In just just one yr, Sadie Stanley and Lexi Underwood’s Cruel Summer time Time 2 characters — Megan and Isabella — go from strangers to besties to enemies. “We dive into what definitely is a intricate female friendship,” Stanley tells Elite Each day, “and the way that it ebbs and flows.” Underwood agrees, “Their friendship, it can be a actual roller coaster, honestly.” It’s a roller coaster that gets a murder mystery, the place even the audience is in for a journey.

Even though Time 2 may well have a wholly new cast, placing, and tale, all the drama you cherished from Cruel Summer months Period 1 is back again all over again. At the middle of it all is Megan, Isabella, and their shared love curiosity, Luke. Certain, you’ve found love triangles in Tv set reveals and motion pictures right before, but not like the a single in Cruel Summer time. In Freeform’s anthology series, you get to see how a messy romantic romance unfolds when there are two besties at the heart of it all. “I adore that Megan and Isabella don’t permit a boy get in the way of matters,” Underwood tells Elite Everyday. Stanley agrees, adding, “I definitely like that they failed to pit the two girls versus each and every other in excess of a boy. We have noticed that a million instances.”

Watching Cruel Summer months, Megan, Isabella, and Luke’s love drama unfolds above the program of three very distinctive timelines that span from summer 1999 to summer time 2000. That implies nostalgia is earning a comeback this year as well, with Cruel Summer season formally in its Y2K era full with Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle,” camcorders, and butterfly clips.

Underneath, Stanley and Underwood chat about the Y2K trends they truly don’t forget, how tricky it was taking pictures each individual timeline, and the last thing the Cruel Summer season solid talked about in their group chat.

Elite Day by day: Period 2 of Cruel Summer season follows a various story than Time 1, but there is still this concept of secrets and techniques, lies, and feminine friendships. What was it like bringing Megan and Isabella’s elaborate romance to life?

Sadie Stanley: It was definitely interesting. When we to start with fulfill Megan and Isabella, they are total opposites of every single other. Isabella will come in with all this electrical power and charisma. Megan does not like that due to the fact she’s a goody-two-footwear who has not definitely damaged any policies just before. Isabella will get her to permit loose a minimal bit with cliche teenager encounters like kissing a boy and consuming for the to start with time.

Then, we see a enormous alter in that third timeline in which they’re variety of strangers once more. It is a little bit of whiplash, but I imagine owning a terrific scene associate like Lexi just made it so a great deal exciting. We were being crying with each other one minute, yelling at every single other the upcoming, and then guffawing and laughing as ideal good friends. We went by a lot alongside one another, on-display and off.

Lexi Underwood: It is crazy that it can be only the span of a yr due to the fact when she meets Megan, Isabella is established on owning this ideal all-American substantial school knowledge. She needs the very best pal who is like a sister. I believe it is really truly gorgeous due to the fact Megan teaches her a large amount as nicely.

When you very first see Isabella, she has this pressure that she’s place on herself to be great and to look like she has her existence together. By the next timeline, she’s just staying normal and not apprehensive about all the issues that she was apprehensive about right before. Then, by the 3rd timeline, they are strangers again, which is really unusual. It normally takes you on an psychological roller coaster when it arrives to those people two and their friendship.

ED: You failed to film in timeline get. How challenging was it obtaining into character every single time and remembering how you felt about every single other in every scene?

SS: It usually takes a little bit of changing to, for certain. It was a wake-up get in touch with, like, “Alright, I have to have to be really ready. I will need to make confident I am coming into every single timeline being aware of what my character appreciates.” It was a good deal. I assume owning all those distinctive bodily appearances for every timeline was super practical, just to place you in the proper state of mind.

LU: We have hair, makeup, and wardrobe to thank since that aided with the actual physical element. But emotionally, I manufactured playlists for every single timeline of tracks that Isabella would be listening to, for the reason that it genuinely was difficult to be able to bounce back again and forth. A thing that receives me psychological or adjustments my temper is audio, so songs really served me immerse myself into that. It was demanding, but I experience like I arrived out as a far better actor on the other aspect of it.

ED: What have been some of the songs on your playlist you produced for Isabella?

LU: In the course of the to start with timeline, Isabella was super big on Britney Spears, Destiny’s Boy or girl, and Aaliyah, so that was on the to start with playlist. And then for the second timeline, she’s listening to just about anything that she thinks Megan would be listening to, because she’s tethered to her through that time. For the third timeline, Isabella is listening to The Cranberries’ “Linger.” That is almost certainly her favourite song — both “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star, or “Put Me Down” by The Cranberries.

SS: It can be humorous you do that for the reason that I assume in that next timeline, Megan’s listening to almost everything that Isabella listened to and introduced her to in that first timeline. Then in the third timeline, Megan’s heading hardcore. She’s got this seriously dim exterior, she’s leaning much more goth, and she’s listening to 9 Inch Nails. It really is extremely extreme and dim.

ED: Your characters equally have a romantic relationship with Luke, but you continue to be pals in your adore triangle. What would you do if your BFF preferred your crush in real life?

LU: When Isabella realizes that Megan likes Luke, she immediately methods back, because she realizes that there’s an precise probability concerning them. I would say that a genuine close friend would really do that. If not, I would have to established some boundaries and reevaluate that friendship.

SS: I entirely concur. I assume Isabella was so chill for that. She was like, “Oh. No, wait, you men have so a great deal heritage. I don’t truly see a long term with this boy. Have at it. I really like you. We’re going to generally be mates 1st ahead of any boy can mess that up.” I assume Megan genuinely appreciates that, or she must at least.

ED: The cast received shut though filming in Canada last summer time. Do you have a group chat now?

SS: Absolutely.

LU: We all still cling out a great deal.

SS: We put in so substantially time alongside one another in Vancouver. It was like summer season camp. We have undoubtedly retained that heading considering the fact that getting back in LA. We see every other all the time.

ED: Do you keep in mind the very last thing you men texted about in your group chat or matters you talked about?

LU: Literally, I am likely by means of my cellular phone correct now.

SS: Griffin Gluck, Lexi, and I had been texting about the interviews we’re doing for the premiere.

LU: The final factor that we talked about was our pleasure about the trailer essentially.

SS: Yeah, and the poster just dropped. So, it was us geeking out in excess of that.

ED: The display requires put from 1999 to 2000. Did you get all of the 2000s references in the script, or were being there points you failed to know?

LU: There were being some matters I actually did not know. I cannot lie. As an ’03 newborn, I was out of the loop on some things, but for other factors, I got, like the Caboodles. When I arrived to props and stuff, I was like, “Oh, I entirely know what this is.” But then I noticed a pager, and I was like, “I you should not know.”

SS: I wouldn’t know how to operate a pager if you set one particular in front of me. There’s also a line I had like, “Zodiac complete of Zima.” I experienced to Google Zodiac and Zima. I don’t know if that is Y2K, or if that is just me not being aware of one thing.

ED: Talking of the script, were there any surprises you browse that really shocked you?

LU: Yeah, unquestionably. We ended up out of the loop with some things. We failed to have all the scripts. When we first begun filming, we only understood what was going on up until Episode 5. So there were a good deal of moments when we would consider that a person point would be going a specific way, and it would go in the finish reverse direction. Looking at the finale script was a standout. My jaw was on the ground the total time.

SS: Yeah, completely. Just about every time we acquired a new script, Lexi, Griffin, and I would get collectively and be like, “Alright, what does this imply?” And we would appear up with new theories. We ended up always improper, but which is the entertaining part.

ED: How excellent are you at maintaining secrets?

LU: Awful at it.

SS: If it’s a top secret about me, I can’t keep it to help you save my lifetime. I have to say every thing. If I have a gift I want to give somebody or if I did some thing, I tattle on myself each single time. If it is somebody else’s mystery, my lips are sealed.

ED: Which timeline experienced your favored manner? Summer months 1999, winter season 1999, or summer 2000?

LU: Summer season ’99 for me. It truly is just so colorful and vivid. There are a large amount of lower-rise jeans and cute little tops in summertime ’99, so I might have to go with that a single.

SS: Summer months ‘99 was the most snug for me, but wintertime ’99 was closest to what I would dress in. That felt adorable with the very low-rise jeans, very little skirts, and boots. But the third timeline was enjoyable. I acquired to do issues I’d in no way have on.

ED: Are there any Y2K model trends you really like?

SS: I am at this time in some saggy, minimal-increase, cargo-form pants, so that’s undoubtedly some thing that I like.

LU: The minimal-rise jeans. I like small butterfly clips in the hair. I feel like the platform sandals specifically. They’ve created their comeback. Anything that we enjoy from the early 2000s is here and alive and properly.

ED: Is there something that you hope isn’t going to come again from the early 2000s?

LU: You know what? Those people colorful flannel shorts. Perhaps which is just me.

SS: No, I had the colorful flannel print. I had pink kinds and blue ones. I know particularly what you’re conversing about.

LU: I would dress in those, and I would do a large bow in my hair. Extremely questionable. I hope people don’t arrive back.

This job interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.