahan. We developed a little family of our own on this show. Barrett is practically my brother in real life now. We still talk every day. We got to build these dynamics and show how much small changes can affect the whole family.
What do you think it is about Kate that Jeanette idealizes so much?
AURELIA: I think that we all sometimes can have a person that we admire and look up to. The initial fascination is with this beautiful, smart, talented, wonderful girl who is the heart of this town. From Jeanette’s perspective, she doesn’t feel that way. She doesn’t feel loved or wanted, and she just wants to learn from this girl and hopefully grow into something similar to her.
How much were you told about where things would end up, when you started doing this? Did you know how these stories would all intertwine, or did you have to learn that as you went along?
AURELIA: I knew so little about the ending and everything. Michelle [Purple] and Tia [Napolitano] would tease us, as the story went on. I didn’t know the ending of the season until maybe a week before I got the final episode. We were as excited and captivated, reading and finding out what was going to happen, as I think the audience will be.
What’s it like to get so invested in the character and not quite know where it’s going to end up? What was your reaction and what were the emotions you went through, when you found out where it would end up?
AURELIA: There were so many emotions. I was excited and sad that it was coming to an end, and captivated. I had so much joy for how perfectly I felt like the ending was tied in a little bow. It was great.
What was it that originally made you want to be an actor? Was it a specific project or performers that you saw?
AURELIA: There were so many things that drew me to this industry. I always knew that this was something that I wanted to do, from a really young age. I just love to perform, and I love to learn about different people and different places and different cultures. I’ve always had a fascination with people. I’m a people person. I love my friends and I love meeting new people. Being able to authentically tap into someone’s life is a wonderful blessing and I feel lucky to be in this industry.
Was there a moment that made it real for you and where you realized that you could do this as a career?
AURELIA: I don’t think it’s even real for me yet. I’m sitting here going, “Oh, my God, I’m in an interview right now for a show that I’m a part of, and I just spent six months filming in Dallas.” I think that slowly, every day, I’m learning more about myself and more about the actress that I hope to become. That’s a great experience for me.
What was the moment for you, when you felt like you really knew and understood who this character was? Did that happen early on, or did it take some time, exploring her in these different time periods?
AURELIA: I think it was in the first couple of days of filming the pilot, honestly. I was testing the waters and trying to find her rhythm and trying to figure out who she was. As more conversations unfolded with other people involved in the project, there was a moment where it clicked and we said, “Okay, we know who Jeanette Turner is and we know who she’s going to become.” Having Tia and Michelle there to guide me on this journey and talk me through her backstory and what’s going on in her head, kept me really grounded in the storyline and hopefully really grounded in the character.
Did you ever find yourself judging her and any of her actions, or was it easy for you to separate yourself from that judgment?
AURELIA: I try not to be judgmental of any of the characters that I work on because there’s a story behind every person and you can’t really judge a book by its cover. Although she’s made some really drastic mistakes, as have so many of the other characters in the show, she has good intentions and, underneath it all, has a kind heart. You have to tune in and watch to see what makes Jeanette, Jeanette.
Do you think that there is a world where these two could have ever been friends and none of this would have happened?
AURELIA: A hundred percent. It’s a series of unfortunate events. It’s one small thing leading to another small thing. It’s the definition of the butterfly effect. In the end, they’re both just doing the best they can.
Cruel Summer airs on Tuesday nights on Freeform.