The Summer I Turned Pretty's Elsie Fisher explains why it was "important" for Skye to be nonbinary

24 July 2023, 17:37

Elsie Fisher joins The Summer I Turned Pretty cast

By Sam Prance

"It felt important to tell a story that didn’t feel forced and, I think, feels very true to how life works out."

Loading audio...

Elsie Fisher has opened up about playing The Summer I Turned Pretty's first nonbinary character and what it means to them.

The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 introduces fans to a brand new character named Skye who was written specifically for the show. Played by Golden Globe nominee Elsie Fisher, Skye is Conrad and Jeremiah's estranged and introverted cousin.

Skye also happens to be nonbinary and fans have praised the show for its genderqueer representation. For example, Skye casually corrects people who misuse their pronouns and they have boundaries that they make clear like not doing hugs.

Now, Elsie has revealed that they worked "closely" with creator Jenny Han to develop Skye's character in a realistic way.

The Summer I Turned Pretty&squot;s Elsie Fisher explains why it was "important" for Skye to be nonbinary — The Summer I Turned Pretty's Elsie Fisher explains why it was "important" for Skye to be nonbinary. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images, Prime Video

Speaking to the LA Times about playing Skye, Elsie said: "I found this a really fun opportunity to [play] a character that could so easily fall into many conventions because Skye on paper could be a total stereotypical nerd, and there’s also the fact that they’re nonbinary and I think it would be really easy for that to become tokenisation."

Explaining why Skye's gender identity is so important, Elsie added: "For me, Skye being nonbinary felt important because I think trans people in general, but specifically people who don’t fit into ‘male’ or ‘female,’ can be portrayed as very ‘other than’ and don’t always have those happy endings or any sort of connection to others."

As it stands, Elsie hasn't publicly discussed their own gender identity or what pronouns they personally use. However, their castmates have referred to them with they/them pronouns in videos and interviews promoting the show.