Olivia Holt on Cruel Summer Kissing Scenes & '90s Playlists

Hi Olivia. Hi Jolie. We're excited to talk to you about cruel summer. So you're Kate in the show. What did you do when you found out that you got the part? Were you excited because of like the plot?

Oh, so excited. I am such a fan of thrillers. It's one of my favorite genres and I I remember reading before I got the part, I remember reading the first two episodes and just falling completely in love with every single aspect of the story from my character, my my character to all the other characters, to the plot, to the people I was going to be working with and I was so excited when I found out that I was going to be a part of this project because every layer to it is just so spectacular and I'm so excited.

And when you found out that it was filming in Dallas, were you excited to go to Texas?

I love Texas. Absolutely. I actually have spent a lot of time in Dallas. My best friend and um her family are from there. And so I've I've spent Thanksgiving with them a couple years ago there. So I actually in Dallas, so I actually knew a lot about the area. So I was excited to go back and live there for a little bit. It was interesting to be there during a pandemic because there wasn't really anything that we could do. But it was still fun to just be in that environment and and because this show is based in Texas, it it it it really helps because you know, there's a lot of the time where we'll be filming in an area that is in a completely like there the location just isn't the same in the in the project and this was. So it it worked and it was fun.

Were you able to see your best friend since she was there? Or was she not there?

Um, she wasn't she wasn't there. Her family was there but um, no, because of the pandemic, it was just important for all of us to, you know, stay stay social distance and um to be safe and healthy through it all. So no, but it was still still really fun to be there and to know that they were right down the street.

Yeah. And mixing kind of your personal Olivia life mixed with Kate. If Kate were to write a song about the series, what do you think the title would be called and what do you think like would inspire the song?

That's such a good question. I I ooh the title of the song I hate to think Kate would write it. Like what Kate like writes a song about her like what she's going through or do you think she'd write it about? Probably. Probably. And it honestly, it would probably be like a really sad E-girl song. Like I don't think I don't think that it would be just because but you know, she's like she she she's going through a lot and I think right I don't yeah, I think there's a lot yeah, I think that it would be a really sad song. I don't know what it would be called though. That's such a good question. I yeah, I have no idea.

Think about it.

I'm going to no I'm going to I'm I'm going to literally be on my mind all day.

Yeah. And how do you prep for your kissing scenes? Do you have any certain ritual that you do?

Um, no, because they're always so awkward and there's like it's just it's so mechanical and there's like a hundred crew members just watching you do it. It's just so strange. Um, there's no ritual. I always try and be polite and make sure that my breath at least smells good and I don't eat something terrible for lunch. That's I I always try and be like the nice person when it comes to that. Um, But some people aren't. Some people are like, yeah, I just ate a hot dog for lunch. Like let's let's make out. So no, I don't have any rituals because it's just it's just like let's just get it over with.

It's awkward? Like Yeah.

Yeah, that has to be so awkward. Yeah, it I mean some people may not find it awkward but I it's then it depends like in the show, um, Frey and I had to kiss and he's such an awesome guy and we have such a great relationship and our friendship is like and it's just it's it's an it's uncomfortable in the way that like you're like, oh we're like, we're like friends. So this is weird. But it's yeah, no, it's just it's just strange altogether that we have to that we have to do that but um, no, no rituals for me.

Sitting back so say you watched the series as a fan, like you weren't in it, like you're not Kate. Who what would you assume happened to Kate? Like who's side would you take? What would you think would happen?

You know, I think that this is like what's so interesting about our show is you as an audience member you really you you you go back and forth and you question your own opinion and your own belief and um, for me, I don't I don't think I think I would go back and forth. I think I would struggle with the ideas Kate's telling the truth or is Janette telling the truth and if I didn't know what the trajectory of the show looked like I would really have a struggle with my opinion and I I love that. I love like Yeah. watching a show where in each episode you're like, oh this is going to happen. And then the next episode you're like, I was so wrong. And that's just so and then and then you get to come up with new theories and it makes for great conversation with the people that you're watching it with but it's also just so captivating and riveting in so many ways and yeah, and I I think just the questioning of who the victim and who the villain are is really the theme of this show.

What back to kind of Kate and music in your personal life. What type of music do you think Kate would listen to? Because like it's in like 1993, 94, 95. So what type of like vibe and music do you think she would like?

I think each yeah, I think each year would be very different. Um, I I think there's a lot of no doubt in there though, because I feel like that's very much in her alley. Um, and it's it's really cool. We actually our onset writer, Heather Rob created a Spotify playlist for each year. And songs in the 90s that came out in every single year. And she would have that playlist on all day long on set. And so it really put us in the headspace uh and mindset there. But that's so fun. So fun. But yeah, I think a lot of no doubt, um, a lot of the cranberries. She actually listens to them too in in the show. But yeah, I think it would just be different for each year. Totally.

Well, thank you so much Olivia for talking to us and congrats on another project.

Thanks Julie. I appreciate it.