Christopher Briney: ‘It’s hard to wear your heart on your sleeve’

It’s an intense day for Christopher Briney. We are speaking on the day of The Summer I Turned Pretty’s grand finale, and the actor’s face is filling up social media feeds around the world. There is a flood of thirsty fancams, memes, and spoiler-rich clips ripped straight from the stream. Even if you’re not into the show, it’s been difficult to avoid the discourse – people really care about it, to the point where Amazon had to urge fans not to threaten cast members. The question that’s been driving them to distraction is finally answered today: will Belly choose Jeremiah, her ex-boyfriend of four years? Will she choose his brother, her moody first love Conrad (played by Briney)? Or will she choose herself, finally decentre men, and just enjoy her new life in Paris? 

Briney seems to be taking the surge of attention in stride. The 27-year-old actor has spent the last week on the frows of NYFW’s biggest shows – from COS to Calvin Klein – and at most of the season’s parties. Online, fans pore over every outfit, hailing him as a new Leonardo DiCaprio. When we speak over Zoom, the day after NYFW closes, he has somehow made it to Paris: hair tousled, eyes tired, but still buzzing with energy. “Paris is beautiful right now,” he says warmly, his eyes drifting over to the window. Has the internet caught up with him yet? “There are quite a few people in front of the hotel,” he admits. “But it’s OK.” 

You are everywhere at the moment. How has this experience, and all this attention, been for you?

Christopher Briney: The scale this time around is something that I’ve not experienced. It’s definitely consuming, that’s for sure. I really try not to spend time online or on social media, so I’m super out of the loop, which I feel grateful for. But even so, it’s hard to avoid. It’s cool in a lot of ways – I’m stoked that people are enjoying the show and there’s discourse around it, but I try and stay out of it. I do my job. Let people enjoy it. Let people take what they want from it. 

Do you have ways of staying grounded, for when it gets too intense? 

Christopher Briney: I just have a really good community, which helps me a lot. Almost all of my friends at home, and my two roommates, are just people I’ve known for forever, and we’re all just trying to do this grind that is acting. I’m very aware of how fleeting jobs can be. So I’m grateful, but I try not to take anything for granted.

You did an off-Broadway play earlier this year, Dilaria. How was that experience?

Christopher Briney: It was wonderful. It really felt like we were just creating what we wanted to make, working with the director, and spitballing for a month of rehearsals. The approach was not to make something we thought people were going to like. It was more about making something we thought was cool and interesting, and we wanted people to have opinions about it. Some people liked it a lot, and it wasn’t others’ cup of tea. I had a really good time doing it. 

What were you like at school? Were you a theatre kid?

Christopher Briney: I was a theatre kid at school. There’s plenty of cringy evidence of that online, I’m sure. I went to a school that encouraged kids to get involved in the arts, which I’m really grateful for. I’ve always been pretty shy, but I came out of my shell a little more [in college]. But yeah, I did a lot of plays in high school, and it was probably poor work, but I had fun doing it.

Would you say you were a nerd?

Christopher Briney: I would call myself a little nerdy. I mean, I’m not the most bookish person, but I would call myself geeky, like I was always into computers, video games and theatre – those things do not make the coolest person in the world, but I was never too pressed about it.

What was the book or film that changed everything for you?

Christopher Briney: Whiplash was probably one of the first independent films that I saw. It helped that it was getting Oscar buzz, but it was right around that same time that I got really into video production and acting at school. It’s sort of a film bro cliché, but whatever. I think it’s warranted; it’s a really good movie.

People can be really fucking mean. I don’t really think there’s a place for that

So what about Conrad and The Summer I Turned Pretty? You’ve been playing this character for over three years, and now the show has finally ended. What have you learned about yourself through playing him?

Christopher Briney: I’ve learned a lot about myself as an actor. I’ve learned how to manage myself in different situations, on different days – like, if you’re having a really rough day, you still have to go in and give your best performance. We’ve probably worked hundreds of days on the show, and it can be hard. There can be rough days and things can come less easily, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot about my limits, about how to preserve my energy, how to stay myself in all of it.

Has playing someone that moody – who has gone through grief and therapy – made you think about how you handle your own emotions? 

Christopher Briney: He has really had quite an arc – the place you meet him in the first season is quite different from where the show leaves him, and I think it’s been exciting to play someone who understands the need to grow up and to learn about yourself. It has encouraged that in my own life – I was in therapy before he was, and then out of therapy, and then back into therapy, but I feel like I get to drag him up with me, as I learn.

I feel like audiences now are extremely judgmental and reactionary when they watch the show – there seems to be very little empathy for these characters, which must be quite tough for you.

Christopher Briney: People can be loud about decisions characters make that they may not agree with, but I hope we don’t lose the art of that being the point. So, OK, this character’s actions frustrated you – why? Maybe it was a choice, by the artist behind it, to induce emotion? Why does that frustrate you so much? Part of watching and enjoying something is that you get to experience these things with them. Some of the best movies I’ve ever seen leave you so unhappy, unsatisfied and sad. Sometimes that’s what good art does: it really upsets you.

Why do you think this story, and Conrad, are resonating so much with audiences? Have you considered it much?

Christopher Briney: Some people have identified with Conrad’s struggle with anxiety. I’m glad we’ve seen this character experience panic attacks on screen. I think it's cool to see a younger person going through that and not really being judged by the people around them, you know? I’d like to think that there’s something honest about him, and people are maybe drawn to honesty. By the end of the season, he was unapologetic about his feelings, and I think it’s admirable to be like, ‘this is how I feel, and you can respond however you want.’ It’s hard to do that; it’s hard to wear your heart on your sleeve.

There are a lot of fancams out there, which have cast you as a new poster boy for ‘yearning’. Do you identify as a yearner?

Christopher Briney: I think I’m a romantic in my life. I’ve been with my girlfriend for four years, and I like the romance of it. I don’t know how much yearning I do these days.

Are you seeing much of this online attention? What’s your relationship like with social media? Are you just steering clear of it?

Christopher Briney: Yeah, as much as I can. I just found it’s not really helpful to me. It’s nice to have a platform, to be able to reach people easily, but at the same time, it's impossible to be on that and avoid people’s opinions. People should have opinions, but if you listen to the good stuff, you have to listen to bad stuff, and people can be really fucking mean. I don’t really think there’s a place for that. Maybe it’s me, but the bad stuff hits so much harder than the good stuff, even if it's outnumbered. I don’t find that helpful to the process of anything.

What's next for you? Are there any dream directors you’d love to work with in the future?

Christopher Briney: Celine Song is so good. I liked Materialists. I thought the writing was brilliant. Joachim Trier has put out some absolutely incredible movies, and I’m excited to see his newest. Oh man, the list goes on and on. And if Paul Schrader makes another movie… 

The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Amazon now

Stylist Daniela Romero, stylist assistant Alexa Gabriel, grooming Melissa DeZarate