Freeform's psychological thriller, executive produced by Jessica Biel, debuts April 20.
Sarah Drew is turning heads.
Executive produced by Jessica Biel, Cruel Summer follows two young women, Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), the popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing, and Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate’s disappearance. All signs point to Jeanette’s guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be? Set over three summers in the 1990s and told through shifting points of view, the psychological thriller challenges perception and follows how one girl can go from being a sweet outlier to the most despised person in America.
The Grey's Anatomy alum plays Jeanette's mother, Cindy. Once the most popular girl in town, Cindy struggles to hold her family together while at the center of the town's gossip. "Sarah Drew's wild talent and beautiful soul are what makes her an easy casting choice for any role, but her versatility and capacity to bring out the weird in a character made her the perfect Cindy Turner," executive producer and showrunner Tia Napolitano exclusively tells ET.
“As an EP on Cruel Summer, one of the really exciting things for me was to pull from my personal experiences over the years so I could be a support to this brilliant cast as they bring some of the intense, hard things that teenagers can go through to screen," Biel exclusively tells ET. "Michelle [Purple] and I formed Iron Ocean Productions with the mission to create original content that enhances strong female voices and, with Olivia and Chiara as our Kate and Jeanette, this was the perfect addition to our slate. We can't wait for audiences to see this show!”
ET exclusively premieres the first photos of Drew on Cruel Summer, as she and her daughter attend a workout class.
In the first photo, Jeanette doesn't look too pleased, while Cindy can't help but show off her pearly whites. The second image shows mother and daughter letting off some steam with some serious dance moves.
Joining Holt and Aurelia in the main cast are Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, Michael Landes, Brooklyn Sudano and Nathaniel Ashton.
Cruel Summer premieres Tuesday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT with a two-hour event on Freeform.
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