Who Plays Benito in The Summer I Turned Pretty?
Benito isn’t some background blur or minor love interest. The role belongs to Fernando Cattori, the young Mexican actor and director whose star is rising faster than Belly’s heart rate after reading Conrad’s letters. Cattori first caught attention playing Gerardo in Netflix’s Untamed Royals in 2024, then Carlos Joven in the Prime Video rom-com With You in the Future, not to mention co-starring in festival circuit favorites like Ceremonia and The Liberation.
If you’re wondering how a guy with such a cinematic résumé ended up in a big American streaming hit, it all comes back to his ability to move between genres, languages, and moods. And, I admit, he’s the kind of actor who can make pining look profound and washing dishes in a cramped Paris apartment look like art.
Who Is Benito in The Summer I Turned Pretty?
Benito is Belly’s Paris connection, the guy she meets while leaping overseas, juggling odd jobs and clashing with roommates who could rival the Fisher boys for complicated emotions. Unlike Conrad or Jeremiah, Benito doesn’t carry years’ worth of summer baggage; he’s the flirtatious wildcard who gives Belly permission to grow, change, and maybe even fall in love outside Cousins Beach.
His English is careful, his humor is thoughtful, and there’s a realness to his outsider status for once. Belly’s the foreigner, and Benito’s the guy ready to show her the ropes (or maybe just where the best boulangerie is). Fans seem split on whether Benito is a long-term “ship,” but he’s definitely more than just a plot device. Season 3 lets us see Belly trying to build a life, awkward moments, job drama, misfit apartment where Benito is as much a part of her Paris world as croissants and cultural confusion.
Where Is Benito From TSITP?
If Benito brings a sense of romantic possibility to Belly’s Paris, that’s coming straight from Fernando Cattori’s own background as a Mexico City native with a fast-expanding artistic career. Cattori isn’t just about actinghe’s a director, Latin Grammy-nominated filmmaker for the music short Nacimos Llorando, and the creative force behind a massive ad campaign in Mexico for Cerveza Victoria .
Sometimes actors show up and seem baffled by the camera; Cattori has spent years on both sides, trained at NYFA, Yale Drama School, and CasaAzul, gathering all the creative tools you could want for a role that asks for a lot of emotional subtlety in a language that isn’t his first.
Benito feels real partly because Cattori himself has had to make big leaps, figure out new cities, speak new languages, and create his future somewhere unfamiliar. It’s hard not to root for that energy, even if Benito’s storyline is limited to a late-breaking arc in Belly’s Paris life.
Does Belly End Up With Conrad in TSITP?
Here’s the million-dollar question: Does Belly actually end up with Conrad (Chris Briney) in The Summer I Turned Pretty? As of now, the TV show has not fully confirmed that Belly ends up with Conrad. In the Prime Video show, especially Season 3’s twisty run, Belly finds a new rhythm in Paris thanks to Benito, learning to stand on her own and making choices that surprise even herself.
However, the finale sets up a classic Jenny Han love triangle scenario: Belly, having finally come into her own, chooses to extend her Paris stay solo, emotionally independent, and, for once, not glued to a boyfriend’s agenda. Just as she’s celebrating her new haircut and personal growth, Conrad hops on a plane, inspired by Belly’s postcard and his own stack of heartfelt letters.
@bellyconradpr shared on Twitter that Belly and Conrad’s journey has come full circle after past struggles. This summer marks a fresh start where both are ready to begin again and finally make it work.
Unlike Han’s book “We’ll Always Have Summer,” where the reunion waits until Paris is just a memory, the series brings Conrad and Belly back together sooner. Han herself admitted to Entertainment Weekly that the adaptation tweaks the timeline, promising “surprises” and a “satisfying” ending for all sides. It’s not “love, forever, the end,” it’s messier, more resilient, and, frankly, it feels a bit more like real life.
