Jenny Han is not only the author but also the visionary creator, writer, co-showrunner, and executive producer behind Prime Video’s ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’.
Reflecting on the upcoming third season, Han shared in an interview with People that the experience was “emotional, in part because I put everything into the show.”
She elaborated on the demanding nature of the work, stating, “It takes up your whole life, pretty much, all year round. I wasn’t taking any vacations except for the two weeks that Hollywood shuts down between Christmas and the New Year. That was the only vacation that I was taking.”
Han also drew a distinction between her past life as a novelist and her current role in series production. “I was used to a much more easy life as a novelist. I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m going to a coffee shop to write.’ Or, ‘I’m going to Italy to rent a house and we’ll just write. I’m sitting in a pool, I’m just being inspired by vibes.'”
In stark contrast, crafting a series “is a totally different beast,” she noted, adding, “Which I love, is the thing. I feel so lucky to do it. And I feel so energized by the work.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Han described herself as a “perfectionist.” This trait, she explained, means, “I also like things how I like them. So I am always on set, because so much storytelling happens at every single level.”
She provided an example of her meticulous attention to detail: “I’m going, hmm, this orange juice, we wouldn’t be using this brand… And I think those sort of details, to me, make it feel really real.”
The 44-year-old emphasized her goal of authenticity: “I like to watch something and really just feel like, ‘These are real people, living their real lives.’ So all those details make a difference.”
The first three episodes of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ season three are now available for streaming on Prime Video.
