David Iacono Got Majorly Pranked on His Last Day on "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Set

In our Q&A series "POPSUGAR Crush," we get to know some of our favorite celebs' more intimate details — from their first celebrity crush to the best love advice they've ever received. This month, we're crushing on "The Summer I Turned Pretty" star David Iacono.

In "The Summer I Turned Pretty," David Iacono has a pretty tough job. The show — based on the series of novels by "To All The Boys I Loved Before" author Jenny Han — focuses on Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), a teenage girl who spends every summer with her mom and brother at her mom's best friend Susannah's beach house. Belly loves everything at Cousins Beach, especially Susannah's two sons. There's Conrad (Nicholas Briney) — the classic misunderstood heartthrob whom Belly's had a crush on since before she could remember — and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalengo), one of Belly's best friends.

Then, there's Iacono's Cam. Cam is a guy Belly knows from middle school, and he's definitely the underdog to win Belly's heart — but he makes a strong case for why she should give him a chance. Iacono makes you root for Cam, who, in his own words, is a little "goofy" and sometimes serves as the comic relief. Iacono was excited to step into a light-hearted role. "He's written to almost be a little bit bumbly," Iacono tells POPSUGAR. "At the same time, he makes it work. [He] pulls it off really well, just because he is so authentically himself and genuine with people."

The show filmed in the summer of 2021 at a beach in Wilmington, NC. "I loved that experience so much," Iacono says. "I got so many good memories. It feels so great to be a part of something, where it's just so much bigger than you."

Iacono is a New York City kid (he and Tung actually went to high school together at Manhattan's LaGuardia High School, aka the "Fame" high school), so he was more familiar with summer days spent on the beach in Rockaway and Breezy Point than he was with the beach towns that inspired "The Summer I Turned Pretty." But he does have experiences that are similar to Belly's.

"I used to go to Florida every summer for a couple weeks to visit my cousin. Every summer, we would go back, and it would immediately click back together, like no time had passed," he explains. "Being able to just completely, immediately pick back up where you left off, even though almost an entire year has passed — there's just something so comforting about that. I think the show captures that really well."

Iacono says that despite the show's large, young cast, there weren't a ton of pranks on set, because they didn't want to get in trouble — although he was the victim of one on his very last day of filming. The prank was orchestrated by Briney, and it took a lot of coordination. Iacono was filming his last scene in Belly's backyard. The director asked for one last take. "I didn't think anything of it," he recalls. A wardrobe person came over and told him to take his phone out of his pocket. "And then the sound people came up to me. They're like, 'So, we're just going to get the sound on the boom. We don't need you to be mic for this.' I was like, 'Cool. No problem.' They took the mic off," he says.

Then, the director, Erica Dunton, came over. "She was like, 'David, for this last shot, because I have the angle set up, we just need you to walk a little bit closer to the pool.' I was like, 'Cool. No problem,'" he says. "She goes, 'Action.' I'm walking into the scene. And then out of nowhere, Chris, who's ducking in the corner of the backyard, screams at me and yells my name," he says. "[He] tackles me into the pool with all of my clothes on. And then when I came above the water, Erica goes, 'That's a wrap on David.' It was one of my favorite memories of the whole show. It made me so happy. I wasn't even mad. It's such a core memory."

Viewers might recognize Iacono from another huge show: "The Flight Attendant." He plays Eli, the son of Rosie Perez's Megan. Working with Perez was a dream come true. "She is a legend. My favorite movie of all time is 'Do the Right Thing,'" he says. "So when I found out that she was playing my mother, I lost it. And then I was obviously a little nervous, just because she's such an icon. And then I got there, and she was so sweet to me." His mom and Rosie became friends, and he jokes that she's a little bit like a second mom to him.

"She's also no nonsense and all," he says. "I definitely learned a lot from her, because she's been in the business for so long. She knows the ins and outs of the entire acting process on camera, specifically. I just felt so grateful to be around a person that had been in it for so long." He credits Perez with teaching him that it's OK to advocate for himself on set.

All seven episodes of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" will be released on Prime Video on June 17. Check out the rest of Iacono's "POPSUGAR Crush" interview ahead.

Favorite pickup line:

I think it's mad funny to mess up a pickup line. That is the way I would approach it. Be like "Yo, did you fall from heaven, because you're the only 10 I see?" And then she's like, "What?" And then you're like "Yeah, I messed it up. But hi, I'm David." Either that or "How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice. Hi, I'm David."

Favorite flirtatious emoji:

The blushing emoji with the little hearts around it. 🥰

Signature scent:

I'm not a big cologne dude. The only time I ever usually really wear cologne is for special occasions, if it's a big event or something or a party. I just stick to deodorant. My mom recently bought me one of the Tom Ford colognes. I think that was pretty cool. I grew up using this Adidas cologne, which is pretty random, but it really does the thing. I don't think you have to spend crazy money on cologne.

Favorite workout move:

I'm not a gym rat. I do pushups. It gets the job done.

Dogs or cats?

This is controversial. I'm a cat person at heart, just because I grew up with a cat. I have a dog now. He's a good friend of mine, and he knows that — but I'm a cat person.

What's your coffee/tea order?

I don't drink either. I like Sprite.

What would your dating profile say about you?

I had a Tinder a little while ago. I don't use it at all anymore. But I think my bio on Tinder was like "Wait, this isn't cool math games?" I thought that was funny. I do not like dating apps. They creep me out.

Most memorable fan encounter?

I was walking down the street — I think I was in downtown Brooklyn. I was just listening to music. This dude . . . pointed at me and said something. I didn't hear it, so I took out my headphones. I'm like "Oh, I'm sorry." He was like, "Flight Attendant." He was like, "Good job." I was like, "Thank you." And then he walked away. It was pretty short and sweet, but he made my day.

Go-to movie-night movie?

Right now, I'm going to say "Booksmart."

Best love advice?

It's basic and a little bit cliché, but it really resonates with me. They touch on it in the show, too. I just think it's really important to fully actually love yourself before you try and love someone else.

Best trip you've been on?

I went to Atlanta recently. I lived there for a month alone. I travel a lot alone, but this was the longest I feel like I had really been without any friends or anything or any family. I was working every day in Atlanta on this movie. I was just really happy to be there. The city became my second favorite city I've ever been to, because I'm from New York. You just start with such a high expectation for cities.

Favorite thing to cook?

I'll make a mean PB&J. I'm 19 years old. I don't need to eat healthy.

Getting dressed up or wearing comfy clothes?

Definitely comfy clothes. I'm a big hoodie guy.