From Rory Gilmore to Andy Sachs, fictional characters wearing bangs were a moment: This marks her entering a new (perhaps more impulsive) age of self-discovery. So when Rain Spencer debuted new bangs in the second season of Prime Video's The Summer I Got Pretty (based on Jenny Han's trilogy of novels of the same name), it was a sign that her character Taylor Jewel would be on screen usher in change. travel.
"This is Jenny's vision," Spencer told Bustle via Zoom before the SAG-AFTRA strike in late June. The writer and co-showrunner urged Taylor to adopt a new look before the start of season two, and the 23-year-old actor happily obliged, even though he's never made such a drastic change. The risk paid off. "I love it," she said. "With bangs, I feel like a different person."
Like her new look, Season 2 also ushered in a different era for Taylor. She remains best friends with Isabel "Bailey" Conklin (Lola Tung), who is dealing with Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Yearly A sad and complicated love triangle between brothers M. Fisher (Gavin Casaleño). But after being promoted to series regular in season two, Spencer — who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the show is filmed — had space to explore Taylor’s dynamics. The new Taylor seems more confident, has a musician boyfriend Milo (Will Spencer), and seems uninterested in her childhood crush Steven (Sean Kaufman).
Still, there's more beneath her surface. "Taylor is a person who has a lot of walls and is very afraid of being vulnerable," she said. "This season, you're going to see her break down those walls."
Spencer has done this in her own career. Within a month of her performance Last year , she won the Tribeca Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Narrative Feature for her performance in Good Girl Jane. The drama, which tells the story of a teen's battle with drug addiction, is a far cry from the sunny conflict of "Cousin Beach." But it's a good thing for Spencer that her first two major roles were so different.
"I really enjoy challenging myself and going places and trying different roles that I would never have imagined," the actor said. "There was a time when I was just taking acting classes and not doing anything, and I felt like I didn't have that 'it girl' in me." Now, Spencer says she's tapped into her inner Taylor and is brave enough to To branch out — like her latest project, a sci-fi horror film shot in Portland, Oregon, earlier this summer.
After spending the better part of the last two years producing and promoting Summer and other projects, the actor finally learned the importance of decompressing between jobs. While Taylor may get energy from impromptu gatherings, Spencer seems to recharge her batteries a little differently: painting, exploring nature, and hiking with her 60-pound dog Oz.
"I needed to feel dirty. You go to these events and wear these fancy clothes," she said. “I just had to fall off the board.”
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Learn more about Spencer in the Bustle Booth questionnaire below.
in a noisy stall
What was your coffee order?
Dirty chai with almond milk.
What weather locations are saved on your phone?
Los Angeles, Portland, New York, Kauai, Malibu, Medellin, Joshua Tree, Wilmington, London, Santa Monica.
What is your logo?
Pisces.
Favorite overused movie line?
"I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass...but I'm out of bubble gum." - From " They Live "
What was your favorite cartoon as a child?
When I was little, it was The Powerpuff Girls ...and then it became Family Guy.
What’s a movie or TV show that you’re currently obsessed with?
Barry Haha.
Who is your celebrity idol?
Erica Badu. I aspire to be unapologetically myself.
If you had to be on a reality show, what would you choose?
Jury duty as one of the actors. That must be hilarious.
Karaoke songs you often listen to?
I always sang it as a joke, like Hole's "Celebrity Skin" or "Big Girls Don't Cry." I am very nervous.
What has inspired you recently?
I'm filming a movie in Oregon right now, and the trees there are so beautiful and the air is so fresh that it makes me want to put down my phone.
How would you like people to describe you?
I want people to say I'm kind and down to earth.
