The debate over who the main character in creator Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” should end up with is heating up as the final episodes of the third season approach – but fan enthusiasm is starting to spill into hostility.
Prime Video’s hit romance series has captivated audiences as it follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin who finds herself in a love triangle with brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher competing for her attention. Passionate fans have broken off into two dueling camps: #TeamJeremiah versus #TeamConrad. And they’re taking to social media to battle over which love interest should ultimately win Belly’s heart.
But some of these so-called fans are turning on the actors themselves.
Last month, actors Christopher Briney (Conrad) and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah) told “CBS Mornings” they often have to remind fans that they’re just playing a role.
“It’s a story that people can relate to and love. Yeah, we’re just grateful that people are passionate about the story we’re telling,” Casalegno said. Briney added, “You root for both of these characters at times.”
Lola Tung, who plays Belly, also admitted the rivalry gets a bit too intense at times.
“When people have an attachment to the characters, they want to see it come together at the end. I’m so grateful that they care so much, but people get a little scary about it. Please don’t threaten to kill someone if something doesn’t go your way — I promise you, it’s not that serious,” she told Teen Vogue.
“There is a line between fiction and reality”
Last week, Prime Video launched a social media campaign called, “The Summer We Started Acting Normal Online,” urging viewers to keep the conversation kind and highlighted its zero tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech.
“The show isn’t real but the people playing the characters are,” Prime Video wrote.
Board-certified psychiatrist and author Sue Varma said she is “blown away” that a network had to step in and tell fans to simmer down and the show is fiction. Varma says fans’ emotional attachment may point to a larger societal problem.
“There is a line between fiction and reality. And I feel as if these lines are becoming really blurred when people are projecting their anger, their hatred, their harassment and resentment onto fictional characters,” she said.
Varma said this indicates that there is perhaps a “deep void in our society right now” with people longing for human connection.
She explained these fan behaviors are a sign of a psychological phenomenon known as parasocial relationships – or one-sided bonds with media figures. Varma adds the anonymity of social media emboldens fans to exhibit bad behavior.
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