It was during the sultry summer months that Gavin Casalegno finally addressed the elephant in the room. The star of "The Summer I Turned Pretty," who portrayed Jeremiah Fischer in the hit Amazon Prime series, spoke out about the intense hatred directed at his character throughout the show's current and final third season. For Gavin, the negative feedback his character—who is on the brink of marrying Lola Tung's Belly despite cheating on her mere weeks prior—has garnered is seen as "quite amusing."
"Yes, they tend to dislike him," the 25-year-old revealed in an interview with The New York Times published on August 22. "I've stopped checking Instagram, so I haven't encountered much of the hate. All I see are the hilarious memes my sister forwards to me."
He further elaborated, "It's crucial to grasp and acknowledge that this is a fictional narrative—and it's not a reflection of me." Gavin, who tied the knot with Cheyanne King last summer, clarified that although both he and Jeremiah share a penchant for socializing, he feels more mature than his on-screen alter ego.
"When it comes to immaturity and partying, I was never one for it," he confessed. "It's just not who I am." While Gavin has managed to distance himself from the negativity surrounding his character, he admitted that reading numerous malicious comments can still be a daunting task.
He phrased it thusly, "I don't believe there's anyone in this world who can carry the emotional weight of such negativity without being affected." Nevertheless, he reflected on his time on the show, which was adapted from author Jenny Han's book series of the same name, as arduous yet incredibly rewarding, dubbing it a "dream job."
"I had previously encountered Jenny Han's work, and I sensed that this would be an exceptional project to be part of. I wasn't mistaken," he shared. "This story is truly magical in its ability to evoke nostalgic memories of love. It transports people back to their childhood summers and first loves—it's incredibly relatable."
