New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Like her onscreen character Jeanette Turner in teen drama thriller series "Cruel Summer", actor Chiara Aurelia says she also faces challenges in real life to conform to social norms but strives to be honest to herself.

Aurelia plays Jeanette, a high school nerd with childlike wonder who transforms into the most popular girl, seemingly taking over the life of Kate Wallis (played by Olivia Holt), after her disappearance.

Upon her return, Kate claims Jeanette stole her 'perfect' life.

"There's pressure from society in all directions to look, act, and carry yourself a certain way. That's a big part of our culture and society today, not a part that I like. I try to be honest and be myself in the best way I can be, but it's hard sometimes," Aurelia told PTI in an interview over Zoom.

"There's a lot of pressure and very high standards of what a young woman today in our society should be. I think a lot of us can feel overwhelmed or stressed by the expectations of the world around us," the 18-year-old added.

Created by Bert V Royal, each episode of "Cruel Summer" focuses on the same day over the course of three years: 1993, 1994 and 1995. Episodes alternate between Jeanette and Kate's viewpoint to keep the viewer guessing about who is telling the truth.

Aurelia, whose credits also include films like "Gerald's Game" and "Fear Street Part Two: 1978", said her high school experience was quite a bit different than Jeanette's.

"She is going on her own journey throughout the course of the series and there's a lot of transformation which I can definitely relate to. I think I have changed a lot in the last couple of years and especially during high school."

But there is a huge emotional transformation for Jeanette, which is reflected in her overt self as she starts getting conscious about her looks, she added.

"When you see her originally in 1993, you find her as a more naive, excited young girl with such childlike wonder for the world. You see a year go by and she's kind of pressured herself to be what a teenage girl is supposed to be with this beautiful boyfriend and all these 'cool friends'.

"There's definitely social pressure for her to have that kind of transformation. The first way she starts to do that is more physically - getting a straightening iron, trying on new clothes, and putting on makeup. I think that's all part of the transformation that's going on inside."

Aurelia said playing this character gave her the opportunity to go on "so many journeys" over the course of the three years in the story.

"Being able to show that a young woman can go through so many different experiences and be more than just one layer of what someone should be was something exciting to me as a young actress."

Executive produced by Hollywood star Jessica Biel and her work partner Michelle Purple, "Cruel Summer" is set to start streaming on Amazon Prime Video in India and worldwide, except the US and Canada, from August 6. PTI RDS

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