Cruel Summer: Lexi Underwood on Isabella’s Past [Interview]

Please note this interview contains spoilers for Cruel Summer Season 1 Episode 5.

On Cruel Summer Season 1 Episode 5, “All I Want for Christmas,” Trevor visits Isabella, and we learn that there’s a lot she hasn’t told us about her past. Between that and Megan’s mom finding all the postcards to Lisa sitting unsent in Isabella’s drawer, we knew something was amiss.

It’s not until the final moments of the episode when, in the Summer of 2000, Megan gets a letter from Trevor with newspaper clippings — Isabella’s friend Lisa drowned.

So, Isabella came to Chatham pretending all was well, writing postcards to a girl who she knew was dead.

During ATX Television Festival, Lexi Underwood spoke with reporters about the show. The question came up as to what Isabella’s headspace was when she decided to omit the details of her past, if it was her intentionally covering up to deceive her newfound family or if it was a less sinister decision in Isablla’s mind.

“I think that she completely just kind of freaked out… I can’t lie, when things blow up in our face, she becomes very selfish, and she’s thinking about herself at the end of the day,” Underwood said.

“I think that she just doesn’t have healthy coping mechanisms. She doesn’t give herself the time to be able to process it, and she’s just in defense mode. She’s like, ‘I’m going to do whatever I can to protect myself, even if it means going to another city and acting like everything is normal, and everything is fine.'”

Underwood also shared the biggest lessons she learned through playing Isabella.

“I would definitely say just being your character’s biggest advocate and just knowing your character like the back of your hand because there are so many times when things will be thrown at you, and you have to be able to adjust and adapt. I think the best way is being so deeply connected and rooted to your character as possible.”

“I feel like I’ve always been connected to my characters, but I feel like I’ve never had to really immerse myself into that world in the way in which I did because I had no clue what my character’s fate was. And I think that’s a big thing, trusting my instincts and then also just trusting the writers, especially. This was the most I feel like I’ve had to put my trust into a creative team before,” Underwood concluded.

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Cruel Summer airs Mondays at 10/9c on Freeform.

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