As the 22-year-old star says goodbye to her first professional acting role, she’s feeling proud of the work she’s done over the last several years. “After being very emotional about the show ending, tonight is really a night of celebration,” she says. “I’m feeling very grateful. I’ve grown up with Belly, and she’s taught me so much. I learned a lot about being bold, taking risks, and communicating—even through the hard things. Belly is very good at doing that, even when it’s confrontational. I feel like she’s made me more bold.”
That’s served her well as Tung begins the pivot from teen drama star to playing more adult roles, including her feature film debut in the upcoming indie Forbidden Fruits with Gabrielle Union. She also shot a scene for this year’s remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer, though it didn’t make the final cut.
“I was bummed when I found out, but that’s how it goes. It’s alright,” she says. “It was a cameo scene, and you never know what’s going to happen with those. But it was so much fun to be on that set. It was such an incredible learning experience. I was grateful that I got to do that. I didn’t get to meet Jennifer Love Hewitt or Freddie Prinze Jr., unfortunately, but I got to hang out with everybody else, and I’m really excited to see the movie.”
As TSITP’s glitzy premiere party kicked off, Tung joined Han, Casalegno, Briney, and her other castmates—including Rain Spencer, Sean Kaufman, Jackie Chung, and Tom Everett Scott—in the Refinery Rooftop’s lounge. Breathtaking views of the Empire State Building and an arrangement of blue and white hydrangeas set the scene, while guests enjoyed sliders and sipped Aperol spritzes and pomegranate margaritas—the same cocktail Belly famously got drunk on at a Fourth of July party in Season 1.
So, how did Casalegno react when he found out who Belly chose? “I was shocked,” he says, looking dapper in a sleeveless Dolce & Gabbana shirt and trousers. “Jenny really did a great job—especially this season. She took some liberties with it, and I’m excited for people to see the ending. We didn’t know until the week before we were supposed to film the scene. It made it a fun little surprise. We got to talk about it, but I was shocked for sure. I was really happy with the outcome.”
