Vanderbilt Programming Board hosted actor Gavin Casalegno, best known for his role as Jeremiah Fisher in the hit TV series “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” for their fall 2025 speaker event at Langford Auditorium on Nov. 10. Casalegno was interviewed by communications professor Max Dosser about his career, creative process and dealing with rejection in Hollywood.
Dosser began the event by asking Casalegno about how his acting career began. Casalegno told the audience he began modeling as a toddler and acting at 4-years-old. At 10, he almost quit acting because of multiple rejections but learned how to push forward.
“You kind of eat rejection for breakfast every day,” Casalegno said. “You have to be okay with being rejected and not knowing why. It could be anything from the color of your shirt or your acting.”
Casalegno said that the early setbacks he faced taught him how to separate his self-worth from his work. He emphasized that success in the entertainment industry is not as glamorous as it may seem and requires resilience and perseverance.
“Get excited for the doors that close because it really just means that the door for you is coming,” Casalegno said.
Dosser then asked Casalegno about his breakout role portraying a younger version of Damon Salvatore in the TV series “The Vampire Diaries.” Casalegno said that despite obtaining this and other roles where he worked with incredible actors, he almost gave up on acting until he read the script for “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” He felt that his personality aligned with Fisher’s character and submitted an audition tape for the role around 2:30 a.m.
“I was quickly called back for a chemistry read. I booked the role soon after, and the rest was history,” Casalegno said.
Casalegno said that it is often difficult to separate his personal feelings from those he must portray as Fisher, especially if they are not similar.
“I could be having a bad day, and Jeremiah is having a good day,” Casalegno said. “It’s so hard to cry for the 40th time in a row. In real life, you don’t plan on your feelings or how you will speak.”
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” released its last episode on Sept. 17, after three seasons. Casalegno said he is still processing being part of an incredibly popular TV show, adding that he loved how viewers would gather with their friends every Wednesday to watch each new episode.
“[The show] brought community and people together. I’m so glad I got to be a part of what brought people together,” Casalegno said.
Casalegno said that despite many viewers being against Fisher’s character, he thinks it is okay to make mistakes as you grow up. He said he hopes to continue working on projects that align with his personal beliefs and goals in the future and praised Han’s involvement in the TV series and focus on diversity and inclusion.
“I would love for all my projects to be meaningful and make the world a better place,” Casalegno said. “I’d rather be a part of the change.”
Casalegno verified that he doesn’t have the script or schedule yet but is excited to see what’s in store for his character in the upcoming “The Summer I Turned Pretty” movie, for which an official release date has not yet been announced.
Sophomore Cricket Sevener, who attended the event, said she was inspired and motivated by Casalegno’s story.
“Honestly, listening to Gavin Casalegno was the highlight of my week. Because I am a sophomore transfer student, I really value such unique opportunities like these here at Vanderbilt,” Sevener said. “Gavin was an inspiring speaker, and I still can’t believe I just witnessed Jeremiah in my presence.”
Sophomore Shakthi Krishna said she appreciated Casalegno’s message on staying true to your identity and maintaining work-life balance.
“I really enjoyed hearing his advice for students interested in the creative arts because he urged that they separate their work from their identity, especially because it can become easy to merge the two,” Krishna said. “I especially resonated with his advice to do work that fulfills you and live a life that is filled by multiple things, not just work.”
