Nile Bullock on What to Expect of Cruel Summer Season 2 and His Character, Jeff

If you watched Freeform's drama-filled hit show Cruel Summer back in 2021, you were probably psyched when it was renewed for a second season. You're not alone, as we've also been counting down the days until Season 2's premiere on June 5!

We all love a teen mystery. Season 2 is starting fresh with a whole new riddle to solve and new cast for the audience to grow attached to. Though the theme's shifting, the drama is said to be even more jaw-dropping than ever before. One of the new faces is Jeff, a lovestruck aspiring filmmaker played by Nile Bullock of Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Chang Can Dunk. With the premiere being right around the corner, we felt it was only right to chat with Nile about his character and what the new season will bring.

Sweety High: What shocked everyone about the Cruel Summer Season 2 announcement was that the plot was gonna be different. How different is it from Season 1? 

Nile Bullock: Based on what I can say, a whole different scenario, a whole different theme. People can definitely expect that same drama-thriller-mystery blend, just altogether with that same '90s nostalgia through different time periods, but it's a completely different cast, storyline and setting.

(Photo credit: Tarrice Love Photography)

 

SH: What is the plot?

NB: This season is a lot like Season 1, but there's a whole new theme around toxic relationships and the real meeting between ride-or-dies and how far someone's willing to go for you. It talks about what it means to be a ride-or-die and circles the relationship between the two characters Megan and Isabella, Isabella being an exchange student coming to the small town where Megan already lives, and their getting to know each other and them falling into this. There are a lot of different scenarios that we see. There are love triangles, there are broken relationships, and there are promises that aren't kept. Then there's a lot of mystery and suspense in this season. It's like Season 1, just 10 times the mystery and twice the fun.

 

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SH: Will there be any points from Season 1 following into Season 2?

NB: None, not at all, actually. To my knowledge, the slate is completely wiped clean unless there's any info that I don't know about. No tie-ins from Season 1, so people should expect a completely new story.

(Photo credit: Tarrice Love Photography)

 

SH: What part does your character play?

NB: The character that I play, Jeff, is the sort of shy and softspoken one in the group, but he is an aspiring filmmaker and director, so he is definitely a film geek. He is into a whole bunch of classic horror movies and he's always got his camera on him. He loves to just tape anything that he can at any moment going on in his life. When he's hanging out with the friend group, he's just always got it on, working on a project or a collage that he wants to do. He kind of has this crush on the character Megan. He's trying to work up the courage to tell her, and he's definitely the introvert of the group, but he's super fun and mysterious. He finds his way into getting involved with some of these situations that are played out in the show. He's a very interesting character and a really, really fun one to play.

(Photo credit: Tarrice Love Photography)

 

Also read about: XO, Kitty's Anthony Keyvan Talks Playing Q and Karaoke Nights With the Cast

 

SH: If you could use one word to describe Season 2, what would it be?

NB: Suspenseful, most definitely. There's a lot of juicy stuff going on in the season, much like Season 1. I feel like it's going to have people captured in the same way, just on the edge of their seats, because there are so many different little tie-ins that happen in this season. Just brand new situations. It's gonna have hooked. So suspenseful, with a whole lot of drama and a whole lot of mystery.

 

SH: How different would you say Jeff is from other characters you've played?

NB: Honestly, in my career as an actor, I feel this character actually has a lot of relativity to my life. I feel like he's one of the most comfortable characters I've played, just because there's so much relation that I have with the character Jeff, him being this aspiring filmmaker, me being an actor. I would love to go on to make films of my own. He's the quiet one of the group, but depending on where I am, I'm such an outgoing person, and I'm really bubbly, and I love to be around people. But at times, everybody has that side where they want to just be to themselves and see everything that's going on. I was very fortunate to book the role of Jeff. It was at a time in my life when there were a lot of things that you see Jeff go through in the show playing off of my life, actually. I have a lot of personal connection with the character. He's been a super fun character to play because of that, and you'll see a lot of layers throughout the season. I think a lot of the people are going to find that they can relate to a lot of the characters in the season and some of the situations they're going through as well. It was really a blessing to play the role of Jeff, and I can't wait for people to see him in action.

(Photo credit: Tarrice Love Photography)

 

Can't wait for Cruel Summer Season 2? Be sure to also click HERE to read our interview with Nile's costar, Parker Tanaka.