The homicide thriller is midway by way of its chapters on Cruel Summer Season 2, and we’re getting deep into the numerous suspects at play.
Jeff Pope, the movie-obsessed filmmaker with a burning crush on Megan, is a kind of people. Jeff appeared like a pleasant man in love in the course of the summer season of 1999, however his future animosity towards Megan and Isabella left us with loads of questions. We cannot rule him or his blackmail scene out but.
Nile Bullock, who performs Jeff, is setting the file straight concerning the love and suspicions of his character,
Below, we chatted with Bullock about his time filming Cruel Summer, why Jeff modified drastically between the months, and his connection to the homicide thriller. Plus, he teased a bit about what’s to return for Jeff.
Check out the interview under!
How does it really feel enjoying Jeff Pope on Cruel Summer Season 2?
Oh my gosh, it looks like a variety of various feelings. It’s really a blessing to have the ability to play Jeff Pope. I’m nonetheless simply making an attempt to course of every little thing, you understand, as I’m watching the present.
Something that I’ve mentioned in previous interviews when individuals have requested me concerning the function of Jeff is that it feels refreshing to play this function particularly.
The function additionally feels true to who I’m, particularly with Jeff’s persona being this closed and quiet particular person, the one who’s behind the scenes loads and simply observing. I really feel like I confront lots of relatability in that character, so it is wild and a few of the greatest reveals ever.
Being part of Cruel Summer Season 2 makes it even higher. I’m really blessed to be enjoying Jeff.
You talked about comparable qualities; Jeff is an enormous film buff and loves enjoying with a digicam. Do you have got that in frequent with him?
Definitely, to a sure diploma. I can not say I’ve branched in, not less than in my private life, into filmmaking, the humanities, and the approach behind it.
But I’m an enormous film geek. If not motion pictures, it is like TV reveals. I’m a sucker for motion movies. All varieties of movies, particularly motion! Comedy.
I’m making an attempt to look at traditional motion pictures, type of like those Jeff was into. More across the 2000s and Nineteen Nineties time.
There’s undoubtedly a love for having the ability to make movies. That’s one thing I wish to go onto later in my life, and I like to file movies of me doing no matter.
I used to do a complete bunch of skits after I was youthful too. I used to be tremendous lively on the [social] media.
We have that drive in frequent. Just being artistic on a regular basis and observing the world by way of that lens.
Yeah, we’ve that in frequent.
Cruel Summer went into its second season with a brand new thriller. Were you acquainted with the present earlier than you bought the function?
I wasn’t acquainted with Cruel Summer after I received the function. It had popped up on my timeline a few instances; I noticed trailers going throughout my IG web page and on TV randomly a few instances.
I by no means took an opportunity to sit down down and see what it was about.
One factor about me is I do not binge a complete bunch of TV today as a result of generally I’m actually busy or have extracurriculars. So after I received the chance to learn for Cruel Summer Season 2 and booked the function, I dove proper into Cruel Summer Season 1.
Right away, I must know what this present is about and what the hype is about.
I bear in mind how the primary season was type of like me not figuring out a complete bunch about Freeform on the time. I bear in mind listening to that the present was like this A & B stage and never tremendous identified, but it surely was a smash hit on Freeform. It was a high present.
That already had me intrigued. Cruel Summer Season 1, I’ve to say, blew me away, and I used to be on the sting of my seat.
I completed that season so shortly. [Laughs]
I used to be simply so in it.
It’s been so hype to be part of Cruel Summer Season 2 alone as a result of the primary was so freaking good! Yeah, that is been my introduction to the Cruel Summer universe.
Now that you have been in it, learn the scripts and filmed the scenes. How did it really feel to be in a deep homicide thriller?
Oh man, it was nice! It was nice! [Laughs]
It’s completely superb. It makes you so anxious since you wish to understand how the tables are going to show because the present goes on and who’s the wrongdoer. Who’s this? Who’s that?
And one factor about this manufacturing is that they did a very good job of not telling us shit. [Laughs]
We didn’t know. Episodes have been being written whereas we have been taking pictures the scenes.
Stuff was going again and being rewritten, so we have been at the hours of darkness, aside from a few the showrunners and the forged.
We did not know what was occurring till the episode was coming. So, it felt wild, particularly with how the present is shot, leaping in between the completely different time intervals and seeing such dramatic and fast transitions.
That was very very similar to whereas we have been taking pictures.
We’d be doing one scene the place we might all be chilling and hanging out on the cabin or the seashore. And then, within the subsequent scene, it will be straight chaos. [Laughs]
Or a totally completely different temper change.
It made it that rather more enjoyable and type of like a problem working with that crew of the present. That was my first time doing a homicide mystery-type vibe.
I cherished it! It was nice; a lot enjoyable.
I received to speak along with your co-star, Lisa Yamada, about this and requested her this query. Cruel Summer has all of the completely different intervals, and you must shift round. How did it really feel to prep and transfer by way of the instances an episode at a time?
Oh, man! Yeah, like I used to be saying on the finish of that final query, it was a problem at instances. Especially as you bought the scripts, and hastily, there was this dramatic change, or some cliffhanger, or a brand new character popping up within the subsequent episode.
It was like, “Holy shit! [Spoiler] was moving super quick?!”
Since lots of stuff was shot out of context at instances, it was loads. It constructed this problem and pushed us to essentially faucet into sure components of ourselves.
I felt emotion-wise, bodily, and mentally throughout these days as a result of it will be such fast turnarounds to start out the scene of what we have been taking pictures. But all people within the forged made that tremendous straightforward.
We have such a passionate forged and crew, and you understand, administrators.
Everybody was actually on high of getting it achieved in the precise manner and ensuring that everyone was on their A-game. So, although a few of the days have been difficult and it wasn’t very clear figuring out all of the locations that we have been going to leap to in a day.
I really feel just like the surroundings actually filtered us, and the ambiance saved us grounded.
We have been capable of get by way of it so effectively.
Most of your scenes thus far have been filmed with Sadie Stanley, who performs Megan. And you have had some interactions with the remainder of the core forged of teenagers. How was the expertise filming with them and constructing out your story collectively?
It was completely a blessing. For actual, this entire forged was tremendous tremendous tremendous dope individuals from all completely different locations of the world!
Everyone was such a powerhouse. We had so many powerhouse actors and actresses too.
Shoutout to all people on the forged! Shoutout to Sadie [Stanley], shoutout to Lexi [Underwood], shoutout to Lisa [Yamada].
You know, Brady and Griffin. Everybody ate on Cruel Summer Season 2; they actually went loopy. I made lots of pals that I can take into account lifelong pals engaged on this set.
It was tremendous cool to look at how every character performs into what we see on this present. We bonded over time as every little thing received prolonged, and we went out to attempt various things with one another.
I met lots of actors primarily based in Vancouver. I wish to shout out my pal Tedra Rogers as a result of they have been considered one of my actually good pals on that set. Everybody was so freaking nice!
We simply had such a various forged, and it was so cool to get to know all people — bond with one another in every episode.
It was an excellent superb expertise.
I wish to shift gears a little bit bit and discuss Jeff. We noticed an enormous change in him between Summer 1999 and Winter 1999. Why do you assume he is so resentful of Megan a lot within the leap ahead?
It’s secure to say should you all watched Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 4, we all know now that he had a relationship with Megan that hasn’t been totally introduced into the sunshine but. That is one thing we’ll see defined extra on Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 5.
A little bit little bit of what I can converse on with that’s, for one, Jeff had an enormous crush on Megan. He had cherished Megan since his elementary college years!
Jeff has been crushing on this lady, and you understand, I really feel like him having the ability to divulge heart’s contents to her, we received to see him breaking out of his shell completely.
He’s been the quiet one and tremendous observant. He is not tremendous open like that with all people; he is making an attempt to be concerned with every little thing. Like, it is his life with Megan.
We additionally see Megan could be herself round Jeff. I really feel like Jeff can say the identical about Megan, most undoubtedly.
What we do not see is how deep Megan and Jeff’s little relationship was. I feel we will see Jeff, particularly on Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 5, rubbed the improper as a result of Megan is struggling together with her emotions for Luke. So, that performs into this factor that is falling aside.
We’ll undoubtedly see that, and we’ll see Jeff get used as a crutch. Luke’s relationship performs in Jeff being blown off, which places him into his bad-boy period.
And Jeff has appeared to develop into an even bigger a part of this homicide thriller. He’s pals with Luke, however he has his causes to harm him. Do you assume followers are suspicious of Jeff? Have you been studying any of the net guesses?
I’ve been! People are coming for Jeff’s life proper now. [Laughs]
It’s tremendous humorous to me. I prefer it loads to be studying it.
Yeah, Jeff is a suspicious child. I’ve to say it is humorous. As I watch these episodes with all people else and the remainder of the world, there are lots of issues I do not bear in mind in these episodes going ahead.
It’s like I’m at the hours of darkness.
I did not get to look at the total season earlier than the present got here out. Even after taking pictures, there are lots of issues that I do not bear in mind.
I’m type of at the hours of darkness about the way to piece it collectively.
So, Jeff is a big suspect. I like how the present brings to mild how lots of completely different individuals could be suspects right here.
Jeff together with his digicam, it is undoubtedly like, you understand, he has that factor on always. It could be creepy.
I’m like, “Damn!” Even watching it myself, I’m like, “Okay, Jeff.”
What do you hope followers will take away with Jeff when all is alleged and achieved by the tip of Cruel Summer Season 2?
That’s a very good query. I hope that individuals will have the ability to discover some relativity in Jeff.
I really feel like, once more, one factor with me, and this being one of many greatest roles I’ve had thus far in my profession, is that one factor to remove was that I related with Jeff.
He has an introverted and extroverted facet, which I undoubtedly see in myself after I step into sure settings. Sometimes I’m simply the quiet and observant one. I wish to sit and hearken to issues. So, I hope individuals discover them.
I really feel like Jeff will get a foul rep all through Cruel Summer too.
I hope all through the following episodes that, we’ll clear some mild on why he’s the best way he’s going all through the remainder of the season.
And I additionally hope some individuals which were in Jeff’s state of affairs, like making an attempt to be the good child and falling for the lady who is perhaps a little bit bit troubled, that they discover some readability in that and know they are not alone.
I really feel like at sure components, Jeff turns into the moaning one as we see him battle his personal feelings towards Megan and watch her fall for Luke. So, I hope there are lots of issues they take away.
I really feel like there’s loads for the viewers to sit down and give it some thought. With the general theme of the present and every character that we see, there are lots of themes, just like the idea of “ride-or-die.”
That’s one other dialog I hope individuals take away.
You know, how will they argue? How deep are you prepared to undergo for a pal? Through thick and skinny, the place do you draw the road?
There are lots of issues I hope audiences take away theme-wise as they watch the remainder of Cruel Summer Season 2.
I hope there are much more questions. Yeah, most undoubtedly.
We’re now midway by way of the season. Is there something you possibly can tease for Jeff developing?
Well! Well! I do not actually know. That’s a very good query.
All I wish to say is that we will see and discover out quickly why Jeff has a little bit little bit of dust on his arms.
That’s one factor I do know the viewers desires to see too. Especially concerning the blackmailing state of affairs!
Megan and Isabella freakin’ blackmailed the child! Why the egg? What’s his soiled secret, and what’s he making an attempt to cover?
And how deep does it go?
That’s one thing coming quickly, which I’m for the viewers to see. It paints lots of mild on the state of affairs and would not make him seem like as a lot of a creep as he does proper now. But I do not know; that might change going ahead.
So, keep tuned to that!
Cruel Summer Season 2 airs Mondays at 10/9c on Freeform. You can watch Cruel Summer on-line to atone for all of the previous drama.
Justin Carreiro is a workers author for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Discussion about this post