The Summer I Turned Pretty's Sofia Bryant Says Yes to Team Conrad & Wearing Knotless Braids

It's not easy coming into a popular, fandom-heavy series in its third and final season, and yet that's what Sofia Bryant has done. The Summer I Turned Pretty first welcomed us to Cousins Beach over three years ago, and now, our favorite group of messy teenagers are back once more, only this time a little older and (hopefully) wiser. Insert Bryant's character, Anika. From the novel series, we know her to be Belly's newest best friend she meets in college and the television series sets up the same foundation.

Bryant was born in Harlem, New York. Shortly after, she and her family moved to Finland — where her mother is from — and she stayed there until third grade when she made her way back to the Big Apple. That's when she first got involved with theatre and the rest is history. From roles in The Good Wife, Bluebloods, The Code, and the Netflix series I Am Not Okay With This, the 25-year-old is one to know, and her joining The Summer I Turned Pretty is a testament to that.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is one of the most popular young adult shows out right now, and it's fans are quite obsessed with the storyline and how everything will play out this season. Our July cover star Lola Tung opened up about how much that support means to the entire cast. And Bryant is excited to join in on the pandemonium.

With the release of the first two episodes, the entire cast hosted a premiere party as well as a watch party. Bryant wore a black off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress with Pasquale Bruni jewelry, styled by Raz Martinez and Celine Azena. And she went with a bit of edge makeup wise featuring a golden brown eye moment.

Below we caught up with Bryant after attending the show's premiere event this week to talk all things The Summer I Turned Pretty, her fashion staples, and what side she stands on with this infamous love triangle.

Teen Vogue: How was the premiere event?

Sofia Bryant: It was crazy. It's been something that we've known about and have lived with for so long now, and we wrapped the project itself over a year ago, so to kind of step back into that all together was surreal. Of course it was nice to celebrate and be able to share about it a little bit — because every episode isn't out yet. We're still dodging those questions that are going to be answered at the end of the season, but it was surreal, it was so rewarding, we're all so proud. It felt great to finally get to really speak on it and celebrate.

TV: Have you watched the first two episodes? Have you looked online? What has been your vibe when it comes to enjoying this process, especially with the fandom?

SB: I have watched the first episode. I have many people in my life that are huge fans of the show and have requested that I watch it with them, as if I don't know what's going to happen, but out of respect for them I was like, "All right." Because I did go to the screening and I was like, "Guys, I am letting you know, I am watching it, but I do also know what's happening."

But I'm honoring my friend's requests, and more importantly, my mom's. My mom loves the show. So I've watched the first episode. I'm waiting to potentially binge it once a bit more of the show is out, but also no promises to my friends because I want to watch it.

TV: Could just tell me a little bit about Anika, who she is, especially in connection to Belly, and this new journey she's on?

SB: Anika is Belly's new friend. They meet at college at Finch, and she is this human representation of the new stage — the coming of age that Belly is going through. She represents a more mature version of Belly.

And if we really, really think about it, Anika is Belly's first friend outside of childhood and outside of her younger years, so she really helps her step into her adulthood, especially because they're going through it together. They share a lot of their firsts together. They share their first apartment together, they're roommates for a while, and Anika becomes this older sister for Belly, which is a really nice dynamic to see, because we've known Belly and Taylor for forever, but Anika brings this new city girl grounding that Belly really needs. Anika herself is, very similarly to me, a dancer from New York. She has artist parents, and she's just a cool city girl stepping into the world of Cousins.

TV: I actually saw something online talking about Anika and Taylor, and people were back and forth arguing because the people were like, "Anika was kind of coming at Taylor." And people are like, "As she should, because why is Taylor team Jeremiah?" What is it like getting to be a part of this new friend dynamic?

SB: This was definitely one of the hot conversations we were having as we were shooting, and I was keeping it in mind too, because Anika literally is this new girl coming into this world through Belly, and I've seen some stuff online too that's like, "Okay, do we like her? Do we not?” Again, she does represent that more mature stage that Belly is stepping into. So of course it's going to be a little bit uncomfortable to see this new dynamic playing out, especially when Anika is advocating for Belly and she's like, "No, she needs space right now. I don't think she wants to talk or..."

It's not always comfortable, but it's sometimes what's necessary, and that's what being a loyal friend looks like — is having to advocate in those ways that aren't always comfortable for everybody else, especially those who have been present in this person's life way longer.

I myself and I as Anika are team Belly first. I have said this day in and day out. And that's just how it's going to be. I'm here for my girl. She has nothing against Taylor, and I love that they kind of are able to understand each other throughout the season, which I'm excited to see people react to. Anika's not really here for the nonsense. She's here to be a good person and have a good time and be kind where it counts and reciprocate.

TV: You have blonde braids now, but I also love that you had braids in the show. Was that a conversation that you guys had to have, or how did you decide on how your hair was going to be in the show?

SB: I myself have very curly hair, and I have always had my curly hair out when I'm shooting. When I auditioned for this and I was doing my chemistry read as well, I had super long braids that I had done myself, so I was super proud of them and I wanted to keep them in for my initial audition. And then because I had them and I did the chemistry read, I was like, "I'm going to keep them in."

And slowly, I was thinking about it and I was like, "No, this makes sense." Especially when we started having the conversation around what Anika's look is kind of going for and what her vibe is and she's from New York and the Zoë Kravitz of it all. I think in the character breakdown too there was something that was like, "She's giving a little bit of an effortless New York City Zoë Kravitz kind of thing." And I was like, "Well, I think the braids might make sense."

And Jenny loved the idea, and I love Jenny down. I felt so like I was able to create this character, which is a really nice treat, especially when you have the same person that's written and created the world in the books handling the show. And she was like, "I love this idea."

So I was able to keep my braids and I loved it. I think it really fits. I think for a dancer on the go who's in college, it makes sense. Little Easter eggs, Anika was probably redoing her braids with Belly in their little dorm, semester in and semester out. We have some fun pictures actually from set from the hair and makeup trailer where Lola was helping me undo my braids [and] redo my braids with Krystia and Sid who were the amazing, amazing team behind my hair look. It was really nice to have braids on set, especially because we were shooting for such a long time. Braids will always be easier.

TV: What was your getting ready process like for the premiere event?

SB: I love premiere days. It was music and it felt like we were just getting ready for a night out with the girls. I wore Carolina Herrera, which I was so excited about. And Raz Martinez and Celine Azena, my very, very dear friends but also my amazing stylists, were like, "Maybe we do two looks." So we did that. I surprised everyone with a mid-premiere party outfit change, and we did a fun Jason Wu dress.

I wanted some green. I wanted some green to complement my blonde choice that I made. I also wore gorgeous jewelry. I was absolutely obsessed with the cuff choker, band choker. I adored the Carolina Herrera dress. That was a little bit outside of my comfort zone, not because I don't love dresses like that, but because I am such a city, gritty, brick wall girl. So it was really, really nice to kind of put that on and transform and celebrate in that.

TV: I'd love to know a little bit about your personal style. What are some pieces in your closet currently that you're obsessed with that you can't live without or that you love to wear often?

SB: Right now, I am obsessed with my Adidas Tokyos. I'm a person that plans out the outfit, and I'll leave it out to look at it and be like, “Ooh, we're going to eat tomorrow!”

I'm looking at them right now because I'm going to wear them today. They're black and lime green. They're my favorite shoes right now. They're very low to the ground, which I like because I'm a bit of a taller girl. I don't know why Google has me so short. They have me as 5'4", and I am in fact 5'9" — that's a little crazy of them. But I love these because I'm a walker. They're really comfortable, they're really cute, and I am obsessed with pops of color right now.

I love black all the time, maybe that's my New York shining through, but slowly I'm returning to colors, and more specifically really weird ways of doing it. So I'll do a really good Japanese indigo denim with a white tee, but then I will have my lime green shoes on. Or I'll have an all-denim Canadian tux, if you will, but I will do a little Blair Waldorf bright red headband or crazy chunky gold rings is a huge thing that I love to do. I have two of them on right now, but Justine Clenquet has been a huge, huge obsession of mine for a few years. They're so sweet. They always send me a bunch of fun stuff, and they are a great representation of the jewelry that I like. Very cool girl.

I'm very classic. I have my two gold chains that I never take off. One is my little Yankee pendant, and one has a bunch of random good luck emblems on them. So very simple, very New York coded.

Being a Finnish girl though, I do like to add elements of what Pinterest would call “Danish core.” I obviously would call it “Finnish core.” So I think that's where the pop of color comes in. I like to add in clogs or something super weird and adjacent to my Finnish culture. I love polka dots. Kind of like a gritty New York with a Finnish whimsy, I guess is what I would call it, with a very Harlem amount of jewelry on at all times since I am a Harlem girl through and through.

TV: Are there any summer trends you're loving right now?

SB: Something that's always my favorite summer trend, I don't think it's just this summer, is gloss. Whether it's hair gloss, lip gloss, too much sunscreen. Can you tell I'm traumatized? I love gloss.

Bread has one of my favorite hair glosses ever. I was religiously using that last summer when we were shooting because I had braids in, and I have braids again, and it's always what I reach for. It also smells so nostalgic. It smells like my grandma's hair cabinet or the medicine cabinet with all her hair products in it.

Ami Colé has one of my favorite, favorite lip glosses ever. It is so glassy. I love a gloss. I love any kind of gloss, a glossy car, a glossy nail! It's also just too hot to be wearing a bunch of stuff in the summertime, so a gloss will stay put, and paired with a little micro bikini, yeah, it's going to be a good day.

TV: With what the viewers know thus far, episode one and two, if Anika had to tell Belly to pick Jeremiah or Conrad, who do you think she would say?

SB: Anika, what she really would say is, "Do what your heart tells you." Right? That's what every good friend would say when they're like, "Ah, I don't want to make the choice for you." But I think she would also be like, "Hey, girl, maybe we just have fun right now." And I'd have her interpret that how she wants, whether it's, oh yeah, go on that trip with school or go find somebody else that you think is really cute. It's college. Go have fun. I myself as Sofia, aside from being team Belly first, I am team Conrad.

So interpret that how you will. But I think Anika would say, "Do you. Let's focus on you. You got a lot to do. You got a lot coming towards you, and you have so much more ahead, so let's not dwell on this one thing right now, even though it sucks."