“Dead of Summer” is quickly becoming this summer’s must see thriller series on Freeform! This past week the episode was centered around Cricket, who’s played by Amber Coney. I had the great opportunity of speaking to Amber who is just as bubbly and friendly as Cricket is on the show! She told us all about her character, the show, and of course her life! She even had some great advice for her fans, so check it out below!
(Freeform/Tyler Shields)
So the last episode that aired this past Tuesday was about your character, Cricket. What were you most excited for people to learn about her?
I want to say it was really challenging backstory in terms of insecurity, and it’s a really vulnerable place to be, and I feel like that was the main thing I wanted people to see was kinda the raw place that Cricket was coming from because you see certain behaviors and desires manifest in the present day, and it’s like where exactly is that coming from? And honestly, she experiences pretty traumatic events prior to coming to Camp Stillwater in terms of witnessing her father cheating on her mother, and being intimate for the first time with a guy who totally ends up just rejecting her in a really harsh way. So yeah, I was excited for people to see kinda the not so happy past under this façade that is Cricket.
That’s awesome. And you know, I did see the episode and there was something I didn’t seem to catch and that was why the nickname Cricket? Because your actual character’s name is Carolina…
(laughs) Oh I know I’ve been reading some things that everyone’s like “No one explained why her name is Cricket.” So it’s not explained in the episode but basically it’s because I’m chirpy, because I like to talk a lot and have that kind of like chirpy personality. I personally made up a backstory where I got the nickname at camp and there were so many crickets chirping around and they were so talkative, Alex just decided to dub me Cricket because I’m just as talkative as they were that night, and obviously since I have a crush on him I totally just own the nickname. (laughs) That was my story! But no you don’t really even learn in the series where that nickname comes from. But actually somebody told me that is a general nickname for Carolina.
Oh really? That’s interesting!
Yeah I didn’t know that! Maybe they were just trying to make it make sense for me.
I think it’s funny because if it is based on a camp nickname, you’re the only one left who keeps their camp nickname.
Right! That’s what I’m saying, it makes sense to the character too. I hold on to it because it’s like the thing I’m latching onto that makes me feel a part of everybody.
Speaking of Alex, there seems to be a lot of love triangles in the show, almost like a web. Do you have any clue as to who will end up together at the end of the season, or are you rooting for any of the couple?
I’m just rooting for everyone to stay alive at this point. I don’t really care about romance. (laughs Seriously! But that’s the thing, with all the crazy events happening, people are going to latch onto each other in ways that you might not expect. And obviously the Alex thing goes back a long way. The episode ends and it’s not like my feelings for him completely vanish, it’s just that I am able to garner some new found strength and not settle for less than I really deserve. So yeah there’s a lot of history going into some of these romances, like Jessie and Garrett and that whole jealousy thing. Yeah well we’ll see, I mean it’s summer camp so anything goes. I feel like, young people end up having different permutations throughout the summer of who exactly they want to be with, so it could all just change. It’s like school. I was just thinking about that, I was like, it’s so weird how every year like junior high or high school you’re allowed to have your new crush, or every semester you like a new guy, you know?
Well on the show, Blair is your best friend and partner in crime. Do you have a real life Blair?
Mark is my real life Blair! (laughs) Being out here in Vancouver, he’s amazing! But yeah, I have like a handful of really really close friends who just know everything about me and have my back. My roommate, Brittney, my best friend, Alice, my best friend, Bre, they all are just wonderful! I have a lot of really close best friends who act as that whenever I’m with them.
That’s so great, we all need that in our lives!
Oh totally! It’s essential!
So I actually had the opportunity to interview Mark a few weeks ago. He told us about how Alberto liked to prank hint on set. Do you have any funny stories or favorite memories from the set?
The one that I always tell people about, cause it was so hilarious, is when we were just like in the cast cabin deliriously doing this face swap filter on snapchat. And I posted some of the photos on twitter the other day because some of the fans were asking for it, and we literally look so deranged. It was just like the wee hours of the night and we had all been working for a while and we were just hysterical at this, at our faces interchanged, it was so funny! We still do it! Like yesterday I did it with Mark and we were just like “OH who are they!?” “Who is that!?” (laughs) It’s hilarious!
That’s hilarious! Well, last but not least is there any advice you’d like to share with your fans?
Totally! I mean that’s such a hard question because there are so many things I want to say to encourage them I know being on the show has been very eye opening because it’s been a very free environment where I’ve been able to express myself and really work on my artistry and that is what I’ve been putting out there and have been imagining that possibility for ages! I mean this is my first TV series, so that’s exactly what I wanted for my first TV series and basically what I would suggest coming from that story is: don’t limit your thinking and don’t think that what you desire and the dreams that you have- don’t think that that’s not possible because it really is and the more you imagine those circumstances to come flourish in your life the more they can be created in the way that you always hoped for. I guess that’s kind of where I’m at in terms of my dreams coming to a realization. I just want to share that. It’s not just some hokey thing saying that your dreams can happen because they can. And if you put in the work and if you have unlimited thinking and see the potential in your life then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get what you want.
(Freeform/ Katie Yu)
Not only was Amber such a fun person to speak to, but she was just as inspiring as ever! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to speak to her and I hope you enjoyed hearing what she had to say. If you want to see even more Amber, make sure to tune into “Dead of Summer” on Freeform every Tuesday at 8/9C!
