On a recent morning at Golconda Skate Park, beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the stars of “Betty” alternated between their defining pursuits: skating and, well, being stars.

Most of the women — Dede Lovelace, 23; Moonbear (born Kabrina Adams), 27; Nina Moran, 23; Ajani Russell, 21; and Rachelle Vinberg, 22 — were still teenagers when they received their first taste of broader exposure, in a 2016 short film by Crystal Moselle. Moselle’s feature “Skate Kitchen” — named for the girls’ crew — followed in 2018, with “Betty,” a sequel series of sorts, debuting on HBO in May 2020. There have been plenty of photo shoots along the way, as well as the ongoing chronicle of their lives and exploits on YouTube and Instagram.

So by now they can nail a pose as expertly as they can land an ollie. But if they’ve become jaded by the attention, it wasn’t apparent during the photo shoot at Golconda, an expansion of a makeshift skate park known as Fat Kid Spot. Between setups, they practiced new tricks, cracked inside jokes, shot silly videos — in one, Vinberg and Moonbear took turns pretending to slip on a banana peel — and generally played around like the tight-knit group that they are, their bonds born from coming up as outsiders in a culture dominated by skate-bros.

Moselle first encountered Moran and Vinberg on the G train in Brooklyn, a chance meeting that eventually led to a fertile, ongoing collaboration. While the works have been mostly fictional, the characters and stories are based on the girls’ experiences and perspectives.

In “Betty,” which returns for its six-episode second season on Friday, they glide through the streets of Brooklyn while navigating the pressures of both young adulthood and a historical crisis. Written and filmed during the pandemic, the show sought to integrate New York’s upheaval into the episodes.

“Our show grows with us and changes with our world,” Russell said. “The characters were living under the same circumstances that we dealt with in everyday life.”

In an interview after the photo shoot, the cast members discussed the new season of “Betty,” pandemic-era New York and why skating is a universal language. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Gentrification and the pandemic are two of this season’s biggest themes. How have you seen these things affect skater culture in New York?

NINA MORAN My parents bought a house in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens a long time ago, and I’ve been in the neighborhood the whole time. It’s not the same anymore. It’s really weird, like, the types of businesses that are opening. When I was growing up, all the stores were really affordable. I meet kids in Prospect Park — everyone skates together — and I’m like, “Oh, you live in the neighborhood?” And they’re like, “Yeah.” So I say, “You grew up here?” And they’re like, “No, I’m from Connecticut.”

AJANI RUSSELL New Yorkers are resilient. I think a lot of people who were gentrifying the neighborhood left because they weren’t strong enough to be here during Covid. As I went outside more and more, I would see people I know who are only from New York, which I appreciated. It felt more like home, how it used to feel. I’m worried that it’s going to come back, and I’m going to feel like an alien in my own home again.

DEDE LOVELACE It’s still very gentrified. I just think the rate it was going slowed down because of Covid. It’s nice to feel like the neighborhood is getting a chance to breathe, in a way.

Unlike many stories set within skate culture, “Betty” seems supportive of newcomers and others who might not obviously fit in. What are you trying to show people about this world?

RACHELLE VINBERG It’s cool how skaters come from different parts of the world, like literally from Taiwan and Japan. They just come from everywhere, and then you can just hang out with them and skate next to them even if you don’t speak the same language. That’s the cool thing about skateboarding. You can go to California or anywhere and say, “Hey, does anybody skate?” — and you go to the skatepark and you just find people. There’s so much acceptance within the community. I think that’s something that’s happened over the past 10 years or so.

RUSSELL My character, Indigo, is someone who you wouldn’t expect to be into skating and gets into it, just showing how inclusive the skateboarding community can be.

In general, what do you want viewers to take away from the second season?

MORAN You have to believe in yourself. This show about a bunch of female skaters has made us role models for other girls. People come to me and say, “I started skating because of the show.’” For me personally, I want girl skaters to take away that if they want to skate, they can skate. Nothing should hold them back.

LOVELACE Also, understanding and remembering the importance of community, not just among skateboarders but in every aspect and with different groups, whether it’s in the corporate world or in a more recreational sense. We need that. We can all feel like an outsider sometimes, and we all need help sometimes.

VINBERG The show is about making sure you’re true to yourself. With my character, Camille, in both seasons, she’s figuring out who she is and who she cares about. I think that’s a part of growing up: You come into yourself and realize, Oh, maybe I don’t wanna hang out with these people — maybe these other people will treat me better and like me for who I am without having to put on so much of a show.

How has the exposure that came from “Betty” changed your lives and relationships?

LOVELACE I’ve been learning a lot about this business, friendships and honestly myself. I am learning how to communicate what I want and not be afraid to ask for things I deserve. I’ve grown so much as a person, and I’ve become more selective of who and what I participate in. I have to make sure I am surrounding myself with inspiring and uplifting people to keep me focused.

RUSSELL The most important thing we’ve learned is how to listen and communicate with each other. Spending so much time together, that intimately, allows you to really get to know each other’s habits — what they really mean, what they’re not saying. It makes working together more fluid.

VINBERG My life has stayed pretty much the same. There have been a few changes since Season 1 came out, but I’m not sure those are a result of the series. I’m older now, and dealing with the changes that come with the beginning of adulthood — friends coming and going, figuring out my priorities.

Outside of the show, what else are you doing to elevate skater culture and other causes that are important to you?

MORAN I care a lot about mental health issues being less taboo because that reduces stigma and assumptions, which can be very hurtful to people that suffer from mental illness. I have a story, and I’m planning on sharing it with the Jed Foundation, but I’m not talking about it yet because it hasn’t happened yet. [Laughs.] But it’s in the works.

I took a break from doing these things called “girl sessions” for a while because Covid was really bad — a girl session is when I post a flyer like “Open Skate,” and then whoever wants to come comes. A lot of girls come, from all over the place, and everyone’s learning from each other. I think it’s getting better to be outside again, so I’m going to start doing girl sessions soon.

RUSSELL I love Tony Hawk — he’s such a nice person and he’s so great. But when I was younger, seeing people like him didn’t make me want to start skateboarding. The skateboarding world back then was for white men. The things that were being advertised and pushed on us, like long blond hair, blue eyes, bald with tattoos — I didn’t see a place for myself there, and it is discouraging when it’s something you’re interested in and you don’t see anybody that looks like you in that field. So I just put myself out there. My love of skateboarding outweighed my fear of not fitting into the skating world.

VINBERG I’m going to post my skating on Instagram. Social media is a big reason women skateboarding has lasted all these years, because kids out in areas where there are not a lot of girls skating or skateboarders in general, they’ll see people online and feel connected to them.

MOONBEAR I’m going to start uploading again to YouTube. I was doing a kickflip challenge, and I still haven’t completed it yet, but people were watching to see if I got it or not. I still have a few months left to get it. So I’ll be doing my kickflips in 2021.

LOVELACE For me, it’s just about connecting with the community more. Because things get really busy on my end, but I really try to make sure that I’m going out and skateboarding and meeting new people, whether it’s boys or girls, whatever. Being in that atmosphere is the reason I’m even here right now. I just think encouraging other girls and people who are into skateboarding to do that — if they want, I can teach them a little bit. But it’s just about enjoying yourself.

VINBERG People say to us sometimes: “You guys aren’t pros.” And it’s like, “Why would we be pro skateboarders walking around? We’re normal girls, and that’s OK.” We don’t need to be the best of the best, and that’s not the point. A big part of “Betty” is just showing that.