With the final season of Hulu’s The Hardy Boys right around the corner, fans are eager to see how all the mysteries of Bridgeport will wrap up for Frank (Rohan Campbell), Joe (Alexander Elliot) and all their friends. For stars Keana Lyn Bastidas and Krista Nazaire, they’re eager for fans to experience just how much Callie and Belinda have grown since we first met them back in Seasons 1 and 2, respectively.

In this on-set interview from December 2022 with Collider’s Arezou Amin, Bastidas and Nazaire talk about Callie and Belinda’s journeys in Season 3 and the biggest challenges of making the final season. They also talked about diving into ’80s and ’90s fashion and teased what they want viewers to take away from the series.

COLLIDER: What can the two of you tease about Callie and Belinda’s story this season, about their journey?

KEANA LYN BASTIDAS: Good question. I think what’s really lovely about Callie and Belinda this season is you really get to see the girls take strides on their own. They’re really, you know, for the friend group, but Callie does take off on her own at the beginning of the season. So, you know, she’s obviously dealing with her breakup with Frank. So she’s just going through it a bit, but then once she gets rekindled back with the group, Belinda is right there for her as is the rest of the team. So I think it’s really nice to see that friendship sort of like blossom into what it is.

KRISTA NAZAIRE: Yeah, we get to see a bit of more of the camaraderie between the gals, and how much they ride for each other. The whole gang, actually. What’s nice about Belinda is that she never really had roots. She never really had friends that she could be there for consistently since she was always moving. So it’s nice to see that she’s really down for them because these people are her forever-friends.

BASTIDAS: I think because they’ve been through so much together there’s just going to be that underlying bond, and that’s how we treat each other as cast anyways because this whole filming process is something that only we will ever understand, and then you get that directly through our characters as well.

So would you say that process, and that camaraderie, has been the most fun part of filming?

NAZAIRE: It’s almost like parallels because this group was so close when I joined. Belinda was the new kid in town, and then I was as well, and they really did welcome me with open arms, and we really are protectors for each other. We really do love each other on and off screen.

BASTIDAS: Yeah, we’re big fans of one another. I think the same thing with Bailee [Madison] joining us this season. We welcomed her the same way, and she’s just been part of the group. I was talking to her the other day, and I was like, “It feels like you’ve been here since Season 1 actually.” And she laughed. She’s like, “I feel like I’ve been here since Season 1.”

Image via Hulu

So that was the most fun, now to the most challenging. What would you say in the last three seasons has been the most challenging part of it all?

BASTIDAS: I would have to say honestly… So this is a take on because of how close we are, sometimes it’s difficult to drop into Scene sometimes if you have to do something really serious with one another because you’re just goofing off a moment before.

NAZAIRE: I’d also say the Hardy Boys is so technical. And what was interesting about last season is that, although there’s a lot of teenage angst and so many different little things that teenagers go through, there was a lot of very serious tropes in the second season, as well as the third season. For the audience, but also for us, there’s a lot to how you have to pay attention throughout all the seasons, there’s a lot of bits and pieces of puzzle pieces that you have to fit together. So it’s a lot of knowing what we’re talking about, following the story, understanding why this is like that. Especially with the third season coming to a close, everything is interconnected.

So in prepping for this, you know, we’re in the ‘80s in the show. So what was your favorite part? Like, what really jumped out at you when it came time to like prep for being in the headspace of an ‘80s teenager?

BASTIDAS: I’d love to say that I’ve always been sort of a thrifty-type person. Like I love hand-me-downs and secondhand clothing, and even like knickknacks and whatnot. So jumping onto the set and feeling my character in her wardrobe, and just knowing that these were like a lot of vintage finds and have belonged to other people before, I think that whole sort of character-building process was made a lot easier because of how much attention to detail there was in so many different departments, in building your character. I think that even comes down to the diner, for example, at Wilt’s. It just made you feel like you were a part of this community your whole life.

So I definitely think it was when my family heard that I got the show. They’re like, “Oh, it kind of makes sense that you’re in the ‘80s world,” because I’ve always been sort of like a vintage-type kid. Yeah.

NAZAIRE: Still are.

BASTIDAS: Still are, yeah, yeah, yeah.

NAZAIRE: For me, I wasn’t very familiar with the ‘80s. I was really familiar with the ‘70s and the ‘90s, but that was kind of the era that I skipped over. And so I had created this journal of everything that Belinda would like from the ‘80s. That was the first time that I watched The Breakfast Club. I dubbed that her favorite movie, and then I created a playlist, and just all these things. I learned a lot about pop culture because Belinda was somebody who was really into pop culture. She had her own zine, and so I learned a lot about MTV and Madonna, and those people who had such big influences on the young generation in the ‘80s. So that helped me very much to create who I want Belinda to be, and to look like, to sound like.

Image via Hulu

Alright, so you mentioned music, so I’m gonna ask the two of you. It doesn’t have to be an ‘80s song, but what would you say is your character’s theme song?

NAZAIRE: For me, it’s 1,000% “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways. That’s what I used to listen to all the time driving into set to get into the Belinda headspace. It just works so perfectly, it’s like they made the song for her. If Belinda was a songwriter that’s what she would have created.

BASTIDAS: Mine would be – this is the first one that came to mind – was “Policy of Truth” by Depeche Mode, because Callie is always looking for the truth.

I like the different vibe.

NAZAIRE: Different priorities.

So if you could take anything home from set, what would you take? She’s gonna get the clothes

NAZAIRE: I’m hauling stuff while answering this, “Well, let me tell you…” One thing?

BASTIDAS: Oh, only one?

I mean, I said one thing but if you’ve got a list…

NAZAIRE: Oh man, I’ve got a business-minded answer. I would take Chet’s truck, or the car that Frank has. I don’t know if you know what it is. I don’t know what brand it is. It’s this really cool, sporty-looking thing and I think it could sell for a lot in the market. So I’m gonna go with that.

BASTIDAS: So I’m basically clearing out some of the Hardy Boys’ house. I’m gonna be taking some of the furniture with me to my apartment, which I’m very excited about.

NAZAIRE: Because it lives on in Callie Shaw!

BASTIDAS: It lives on in my house forever, and I think that’s really great.

Image via Hulu

What do you hope fans get from this season?

NAZAIRE: I think their season plays a lot on loyalty, and the importance of having a good circle around, you people that you trust, and people who you could also be there for, especially in your younger years, when you’re trying to figure out who you are and what you want to be. And things like that can be really difficult. So it’s really nice to see this group of kids just lean on each other and just know no matter what they go through, even if it’s as serious as saving the world, they’ll be okay because they love each other and their families.

BASTIDAS: I think what’s so nice about getting to wrap up with Season 3 is we’re putting a nice bow on the mystery, and we’re being like, “Okay, that chapter of our lives is done.” And we’re kind of just setting the stage for where these kids could go on to next, and I think leaving the audience with the impression of, “Wow, these kids can actually go in any direction.” I think that’s so exciting and fulfilling, as well. You’re just you’re really proud of them. I hope the audience feels that way, too.

The Hardy Boys Season 3 begins streaming on July 26.