What drew you to the role?
Well, I had worked with Mike Kelley [Creator] on The Beautiful Life, and when I got the script for Revenge and there was a girl called Ashley who was British, I knew that that part was mine. Who else is going to play her?

She’s sort of the only one who’s not fully integrated into the Hampton’s society. Do you think she’s an outsider?
I disagree completely. I think she’s one of the more integrated people because she plans all of the parties.

Talk a little bit about her friendship with Emily. Are we going to learn how they met and became friends?
I hope so. I think it would be cheating the audience if we don’t find out a little about how that happened. It’s interesting because this girl in The Hamptons, she’s working for these people, but we [haven't] found out how she got there.

Most of your interactions are with Emily and Victoria, and most recently Tyler. Are we going to see you deal with other people on the show?
We always talk about that as a cast, how much we’d like to integrate. For example, I’ve never had a scene with Nick [Wechsler, who plays Jack] or Connor [Paolo, who plays Declan]. I think as the show goes on, that will have to happen more. As of yet, [most are because] Victoria’s my employer and Emily’s my good friend, and Tyler’s now my boyfriend.

What do you want to see from Ashley going forward?
I’d love to see her ambition come out more. And for her to kind of get tired of working for someone, and wanting a bit more for herself, standing up for herself — I’d like to see more of that.

What about her relationship with Tyler? They sort of came to an understanding. What can we expect with that?
He told Ashley why is the way he is at the end of the episode before last. They are still boyfriend and girlfriend. And she’s got to find out more about Tyler.

What can we expect from Ashley and Nolan. She sort of hates him. Are they ever going to become friends?
She does hate him. We don’t really know why. We kind of guessed at it. Like maybe something went on between them before. We don’t know. Yeah, she really despises him. But I hope they start a friendship, that’d be nice.

Yeah, definitely. And let’s talk about that awesome Tyler Shields photo shoot. How fun was that?
It was lots of fun. Tyler kind of reminds me of my boyfriend, who takes all the photos for my blog. And he’s always like, “Let’s do this! Now let’s do that! How about we try it this way?!” and Tyler’s like that as well. He’s really enthusiastic and it makes for great photographs.

What inspired you to start your fashion blog, Ring My Bell?
It’s not a fashion blog, to be honest. I love reading them. I probably read maybe fifty fashion blogs per day. And I was so inspired by what they were doing and I wanted to do it, too.

One of your big roles was on Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Do you think there could be a movie and would you be a part of it?
Yes, definitely. I love working with that team. It’s great working with Billie, it’s obviously great working with my boyfriend. I would love to. If that could happen, that would be amazing. But Billie’s doing a play at the moment and she’s having a baby. So it’s probably not going to happen any time soon, but that would be exciting.

What would you tell viewers of Revenge about what they can look forward to seeing? Part of what I love is just when you think you know what’s going to happen, it goes another way.
I think we’re all looking forward to knowing who the body on the beach is. I know I am. So they can look forward to that. That will happen in episode 15. There’s some great stuff with Tyler, played by Asthon (Holmes). That’s the reason why the body’s been moved to episode 15 because there was so much stuff there with that character that they wanted to stretch it out a little bit. There’s more stories to tell. So they moved the body on the beach to episode 15.

I’m so glad the show has caught on the way it has. Why do you think viewers have responded in such a positive way?
It’s just so juicy. When I was growing up, my mom would watch show’s like Dallas. I really liked them. I think people are yearning for that soapy drama.

Revenge airs Wednesday nights at 10 PM on ABC.

First of all, congratulations on the full season pickup!

Eddy Kitsis/Adam Horowitz: Thank you!

What does the pickup mean in terms of where you can go with the story, and how it will expand?

EK: I think it allows us to open up the show a little more and start to dig deeper into some of the other characters that in the first thirteen, you only kind of got a little glimpse at. And I think what’s great for us is that we get to really tell more of the story over the full season and build to kind of where we were hoping to take it.

AH: Yeah, in the first thirteen, we were able to build a foundation of characters and storytelling and now we’re so excited at the opportunity to build it out further.

At New York Comic Con, you guys both said that this idea had been around for a long time. What made you want to tell the story of a modern-day fairy tale. And what fascinates you most about them?

EK: I think the thing we love about fairy tales, are, as writers, selfishly, they allow you to do everything. Some fairy tales are romantic, some are dark, some are scary, but at the end of the day, what we like best about them is they’re about hope. And it’s the possibility that your life can change. And I think that’s what attracted both of us, was that kind of underlying message.

And let’s talk a little bit about the casting process. I think Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parilla are fantastic, and really the whole cast is brilliant. What went into choosing everybody?

AH: It was a dream process, really. We were very fortunate that many of these parts we wrote with specific people in mind and when we went to them, they said they wanted to do it. We sent the script to Ginnifer, we sat down with Jennifer.

EK: Robert Carlyle.

AH: We wrote Rumpelstiltskin thinking of Robert Carlyle, who is someone we’ve been a fan of for so long, and to finally get the opportunity to work with him, and with all of them, was just amazing. We were very, very fortunate.

A lot of the story is told through flashbacks and the present day. Is that going to continue throughout the whole season?

EK: Yes, we plan every episode to go back and forth between the two worlds.

The Evil Queen/Mayor has control over the entire town. Is anyone else going to catch wise to her ways, besides Emma, who has been the main one to challenge her.

EK: Well, I don’t know, I’d keep watching, but Henry certainly seems onto her.

That’s true. And I know you are probably going to avoid answering this question, but am I right in assuming that perhaps not everyone in the present day has forgotten who they are?

AH: Um, I would say that right now, the only one who seems to have a handle on it is the Queen. But I don’t know, after last week’s episode, I’m beginning to wonder what Mr. Gold knows.

(laughs) That was my thought as well. Emma right now is straddling the line between believing Henry and thinking he’s crazy. Are we going to see her pick a side, or is she going to continue that journey throughout the season?

AH: That journey is part of her journey for the season, which is as her relationship with Henry and the town grows and deepens, what she believes when she comes to Storybrooke and what she believes after spending some time there, will inevitably change.

EK: But whether she’s willing to admit the crazy, remains to be seen.

Obviously, you both come from Lost. What do you see as similarities between the two shows?

EK: Well, I think that the thing that Adam and I learned on Lost, that Damon and Carlton really put in our heads is character first. And so I think that this is a show where also character is also much more important than mythology. And so that our entry point into every story is what does the character want and what do we learn about them. And also mysteries and mythology are a lot of fun, and things we love to play with. The most interesting mysteries for us are character mysteries. Mysteries about why people do the things that they do and how they got to be who they are. And that’s, in many ways, what this show’s really about.

And do you both have a favorite moment or scene from what you’ve shot so far?

EK: It’s hard to say. It’s like asking who your favorite child is. But every new episode, you’re like this is my new favorite!

AH: Eddy only has one child, so that question’s really not that hard for him.

(laughs) What can you share about this week’s episode? I’m particularly interested in finding out more about how Charming and Snow White fell in love.

EK: Coming up, I think we’re going to introduce Cinderella which we’re really excited about.

Kristin Bauer was just on recently as Maleficent. Will she be coming back? What can you share about upcoming guest stars?

AH: We loved Kristin, she did such a great job.

EK: Jessie Schram is going to be Cinderella in Episode 4.

AH: Alan Dale, who is our first Lost alum, is coming on in Episode 6, to play Prince Charming’s father. We got a bunch of guest stars we’re really excited about bringing on.

Not Lady Gaga though…

EK: One can dream! If she wants to come on the show, we are more than happy to write something for her!

That’s exciting. Obviously, the show is about fairy tales, would you ever release a Once Upon A Time Book?

EK: There is a book coming out.

AH: A fairy tale book.

EK: It’s the actual fairy tales. I don’t know if Henry’s book will ever come out. That story’s still being written.

AH: Never say never, but right now, we’re focusing on the telling of the story of the book, within the confines of the show. There’s a lot to it that we want to explore, before we’d be ready to show it in its full form.

That makes sense. Obviously there are a lot of little things that reference fairy tales — the poisonous apple, and more little things in the pilot. Can we expect to see more of this? Are there any tidbits you can share?

Ek: Every episode will have little touches like that. And little Easter Eggs coming up, and maybe including a few Lost ones that you might see in some episodes.

Sounds good. I think everyone can relate to reading fairy tales growing up, which is why I think the show has really caught on the way that it has. But why do you guys think the show has gotten such an outpouring of support?

EK: We’re as stunned as anyone. We’re really grateful that people like it. The two of us just wanted to do a show that we were passionate about and do it the way we wanted to. And we hoped people liked it, but to be honest, we weren’t sure they would. So we are very humbled by the support that we’ve received, and it’s really inspiring to us.

And viewers that perhaps haven’t tuned in yet (I’m not sure why!), what would you tell them as to why they should watch the show.

EK: Well, I would say because we think this show is unique and there’s not a lot of things out there like it. And every week, we’re trying to do something new.

AH: We’re not attempting to retell these stories. We are trying to find something new in them, something exciting about the characters to share with everyone.

Be sure to tune in tonight to ABC at 8 PM for an all new episode of Once Upon A Time!

What does it mean to both of you to be honored by Human Rights First and to get the Lumet award?

Robert King: It’s odd.

Michelle King: It’s humbling.

Robert King: It’s a show that’s meant to be entertaining. It’s nice that it does more but to be with these other people, it feels a little weird. To be frank. (laughs)

As you said, The Good Wife primarily entertains, but how do you feel social, topical and human rights issues fit into the show?

RK: The show’s intent is to take what you would consider high-brow, non-television issues and try to treat them in an entertaining fashion. Not just because that seems like a worthy goal because people can become educated about things, but also because you just try to be different. So, it’s the stuff we’re interested in. We’re interested in what’s going on in China with human rights, we’re interested in the middle east. So, why wouldn’t our characters be interested in it? So much of TV is sometimes about dumbing down your characters, but if those were real people and real life, they would share these issues.

MK: We’re fortunate in the regard that some of our characters are very interested in the political. So that just naturally leads into some of these areas.

Do you have any episodes coming up that you can tease that will be dealing with any of these types of issues?

RK: Yeah. We have one called “Executive Order 13224,” which is [this] Sunday. And in fact, it is a lawyer who saw our episode “The Great Firewall” last year, regarding human rights abuses in China. And he was talking about the difficulties of lawyers representing people accused of being terrorists in this country. And “Executive Order 13224″ which requires the lawyer to basically break attorney-client privilege and tell someone from the Treasury Department what they’re doing in the defense. And it’s a fascinating issue and it turned out to be a very good episode. It seems like the more pressing and crucial the issue is, the more exciting, actually, the episode is. So that one, I hope people look out for, because it’s very challenging. It’s really what’s going on today, and it’s based on this lawyer who contacted us after seeing “The Great Firewall.”

I find that The Good Wife is constantly breaking the procedural mold. When I watch it, I don’t feel like I’m watching a procedural. Does that factor in when you are writing each episode and breaking down the seasons?

MK: Yeah, absolutely. We definitely are very cognizant of trying to keep that balance between the characters’ personal stories and the procedural stories.

RK: It partly comes from what we are entertained by on TV. We do like a good mystery, but sometimes TV tends to just be the mystery and just drives the mystery. And it’s more interesting if it matters to people. And usually the people it matters to in procedurals is the guest cast. What we thought would be more interesting if our people had lives and issues of their own.

You’ve recently brought back some old guest stars in Dylan Baker, and Michael J. Fox is coming back. Can you talk a little bit about that and who else we might see coming up?

RK: Well, we’re actually shooting with Michael J. Fox right now. He’s doing the 10th episode with us. He’s just (laughs) so fantastic. TV is very fly by your pants. We changed a line in the car on the way over and phoned it in, and unfortunately, it’s going to land in Michael J. Fox’s trailer around 1 AM this morning, because they’re shooting tonight, and he’s going to have to learn it for tomorrow. It’s kind of inspirational, partly because he’s not doing it as inspirational, he’s playing a very cynical person and he’s using his comic chops. It’s amazing. I was changing lines on set, and he was like, “Oh, you’re setting up a gag, aren’t you?” (laughs) And then, people coming up. Bob Balaban is in that episode we were just talking about. He’s so good. And an actress we used two years ago, Carrie Preston, from “True Blood,” she’s also coming back. And then, who else? We have a lot of comic actors. John Michael Higgins, who’s excellent. He’s in a lot of Christopher Guest movies.

MK: Bill Camp.

RK: Bill Camp. Anna Camp’s coming back. We love her. Oh my gosh, she’s so good. So yeah, we have some good people coming up.

What can you tease about what’s coming up — Will and Alicia, Celeste — I know you can’t spoil a lot.

RK: (laughs) The bottom line is Martha from the episode we saw, doesn’t go away. She ends up at Canning’s firm — that’s the Michael J. Fox character. So, first of all, we love the actress.

MK: Grace Rex.

RK: Very good actress. When we like an actor or actress, we start bringing them back as much as we can. Beyond that, we have Parker Posey, who ends up being Alan Cumming’s ex-wife and then Sarah Steele, who plays his daughter, is coming back, too.

The Good Wife airs Sunday nights at 9 PM on CBS. For more info on Human Rights First, click here.

What does it mean to you to be presenting the Lumet award at the Human Rights First event?
When I heard that they were naming it in honor of Sidney Lumet, I was very touched. It’s a really nice honor. I have gotten to know the folks at Human Rights First through my friend Jill, who works with them, and also helped organize this event. Just hearing them talk about Elisa [Massimino, President and CEO of Human Rights First] and why she likes our show and when she saw the episodes that dealt with Human Rights and what an episode like that, about a particular subject can mean to their fight, their cause. It really opened my eyes just having lunch with her, and realizing that holy shit, we have a tremendous amount of power in what we do. And of course I knew that already on an intellectual level, but to actually hear it from someone who runs such a fantastic organization like Human Rights First, and what they do for Human Rights across the globe, was pretty humbling and eye-opening for me. So when I was told that they wanted to give the show the award based on some of the episodes we had done showcasing human rights cases, I was really touched and then got to share the news with Robert and Michelle [King] because of my connection with Human Rights First. I had dinner with them last season, took them out and shared with them the good news. So I feel really flattered and really touched, and also a real sense of responsibility — and thankfully I work for people like Robert and Michelle King who are really interested in telling those stories. So I think that will continue on our show.

How do you think human rights factor into The Good Wife and television in general’s responsibility to tell these stories?
Well, it’s a good question. And it’s hard because you can’t really tell anyone else what to do or how to do it. But again, just hearing the people from Human Rights first tell me that our episode about human rights in China and internet freedom, which is a big issue that they work on, that an episode like that, the millions of people that it reaches, and what that can do for them and all the hard work they do, in one hour of television. You’d be blind to not feel a sense of responsibility to that. At the end of the day, we’re also making a program to entertain people. But I think while entertaining people, you can also enlighten people in the world we live in. I think our show does that really well. Sometimes it does it with a more satirical edge, sometimes it’s more dramatic, sometimes more comedic.

Switching gears a little bit. Fans are pleased with what’s going on this season between Will and Alicia (laughs).
(laughs) They are?

I think so!
That’s good.

So it seems from a couple episodes ago that maybe Alicia has always been Will’s endgame?
I don’t know. I hate talking in those sort of absolute terms like that, because I don’t — I just think they’re two characters who really love one another. And what that means necessarily as far as endgame or not endgame, I really don’t know. I don’t necessarily see them as that, but I see them as being really bonded with one another and deep, deep friends. And certainly now their intimacy level has risen, and we’re going to see where that journey takes us this year. But I just have a lot of faith in the Kings and how they’re writing, that it will feel truthful, and connect with the rest of the show.

Are there going to be any bumps in the road for Will and Alicia?
Sure. I think that’s safe to say without giving away any spoilers — major ones.

What about Celeste? How will she factor in?
She’s more of a trickster. It doesn’t really strike me, at least in what we’ve seen in these few episodes, it’s not necessarily a romantic foil, as opposed to more just sort of an emotional trickster in sharing information about Will’s past and bringing it to light.

Obviously this cause is close to your heart. Is there anything that you’ve heard about or read about that you wanted to see addressed on The Good Wife?
This was one of them. I had nothing to do with it. But realizing what a big deal that is: internet freedom. When we talk about things like Facebook — and I understand Facebook and the power of it — but I had my own issues with the privacy when I use Facebook, and I barely use it anymore, but just however I use it, it frustrates me. And that worries me when you put that in context, where it could be in certain situations, in certain countries, if not handled correctly, where it’s more than just an inconvenience. It could actually mean someone gets put in prison. So I think it’s a very real issue and I’m glad that our show dealt with it. There’s so many. (laughs) There’s a database, as this organization would attest to, and what they fight for all the time. My hope is through the show receiving this award and Robert and Michelle connecting with Elisa and this organization, they’ll have access to more and more stories that maybe will spark their imagination. But I know there are more stories that deal with human rights issues that will come up. When exactly, I don’t know.

The Good Wife airs Sunday nights at 9 PM on CBS. For more info on Human Rights First, click here.

What attracted you to the role of George Tucker?
I think it was the project first and then the role second. I’ve been doing serious drama for five straight years, three on Friday Night Lights, then one on Caprica, then one on The Good Wife. I came from the world of comedy and lighthearted theater shows and I wanted to show Hollywood what I was capable of in other realms. Because in Hollywood, your career path is dictated by the last project that you’ve done. They kind of think you are who you are with what you’ve done last. And I wanted to take a chance. Rachel [Bilson] was already signed on, Jamie [King] and Cress Williams were already signed on and I looked and said there’s a great cast in place here, it’s a really lighthearted feel, and it’s something that I want to try. I want to challenge myself with something new. And George himself, once I read the project, and once I was really into the project, I started to really look at George and really dive in. He’s fun because he’s a little cocky. He’s not just a golden boy. He’s a little sarcastic, a little bit cocky, and I liked that slightly un-squeaky clean kind of hero. He’s been a lot of fun to play. We’re seven episodes in right now and I’m still kind of finding him, but it’s been a blast.

From the pilot, you can really see the spark between George and Zoe [Rachel Bilson's character]. So what can we expect to see with that relationship?
What I love about the show is that it’s set in the south, and just like real life, we kind of take our time. We move a little bit slower than a lot of other shows on TV. And you can expect a bit of a forbidden romance with George and Zoe. It’s something that they both know can’t happen but still can’t avoid when they see each other just falling into step with each other and having great discussions and just truly enjoying each other. And eventually something will break up (laughs) every instance that they have to be together and speak openly with each other, but you’ll see us still move towards the two of them finding moments to be together against all odds. But the interesting thing is you still see a ton of George and Lemon. You see a lot of myself and Jamie and the two of us have been working very hard — hopefully the audience will see it — to really find the cute little moments that a real relationship would have and we really have been trying to get the fans to root for George and Lemon. We think that at the end of the day, these are very good people and they do have very strong moral fiber, as far as Zoe and George are concerned. George and Lemon have been together for a long time and there’s a reason for that. We’re really having a good time exploring the whys of why they’re together.

So I assume we’re going to come to see what George actually sees in Lemon. We see that a little bit in the pilot.
It’s so tough in forty two minutes to show true depth of characters and histories. Lemon is a character that is dangerous for many people, but I think Jamie’s doing a very good job of walking the fine line of making her over the top but also really humanizing her. You’ll see that more as the episodes come up. Like I said, we’ve taken special care to find the little moments, the little inside jokes that a couple would have and the way that they speak to each other, the care that they take with each other. You’ll see a lot of why George is with Lemon, and you’ll see a lot of why Lemon is acting brashly in a lot of these scenes, when you get into the feelings she has not only for George, but for Lavon and trying to balance those out.

It was hinted that something is going on with Zoe and Lavon. Is George going to catch on to that?
We haven’t explored it yet. There have been a couple of really fun scenes that I’ve done with Cress where Lavon and George butt heads and George doesn’t know what is happening. He’s always had a great relationship with Lavon. For instance, there’s a scene where George and Lemon are looking for a house. And the house that they want is on protected land as far as a government protected area. And George is asking Lavon for a favor and Lavon figures out it’s for George and Lemon and is very defiant about the situation and kind of shoots George down and they get in a big fight. And George leaves very confused. He doesn’t quite understand what just happened. So we’re touching on it in very fun spots, but as I said, I think we’re taking our time with everything. And they’ve really done a great job of putting Jamie and Cress in situations where it seems natural that they’re together. They’re not stealing moments, they’re being forced to spend time together and deal with their emotions. And you’ll come to understand that George’s leaving and going to New York, which you hear a little bit about in the pilot, was quite a shock for Lemon. And while he was gone, he kept on trying to her to move to New York, and she kept on trying to get him to come back and that pulling apart, that separation that they had, really left the door open for some things to happen. We don’t quite know what George did while he was in New York, but we know that it led to a couple of transgression on Lemon’s behalf, and again, we just aren’t going to play that emotion just yet. We’re just kind of making sure that we’re fully invested in the relationship of George and Lemon before we start to pull it apart, I think.

Are we going to learn more about the reasons why George did leave Alabama and maybe his decision to come back?
We touch on it lightly. I think it’s pretty well stated in a couple of the episodes that he’s really competitive. He’s a very smart guy and he’s just got a little bit of an edge to him. And that edge led to him going “I want to be the best. I gotta go out there and I gotta compete with the best and be the best.” And that road eventually took him to New York and then something happened. I think the interesting thing is that something happened to bring him back. We don’t quite know what that is yet. There’s a line I have with my mother, a couple of episodes in, where I say, “Nobody’s perfect, not even me.” And she as most mother do, says “You are. You’re my perfect little baby boy.” And he just very simply says, “You don’t know everything about me, Mom.” We’ve had some talks about what maybe brought George back and there’s a few different reasons, and we’ll get into that later in the season as well.

And you said you are seven episodes in at this point, so is there something you would like to see with George that you haven’t done yet?
I think it’s exactly the point I was just getting it. I think I really want to see what drove George to come back. He says a little bit of it in the pilot, but I feel like he’s kind of compensating for something. He’s saying this is where I need to be at. I dreamed of the sand and the sun and the heat and just being back in Blue Bell. But I think at the end of the day, there’s something else that drove him back, and that’s what I want to see. My other wishes have already been fulfilled as we’ve been moving forward, seeing what relationships George has with Wade or George has with Lavon, and seeing how he knows all these folks in Blue Bell. Because he is a guy, that when he walks down the street, everybody knows George Tucker and everybody says hello. He, being the town lawyer, knows all these people in this very intense fashion just because of the legal workings of their private life and you’ll see some really great stuff with George and Wade and kind of see what kind of friends they were in school and what led them to get on different paths. So that’s one thing that I wanted to see this season and that’s come true. And so the only other thing is that I want to know what drove George away and what brought him back.

Yeah, that would be interesting. And one of my favorite scenes in the pilot is the one with you and the alligator and Zoe. Do you have a favorite scene from the pilot or another episode you’ve shot?
I think that scene is one of my favorites just because it was a very late night, we were already going into hour 14 on the day and Rachel and I just stepped up to bat and we did one take a piece. One take on my side and one take on her side. And the producers came out of the tent and said “It’s not going to get any better than that. We love it.” And Rachel’s just so easy to work with. We had a natural rapport immediately. That’s not to say that everyone else on the show isn’t easy to work with, everybody’s fantastic. But that was a moment where the two of us kind of went, well they’re right. We don’t need another take. That was such a fun scene and just so easy to do. There is a great scene with Lemon’s parents and George’s parents at a dinner that goes terribly wrong, and that’s one of my favorite scenes.

And I absolutely loved your role on The Good Wife. Are we going to maybe see Blake come back?
It’s funny, I’ve been at all these Emmy partys the last couple days, and first and foremost, my heart is with Friday Night Lights. I started seeing how much of an impact my character on The Good wife really had. It’s weird when you’re in it and you’re flying back and forth, and I’m living in LA but working in New York. It’s such a different demographic than Friday Night Lights was, yet this weekend, just as much affection is shown towards that show. And it’s such an evil character but a lot of people loved the storyline and have been asking me that. That being said, the Kings and I spoke when I was leaving the show because I always kind of knew I wanted to be able to go and look for a pilot and try to get a show that I could have ownership in like Friday Night Lights. And The Good Wife wasn’t that for me necessarily. It was something that I came into after it was well established and we said that if we do see Blake back, it will be in a much different fashion. He won’t be the aggressor, he will probably be a little bit battered or needing help, coming back looking at the all the characters on the show in a much different light and trying to make up for his past transgressions. I would love to go back, but my schedule is really, really hectic. I’ve never been a lead on a show. I’ve been on really large ensemble shows before. But this show only has five regular actors, and it’s tough to get out. But I would love to go back. Hopefully I’ll get the chance.

I have to talk about Friday Night Lights a little bit. I’m very happy about the Emmy wins and the Emmy recognition. Can you talk a little bit about what your experience was like on that show now that it’s sadly over?
The end of the show, I even hesitate to use the word bittersweet, it was something that the entire time we worked on it, just felt so natural to us and it felt just like a fabric that was woven right into our lives. And on the final day of shooting, which was last summer, Pete Berg just really simply said, “We’ve done something great here.” And there’s no need to be sad about it. It’s to be celebrated and we had our moment and we were able to tell the story we wanted to, and we told it in plenty of time. We knew that we were going to be ending. And we knew three years out that we were going to be ending. And the writers were allowed such a beautiful kind of lead-in, that they knew thirty-nine episodes [out]. Most of my shows that I watch, don’t know when they’re ending. That’s why a lot of finales lack sometimes because they realize they’ve been canceled five episodes out and then have to hurry and finish it. But the great finales like Six Feet Under or Battlestar Gallactica, or I really believe that our finale is up there in that realm, they know it’s coming and they’re allowed to plan accordingly for it. Last night [Ed. Note: At the Emmys] was just amazing. I got to see just about everybody last night, at the parties after the Emmys, and we were all just so thrilled. I literally — I think I tweeted that I shed a tear for Kyle. That’s not entirely true. I shed a few tears. I couldn’t stop crying.

Many tears.
It was just out of pure joy. It wasn’t any sadness that the show was over. It was pure joy for an amazing man who is such a talent. And for a show that we know will leave a mark on the landscape of television for years and years and years to come. It was out of pride for the show, I think. It was from a very real place. And seeing him last night and watching Jason get to accept his award…it was so well earned. It was just something that was so well deserved for both of them and also kind of finalized the show for all of us. We finally got some recognition. And that’s kind of all we wanted. You don’t know that you yearn for it, but you do. You want to be recognized. And the show finally was, in a great way.

Yeah. And I saw your tweet, but I wasn’t going to mention the tears. (laughs)
(laughs) I’ll be very open about it. We’re honest about everything.

I was also going to ask you if you think that this Emmy recognition might help with a possible green light for the movie. And would Street return?
I wish I could answer any of that. I can tell you this, Connie and I did a movie together this summer and we kind of looked at each other after the first announcement about the movie and we were like, “Have you gotten a — call? No? Okay.” If Connie Britton doesn’t know exactly what’s happening, then I’m definitely not going to be able to help out with that question. I know that Jason is writing the basic script outline for the movie. But that’s as far as I know. I can tell you that I would love, love, love to go back and be in Jason’s shoes again and to be able to play such a well crafted character for a little bit longer. And hopefully it works out, but those guys are geniuses and they’ve already showed that they can reinvent something, which was such a bold move with a brand new cast. But it worked so well and now that Coach is in Philadelphia, you might just be seeing a whole new batch of kids. But, Street’s up in New York City, he should make a cameo. He should just pop in and ask Coach, How’s Philly treating ya? But I would absolutely love it. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but my fingers are crossed.

Mine too. And back to Hart of Dixie…I loved the pilot and will be watching. But what would you tell viewers as to why they should tune in?
It’s just something and I’ve never used this as a compliment before, but I really feel like television needs a show that feels comfortable, that takes its time, and that feels like something that you’ve kind of seen before and it makes you feel kind of taken aback to a time when television wasn’t all about sex and all about innuendo and everything. Our show — it’s a sweet show, it’s a funny show. It’s a place I feel like a lot of people would want to escape to, in this little, beautiful town that we’ve built in Blue Bell, Alabama. And it’s a show that’s just a throwback. And I feel like television needs that right now. It needs a little something different. And I think we’re going to provide that.

Hart of Dixie premieres tonight at 9 PM on the CW.

I was so sad to see you go! What has the response been from fans since your elimination?
People have been really supportive, and everyone tells me that it should have been Richard and I in the finale. But ultimately, I’ve always felt that whatever was meant to happen is meant to happen.

What was your favorite challenge to date?
It’s a toss up between the Jimmy Fallon challenge and fishing in Montauk. Both of those were playful challenges and reminded me not to take the process too seriously; to just be more light-hearted about it. It helped my food when I took on that mentality, and that’s kind of how I am in my day to day.

What was the deal with the beef tongue song in that episode?
It’s a running joke in my family that when I get nervous I tend to sing inspirational songs. It calms me down and other people down. Angelo, Carla, and I just got really into this beef tongue song. We formed a band and everything. The producers kept telling me to stop singing!

What was the most difficult challenge?
The first challenge when we came back to film in the Bahamas. I couldn’t wrap my head about being back in the game. I had a hard time finding my footing.

Can we talk about the stew room for a minute? The things that go on in there…it’s quite intriguing.
People watching have no idea that we’re in that room for a really long time. Judge’s table takes between 4 and 6 hours, but we’re usually in that room for an hour before and an hour after. Seven hours in that little, tiny room. We would make up games or start a full band to keep ourselves entertained. One time we wrapped each other up in the Glad bags that you see all over the set.

When did you first decide you wanted to be a chef?
I grew up on Long Island in an Italian American home and all we ate was Italian. You know – Rigatoni, Eggplant Parmesan. But one day when I was 8 or 9 I went to a friends house and they made a jello mold – I was floored by the idea of the jello mold. So I went home and made a jello mold every day for the next two years. From that point on I started to cook on my own accord rather than just cooking with my family. I started to see that that there were all these different styles of food, outside of what was typically done in my house. As I got older I would go to slumber parties and cook dinner for everyone.

You had to cook a “last supper” for Morimoto. What would your last supper be?
Mine would definitely be an eggplant parmesan.

And a jello mold for dessert?
(laughs)…maybe a jello mold.

How has life changed for you since appearing on the show?
There are always a lot of women who tell me that that I’ve inspired them, in the sense that I’m a mother but I’m doing something that I love. I’ve taken that role very seriously. I didn’t expect that at all. People say to me, “You make me think that I can do what I want to do with my life.”

So what’s next for you?
I’m working on a cookbook — that’s my first priority. The book shows that I’m a skilled chef but at the same time, I’m also a mom who wants to be able to spend time with my daughter. It’s a book for the working parent.

Who do you have taking the win in the end?
Richard Blais and I go way back. I really feel like him and I were the most consistent in our season, so I think there’s special part of my heart that goes out to him. But I also can’t throw my cousin [Michael] under the bus! All I can say is I really wish them both the best.

Okay, one last “Quickfire” question: If you were starting a restaurant and had to hire former Top Chef contestants to man to kitchen, who would you choose?
Stephanie Izard, Richard Blais, Dale Talde, Angelo Sosa, and Jamie Lauren.

Be sure to tune in to Bravo tonight for the Season Finale of Top Chef All-Stars at 10 pm!

At the end of last season, Kaylie was not in such a good state. When did you find out that she would be faced with this eating disorder?
They brought me in very early on in the last ten episodes, even before we started shooting those ten episodes. During pre-production week, Holly called me into her office and let me know where my character was going, what they wanted to do and wanted me to do some research. [They] also wanted me not to worry about having to lose weight myself or anything like that. We had a really great conversation about it. So I knew very early on that that was coming.

What was your first thought when Holly told you?
Awesome! I was excited about it. It was definitely a challenge, which I’m always up for, and something different. And also I wanted to work with the makeup effects that they were going to be using, which is a lot of fun. I was excited about and it proved to be everything that I hoped for.

What sort of research did you do?
Unfortunately, I’ve grown up in the arts my whole life. I went to a school for the arts for high school. I had a lot of friends that dealt with this because of what we did — a lot of them were dancers. I’ve helped a lot of friends through this. Luckily, I’ve never had to go through this myself. But I’ve seen people go through every phase of this disease, and it’s really sad. But then I did some research online just to get some details. And then asked a lot of questions from my friends that I knew had gone through it. I wanted to get more insight into it, so I just asked them.

In the premiere, Kaylie is reluctant to accept that she has a problem. Will it all come full circle for her? Is she going to accept that she has a problem?
Yeah, it will come full circle. But that’s another thing I noticed when I was talking to people, there’s definitely a big denial stage. And you have to get through that to start the recovery process. And sometimes, unfortunately, people never get past that. So it’s something that the writers wanted to portray because I think that it wouldn’t be accurate if it was a problem that was resolved so quickly. So she definitely does come full circle, but it takes a while. She fights it a lot. And I will say that there’s something quite dramatic that happens that kind of pulls her back down to reality, but I can’t exactly say what it is. There’s a corpse involved.

Yes, I figured as much from the promos ABC Family is showing. And there’s obviously a lot of professional gymnasts who work on set. Even if they didn’t struggle with an eating disorder, did they have a lot to say about their regimented diets?
Yes. I remember talking to one girl specifically — Tasha Schweikert. She worked with Bela Karolyi in the Olympics. I remember talking to her and being absolutely shocked by the stories that she told me and the diet that they were on. They worked out something like eight hours a day — and just rigorous, rigorous training. You’re burning so many calories, so you’d think that you need to intake a lot more. Well that wasn’t the case for them. They were not even allowed to use ketchup as a condiment because it has sugar. They were all given the same meal and it was something ridiculous — a small piece of protein and steamed vegetables. A salad with basically just lettuce and fresh vegetables. It was a very, very raw diet. No salt. They definitely weren’t getting what they were giving. And all the gymnasts pretty much had the same stories to tell. You see how much they sacrifice for their passion and how much they loved it, to do something like that. There’s so much more to gymnastics than discipline. It’s such a passionate sport and the girls really, really do love it to sacrifice so much.

So what are we going to see with Kaylie’s relationship with her parents? I know it’s been a little rocky in the past.
They’re a big presence in the first couple episodes and then they kind of fall out. Before, her parents relationship was a big point in Kaylie’s storyline, but it’s not so much anymore. They, as parents, put their differences aside to help their daughter get better. They kind of join together for Kaylie, because they know that’s what’s best for her.

That’s good. And Kaylie’s not in the gym in the premiere. So how is this going to affect her relationship with her teammates when she does get back?
They were very supportive through all of this, because she won’t be back in the gym for a while, which was awesome for me. I like how the writers did that because her friends remain her friends and her support group. You definitely see that in the first couple episodes. So when she gets back, the only thing that kind of changes is her dynamic with Payson. Because she kind of goes into the gym with a different attitude that Payson doesn’t really embrace. Gymnastics is all about competition and at the end of the day, there’s one gold medal, one silver, and one bronze. And for Kaylie, it’s beyond that now. She almost died. So she has a perspective that Payson doesn’t have. So they kind of clash there but for the most part, everyone remains very, very supportive and loving.

Even Lauren?
Even Lauren! I was in rehab for I don’t know how long, and had a near death experience. I really don’t care about you flirting with the guy I used to like. Things are a lot more serious now (laughs). Lauren picks on someone else, for right now. Kaylie doesn’t really care. [She's] dealing with bigger fish right now.

And what are we going to see with Kaylie’s love life?
They don’t play with that until later on in the season. And even when they do, it’s not Kaylie’s priority. Again, Kaylie’s priority is getting better — one. And then two, getting back in shape. Because once she gets back in the gym, she hasn’t been training for the past month, two months. And she lost a ton of muscle and a lot of practice. So she has to regain all of her skills again and get back into shape. So that’s her main priority after she gets better. So yes, you will see Kaylie and Austin kind of dilly dally. But it’s not a priority and you won’t really see it until the end.

I know that Sasha is eventually going to come back into the picture (coach or not…) Is he going to play a part in Kaylie’s recovery?
Oh absolutely. Sasha is obviously really scared about letting Kaylie starting to train again. Because he had Payson who he felt that it was almost his fault. He felt that he pushed her too hard, and that her fall was his fault. And the thing that happened with Emily — he just feels like he has played a part in everybody’s failures. Which is not the case, but that’s how he feels. So with Kaylie, he’s extra protective. To a fault. You’ll see them butt heads a lot about that. Kaylie really has to fight to get back in the gym.

I know you can’t spoil a lot, but what can you tease about what we will see from Kaylie, and what we might even see competition wise in this second half of the season?
I feel honestly, and I don’t think I’ve ever said this, these ten episodes are my favorite. And they’re my favorite because the stakes are just raised ten fold. I would get the scripts and be like “Oh my God, that did not just happen!” There’s a lot of things that are shocking, that you don’t expect, and that really, really take you by surprise. I think that the issues that they tackle carry a lot more weight. They’re issues that young girls and teenagers in general have to deal with. And they really tackle them really well. Things are a lot more dramatic, a lot more intense. The competition in terms of gymnastics — there are some of the best tricks I’ve ever seen on the show. Everything is kind of elevated. It’s better, it’s bigger, more dramatic. Things happen that are some serious business. It’s not like “Oh, she stole my boyfriend. I don’t like her.” It’s so much more than that. The conflict is serious, the conflict is really high stakes. It’s not a superficial, kind of shallow storyline.

Some of my favorite episodes are the competition ones.
The last episode of the ten is the Worlds competition. And oh my God, that episode. I cannot wait to see it. I can just imagine. It’s going to be great.

I can’t wait!
It’s going to be awesome.

And you recently went back to school, so how was it balancing both school and the show?
While I’m shooting the show, I’m not in school. I actually took my last final last Friday. I went back to school in January when we went on hiatus. I was still auditioning, and I did a did guest part on NCIS and on Castle, while I was in school. And recorded voice over work. So I was working, just not working on Make It Or Break It. And it’s hard. I wish I could say it was no big deal. But it’s so stressful. Being a full-time student at UCLA is already a job, and having to audition and work in addition to that, it’s too much. It’s a sacrifice. It was one of those things where I wanted to get my degree, and it was my last quarter. You’re not going to be able to go out with your friends as much, you’re not going to be able to do what you want to do. It’s a sacrifice and it’s hard. But it’s so worth it. It was really important for me to get my diploma. And now that I’ve taken my last final, it feels so good. You never know as an actress when you’ll work again. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it goes. But you’ll always have your diploma. They can’t take that away from you. But now it’s over, and now I can have fun and enjoy myself and still feel really, really accomplished.

I guess in that way you can relate to Kaylie and all of her sacrifices.
Oh absolutely! It was always like this for me. I moved to LA when I was 18 and I started at UCLA immediately and I started auditioning immediately. So there were a lot of things I missed out on in college. I wasn’t able to rush a sorority because I was always not on campus. I wasn’t able to go out as much as other people did. I was kind of a nerd. Definitely a loner. Because I just wasn’t doing the activities that everyone else did. I was definitely kind of in my own world. But at the end of the day, it was worth it, because I have a career and a diploma.

Awesome! That’s so great! And do you have a favorite scene that you’ve shot on Make It Or Break It?
Yes!! I do! Actually, you asked me that question and I got goosebumps. There’s a scene, the awards ceremony in the World’s competition. And we were shooting at USC, at this big stadium that they have there. And they made it seem so real. It felt like I was at the awards ceremony for a real World’s competition. The venue was huge. It was packed with extras, who were all being told to applaud. You have this super loud thumping in your ears from the applause and then we had these Brazilian dancers like they do at the Olympics and big competitions to entertain. And then we were given the big bouquet of flowers, these gorgeous arrangements, and the National Anthem played, and then they dropped these hundreds of balloons from the ceiling, and me, Cassie [Scerbo, who plays Lauren] and Ayla [Kell, who plays Payson] were just crying! It felt like we were really at this official awards ceremony representing the United States. It’s so bizarre to think of it like that but I remember calling a friend afterwards and I was like “Oh my God, the feeling that a gymnast or an athlete must get when they have the opportunity to represent their country in a competition like that — you can’t compare that to anything.” And I feel like I kind of got a dose of that. And it was amazing. I would love to do that scene all over again.

Well I hope that you all will get the chance when Make It Or Break it goes to the Olympics!
Aww! Yes, we need to get picked up for another season! I want to do the Olympics!

That will be the message I send out! Watch the show, so they can go to the Olympics!
At the end of the day, yes, I would love to do another season of Make It Or Break again just to work with these people because we’ve developed such great relationships from working together for such a long time. But more than anything I really want to go to the damn Olympics! You can’t not take us to the Olympics! The days when we shoot a competition scene, the days are so, so long. I think one day we shot for 19 hours. You feel like you’re going insane. But it’s so much fun. I live for days like that, where I get to be on set for so long. That’s when everybody really bonds, and people are so tired that they’re delirious. I just love that. I live for that.

Make It Or Break It airs Monday nights at 9 pm on ABC Family.

Before we start talking about your great new show, No Ordinary Family, I must confess that I loved Taylor Townsend on The OC. She was so quirky but she totally owned it.
That’s what I loved about her too. She was just unabashedly who she was. She was okay with that. She knew she was weird, and she didn’t care.

And what was your experience like working on that show?
It was an amazing experience for me, it really was. Because it was my first really lasting job. And I loved that character a lot, and they really wrote great stuff for me, great material. And I had a lot of fun with it.

Did you have a favorite episode?
A favorite episode… I liked the Dream Lover. Because I got to play all these fantasy versions of Taylor. And that was pretty fun. And the Chrismukk-huh? — because we existed in an alternate reality for the entire episode. And the stuff with my French husband was ridiculous and ridiculously fun.

Absolutely. And I’m loving your new show No Ordinary Family. There are definitely shades of Taylor in Katie. Is that the type of character you are drawn to?
Apparently, I do socially awkward well. (laughs) So I think those characters tend to find me, in a way. And I think a lot of that is just because I definitely relate to that. I relate to being somebody who doesn’t quite fit in. Because that was certainly my entire experience in Junior High. Just going “What is going on?” That’s what I remember thinking every day. “What is happening?? Who are these people??”

Why are they like this??
Exactly! “What’s wrong with them??”

Is that something that drew you to Katie — being able to relate to her?
Yeah. I had an immediate understanding and affinity for Katie, just like I did for Taylor. I had a similar reaction where I read the audition sides a few times and immediately felt “Oh I know who this is.” And I think they’re both different, because in a way, even though Taylor was younger, she’s much more sexually experienced and much more of a sexual being. She’s very comfortable with that side of herself. Whereas you have Katie, who has spent her entire life in a science lab, and just ignored that side of herself, basically. Other than fantasies while watching “Battlestar Galactica.” But other than that, the sexual world is new to Katie. And the romantic world is new to Katie. And Katie is a bit of a romantic. So it’s all new discoveries for her. Whereas Taylor was into threesomes (laughs).

Are you a big fan of the superhero genre?
That’s a good question. I don’t watch much TV in general. Not because I don’t want to, it’s the time. I watched “Heroes.” I don’t know. I would say…yeah, sure.

I was reading that if you could have any super power it would be the ability to fly, so I wanted to know why.
Oh my gosh, it would be so helpful in LA. For example, yesterday, we were going to a doctor’s appointment for the baby, and getting off the off ramp — which is half a mile — took us half an hour. Those moments it would be extremely handy to have the power of flight.

Makes sense. I think most people would want the power to fly.
I think so too. And I think if you were having a stressful day, you could take a time out.

Take a little fly….
Exactly. Take a fly. Take a deep breath.

Definitely. We recently saw a sad turn of events for Katie’s love life when she broke it off with Joshua. So is there hope for her romantic life or their relationship?
It was sad. Is there hope for Katie’s romantic life? I hope so! Poor Katie! Yes, there is. We will see more of Katie’s complicated romantic life and it will continue to be complicated and it will get more complicated this season. Because you are going to find out that she’s pregnant.

I was just about to ask about that! Because they are writing your own pregnancy into the show and I’m glad to see you won’t be holding up purses or sitting behind a desk.
Yeah! Me too!

So how is that going to work? Her first sexual experience got her pregnant which is kind of crazy.
Yes! That’s pretty much exactly what happens.

Is she going to be happy or upset about the situation?
Pregnancy is not something that Katie ever considered. So she’s really sidelined by it. Extremely thrown. I think at first, she doesn’t really know what she’s going to do. She’s never thought about it. But Katie dealing with an unexpected pregnancy makes for some really good television I think.

Yeah, absolutely. And I know you can’t spoil a lot but can you tease a little bit of what’s coming up for Katie. Will she get more involved with Stephanie’s work?
I wish I would get memos about what I can talk about. If I ran a television show, that’s what I would do. I would send out weekly memos that say “talk about this, don’t talk about this.”

Yeah definitely. And you work really closely with Julie Benz who is also one of my favorites. What has that been like for you?
Aww. She’s so fun. She’s a funny lady. She has a great sense of humor. I enjoy working with her.

Have you learned anything about science on No Ordinary Family?
I would say I’ve learned more about comic books and comic book references and comic book characters than I have about science.

And there’s a ton of sci-fi dramas out there right now. What do you think makes No Ordinary Family stand out from the others?
I think the fact that it’s a family show. It’s about a family. The whole family has superpowers. And that’s pretty original.

I think so too! And you are a very active Twitter user. You even have a twitter account for your baby –
I do! That was my husband’s idea! I think it’s adorable.

Have you connected with a lot of fans through Twitter? Have you gotten any interesting fan reactions to Katie?
Yes. I love Twitter for that reason because it allows me to connect. A couple days ago, I had a strange rash of marriage proposals, in one day. (laughs) It happened to be the day that my husband was trying to explain to his mother what Twitter was by showing her my Twitter page.

Oh no!
And they were both (laughs) I guess, shocked by the amount of people proposing to me. As was I! I was like “What is special about this Friday?” It’s after Valentine’s Day, it’s not really a special day. I still have no explanation for it. The fact that I’m already married and knocked up — that’s not a deterrent for anybody? And I’ve got a lot of fans from Brazil. And they all want me to say hi to Brazil.

Okay…
And so I do.

To the whole country…
Yes, to the whole country. I have not been. But it’s a place I would like to visit. I know I would be able to find some friends if I ever made it out to Brazil.

And obviously, in TV it’s a big ratings game…and I don’t think No Ordinary Family is doing that bad…but is that something the cast pays attention to?
We’re definitely aware of the ratings. You have to be. There’s nothing you can do about it. I tweet when the show is on. I do as much press for it as I can. But outside of that, it’s sadly out of my control.

Are the writers treating the end of season 1 as if there will be a season 2?
The last episode of season 1 is called “No Ordinary Beginning.” And it really sets up a great season 2. It’s a great premise that it sets us up for, if we are lucky enough to get a season 2.

It’s good to hear that there will be big things leading up to season 2.
Yeah. The last few episodes are just killer. From here on out, it’s just a great ride.

From episode one until now, it’s really found its voice.
Yeah. I agree.

And lastly, are there any projects that you have coming up that fans can see you in?
I have a movie coming out in May called “The Big Bang” with Antonio Banderas. It’s sort of a neo-noir thriller modern detective story. And it’s a very different character for me.

No Battlestar references?
This character is also a bit of an information geek. She’s actually a physics groupie.

So still in your wheelhouse.
Yeah, exactly. I still had to learn a lot of scientific an technical terms, for this one as well. Which is great. It’s kind of like I still go to school. It’s great.

No Ordinary Family airs Tuesday nights at 8 pm on ABC.

What stood out in the book series that made you want to adapt it for television?
Rosewood was such a [great] town. I had never really read a book that was sort of a teen world but also this really fun mystery at the same time. And I kept using the word delicious, which we still use. There was this deliciousness to it. And I fell in love with the characters in the first book. Sara Shepard [the author of the book series] did such a great job of creating these well drawn characters. They’re liars and they make these mistakes; they’re cheaters and sisters boyfriend stealers but you still love them because you saw their pain, too. I also got through the first book and I had to know what “The Jenna Thing” was and I thought gosh, if I need to know what the Jenna thing is, and we can create this in a show, then it’s going to be a great formula. So I recognized this great formula that Sara had really put together for us, and we thought, if we can really capture that on television, this is going to be special.

When I read the books, I had the same thought. And can you talk a little bit about the casting. Was it harder because the characters had been described so vividly in the books?
I think Aria probably looks like Sara envisioned her. We cast Lucy [Hale] first. She had a relationship with all the people on the show. She was on a show called “Privileged,” which was also an Alloy book series show. And everybody loved Lucy, and she read the pilot script and loved it. So that very organically happened. But with the other characters, we decided we’re not going to stay true to exactly what they look like in the book, but instead we are going to go for the people that embody who these characters are. So we made that leap, and I think initially before people saw the pilot, they started to freak out. Book fans were a little upset that Spencer wasn’t a blond, and Hanna was and Emily was ethnic. But as soon as people saw the pilot, they let go of that and we realized that we made the right call. I can’t imagine another Spencer other than Troian Bellisario. Or another Hanna or Emily. And Sara met the girls before we shot the pilot, and once she met them and realized who they were at their core, she felt the same way. She was like “These girls are the Pretty Little Liars.”

And book one was the entire pilot, so you obviously have to deviate from the books a bit. So what goes into the decision to introduce these characters that we’ve never known before.
That’s a good question. There are about six of us in the writers room. We meet and we just talk about stories. It’s really a fun part of the job. We’ve all read the books and we know the mysteries and the characters in the books very well. And we love to draw from that, but then if we feel like Hanna could really use a new love interest, or Hanna’s mom, we start thinking about who would be a fun character to bring into this world. Sometimes we like to bring characters into the world that feel like they belong in Rosewood, and sometimes it’s fun to bring characters that feel like they’re outsiders to Rosewood.

The show obviously pushes the boundaries on ABC Family and on teen shows in general. So have you ever gotten any notes to tone it down?
Occasionally. (laughs) Not too much though. There’s a scene coming up. It’s episode 119 which airs on March 7th. We call that the romance episode, or everyone’s sort of getting together episode. That was really the first time in the show that we got one note that something was just a little too suggestive. And we had to cut a couple seconds off — I’ll call it the tent scene — so when it airs, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

(laughs) Sounds good. And let’s talk about the Ezria relationship. I am a big fan, but some people are not. What sort of reaction have you gotten to them?
I think most people are fans of them. We’ve heard some negative feedback from people, which is totally understandable [because] we’re romanticizing the student/teacher relationship, but I think we’ve always sort of came at it from this place of — in this circumstance — we are true to the books. And it was such an important part of the books, and to not give our audience Aria and Ezra, would have been a huge letdown. We felt like we needed to do it.

I’m sure they have a lot coming up in the second half of this season, but is there a lot that’s going to happen with them in season two?
Yes, and by the end of this season, there is a big shift in their relationship and it’s going to be sort of taken to a different level, in some positive and some more challenging ways.

And I know when I spoke with Lucy Hale, she said Aria and Ezra are not sleeping together. At least not yet. So will that subject be brought up or will it be left more of a mystery?
It’s going to be a mystery for now. But I think in season two, because of the circumstances of their relationship – and I don’t want to spoil anything for you – because of what happens at the end of season one and the beginning of season two, we’re clear about that.

And what can you tell me about the sort of old, sort of new Ella and Byron Montgomery relationship?
They’re fun, aren’t they? They act more like teenagers than the teenagers do on the show. (laughs) Make up your mind people, are you together or not? They’re great though. I love those actors, and I love their characters too. It’s really fun to see them exploring. Really, the initial bump in their relationship was from Sara’s books — that Byron had the affair with Meredith and Ella is having a hard time letting go of that. But by the end of the season, Aria will actually push her to make a decision. You’re either in or you’re out.

Make up your mind people!
It’s like, I’m the teenager. I’m the one who’s supposed to be indecisive.

And Emily’s storyline this season has been so great, and such an important story to tell. How is that going to continue to develop in the second half of this season.
Emily sort of has found a comfort level for herself in terms of her sexuality, and what’s interesting is there are going to be two girls who come into her life, and her romantic life is going to be less “Am I gay or am I not gay?” and more about finding the right person now. So it’s going to be sort of typical teen romance, but it happens to be girls instead of a girl and a guy.

Is Paige going to be sticking around for a while longer?
Paige is going to be sticking around for the rest of this season. And we’re unsure about next season, but definitely this season.

And Caleb is obviously one of the new guys in town –
Yes! One of the new hotties in town!

I kind of get a really creepy vibe from him, but what can we expect coming up for him and Hanna?
It’s interesting. It’s funny too. He’s such a nice guy in real life. But we created him to be that way. He’s one of those characters that I was talking about before; he comes into town, he doesn’t feel like a Rosewood boy and he is a little bit sketchy. And we loved introducing a character like that to our girls and to Hanna. Because they do seem like such opposites, and they come from such opposite worlds, and you’re going to find out that Caleb has a side to him that is kind and sensitive and good but he doesn’t want to show that to anybody. But he ends up having a very interesting and lovely connection to both Hanna and her mother.

Interesting! That leads very well into my next question about Hanna’s family life, because A has really been torturing her so much.
Ugh, A is such a bitch!

I know! Seriously! Such a pesky bitch, too!
Totally! She doesn’t take no for an answer! Or he…I should say.

(laughs) So how is Hanna’s relationship with her mom going to play out in the rest of the season?
I love Hanna and her mom. They’re such a fun family to write for, and two great actors. They have such great chemistry together and they’re so connected. It feels like just both of them have been dumped on by Hanna’s dad (Tom). And we touch on it more coming up, too. Ashley Marin, the character, really does come from a dark and very sketchy, shady past. And we’re going to start to get into that a little more and what they left behind and what they’ve had to do to get to where they are and why it’s so important to Ashley Marin to keep that. [We get into] why she struggled so hard to get to this place, and why should be willing to steal (laughs) Mrs. Potter’s money.

Yeah, seriously. And what can we expect from Hanna’s love life? Will Lucas and Sean re-appear? Where is the whole Caleb thing going?
I think you’re going to see all three of them. There’s some really fun Lucas stuff coming up, and some really fun Caleb stuff coming up. And some really interesting Sean stuff coming up. So Hanna is attracting a lot of men to her in these next few episodes. It’s not a bad problem. I’d say it’s a high class problem to have.

Totally! It’s a good problem to have. And Spencer is sort of in the middle of her own family crisis with Melissa and Ian. Are we going to find out more about their past and what lead them to get married, because it all happened so quickly.
We definitely are. And it’s going to become very key and central to the mystery of the story for the rest of the season. And I’ll just say, poor Spencer. On one hand, it’s poor Spencer. But on the other hand, there’s some smiles and romance coming towards Spencer too. And I can’t wait for those episodes to start airing. They’re really good and I’m really happy, because we drag Spencer through the mud this season. And it’s going to get worse for her, but there will be one shining light in her life. And you’ll get to see pretty soon how that’s going to play out and it’s so romantic, and so beautiful and so fun.

That’s good to hear. And she recently remembered some stuff about the night Ali went missing. Is she going to remember more as the season ends?
We’re going to touch on it more next season, where — and it’s a turn that Sara takes in the books too — she throws out this idea of what if you could remember every moment of your life, which of course we can’t. But next season, we are going to get into the thought that the girls sort of do start to remember bits and pieces of the night Ali went missing. And Alison says something in the first episode back this year when Hanna’s in the hospital and Ali comes to visit her in that dream — or reality? — and she says, I’m paraphrasing but it’s basically “If you put your collective memories together, you do know what happened that night.” So we do want to start exploring that.

And a lot of people are curious to know about the Emily’s friendship with Toby that sort of is on again/off again and Spencer’s relationship with Toby.
Toby and Emily don’t really interact that much the rest of the season, which is sort of by circumstance of their characters and where they are in the story. But next year, I hope to reignite the “Tomily” friendship, because it was so great and you don’t get to see that often, a girl and a guy who could end up being romantically involved, but end up being really great friends. And I love that, and I’d love to explore that more. But what you will see in the rest of this season is Spencer and Toby finding an interesting friendship. Because Spencer was the one who was like “The devil has a name, and it’s Toby Cavanaugh.” She was by far the most judgmental of Toby. But there was a turn in her character in our third episode back when she sees him break down in the alley. So now there’s a little opening there for her to get to know Toby. And maybe realize she was wrong about who he was.

Right. Because I feel like we don’t really know who Toby is…yet.
I love the character of Toby. We originally conceived him as Boo Radley in the book “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Every town has one of those Boo Radley’s, the sort of mysterious engima, and you’re not really sure –

The outcast.
Yeah exactly. And it’s really fun getting to know Toby as an audience. And for the pretty little liars to get to know Toby and discover who he really is. He’s a very interesting character.

And in the books, Darren Wilden comes into the picture and plays a big role in the whole mystery. Will he be appearing soon?
He’s not going to be back before the season is over. But you might find that the new cop in town, Garrett, in some ways parallels the role that Darren played in the books.

Who plays Garrett?
Yani Gellman. Officer Garrett Reynolds is [the character's] name. He appeared in the first episode back. There’s a very interesting surprise coming up with him.

Fans of the book, or anyone who is curious, could look up and find out who they think is A. But we really don’t know because the show continues to shock and surprise us every week. So how will it continue to do so in the second half of the season?
It really just starts to ramp up. The next couple episodes have a lot of surprising twists and turns but we really sort of start to ramp up towards the last three or four episodes of this season. [They] are very mystery oriented, we really get into who killed Alison. The girls get tangled up in this web of who killed Alison — a little bit more than who is A. And it’s very compelling and it’s twist after twist and a lot of “Oh my God” moments. It’s tough for me to even think about it, and I watch each episode probably twenty times before it gets to television and then I watch it Monday nights like everybody else. There are some great jump off the couch moments coming up.

Oh good, I’m excited. And obviously I know you won’t tell me who A is (and I wouldn’t want you to), but will we find out who A is at the end of season one?
No. You won’t. I think it’s okay for me to say that. We are going to answer a huge question in the season finale, but it’s not who is A. But A is involved with this answer though, of course. A is all knowing.

A knows everything.
A for all knowing.

(laughs) That’s a good one. I know you can’t share too much about the big finale. But I have read on your Twitter and in interviews that you have said it’s really huge and kind of Hitchockian, which intrigues me. So can you share a little teaser of what we might see in the big finale?
We were very fortunate to have Lesli Linka Glatter, who directed the pilot, back to direct the season finale. And it’s really sort of this full circle moment. We reference the pilot and it feels like it’s this great bookend to many of the questions we asked in the pilot. So people who have been following the show from the very beginning, I think will feel very, very satisfied with where it leads. And there’s just some things we do — there’s a character in the show, other than a pretty little liar, who has a flashback with Alison on the weekend she disappeared. So that’s really fun, and we have this very cinematic visual ending which is the Hitchockian part of it. It’s a lot of fun. It’s very suspenseful and spooky and surprising.

Oh wow. And will we continue to see the Ali flashbacks next season as well?
We will. We definitely will. And as of the finale, we’ve opened it up to one other character’s memories of Alison as well.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 8 pm to ABC Family for an all new episode of Pretty Little Liars!

What originally drew you to the role of Sally?
Well, I think it was just when I first read the first two episodes – I got the scripts from my agent – I immediately fell in love with it. And I really, really connected to Sally. I saw her as the same person in death that she was in life; someone who was really vibrant and interesting and passionate and sensitive and someone who’s dealing with a lot of grief and loneliness. And I really found it heartbreaking, the fact that the people in her life are mourning her, but she’s mourning them just as much.

Were you always drawn to the supernatural genre or did it sort of just happen that way?
I’ve always been a fan of the genre stuff. Because first off, my brother’s a huge comic book nerd so growing up, I was surrounded by that kind of stuff. My mom, too, is really into that. So I was always a fan of the genre, and so getting to play a role like this – the show is a character based show with the supernatural elements as sort of a bonus that makes the stakes higher. But it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s really exciting.

Did you watch the British version before you got the role?
When I got the material, I had never heard of the show. And I did watch maybe 2 episodes during my audition process to get a sense of what the show was about and the tone of it. But since we started shooting, we sort of made the conscious choice not to watch anything so we could just bring ourselves to it and not be influenced by anything else.

Do you think because it was already so popular over there that it helped bring a big fan base to the American version?
I think so. I mean, just the fact that people were sort of buzzing about it while we were in casting. It was a good thing. I didn’t feel much pressure, because I didn’t know the British one at all, but it’s always a good thing when people are talking about it.

And seeing as obviously you aren’t a ghost (laughs), how do you relate to Sally? (laughs) At least I hope not!
(laughs) Well, I’m not playing her as a ghost, I’m playing her as a real person. I feel like all three characters are really rooted in humanity as they’re trying to hold to hold onto a sense of their normal life that they once lost. So I just connect with her because I feel that we’re similar. She’s a young girl and she’s extremely relatable especially to woman in their 20s because what we’re dealing with is someone who was passionate and involved and had a clear view of what she wanted out of life, whether it was personal matters or career wise, she knew exactly where she wanted to be. And then, she falls in love with a guy and loses herself in another person. And I think that’s something that a lot of people deal with.

And in a recent episode, we saw Sally get out of the house finally!
(laughs) You know, I was just as excited as she was because it felt like a long time that she was stuck in there. I guess, watching on TV, it was a lot quicker than it actually felt when we were filming it. When we were shooting, I guess it was like maybe almost a month where I was stuck in the house and the guys get to go off and shoot scenes out of the studio and go on these adventures. And I want to go on these adventures too! And so, I really felt for her. And so when I finally did get to leave the house, I was really excited, because I get to get a change of scenery. It really sort of fueled me as an actor, because I’m living this with her.

I’m sure it must have been nice to get your own adventures.
I know, now I get to tag along.

In the last episode, Sally has a very intense and emotional scene with her former best friend Bridget, and you sort of give her your blessing to move in with her fiancée Danny. So do you think Sally is really accepting of this relationship or is she forced to accept it?
I think she is a little bit forced to accept it because her whole deal right now is she’s trying to find a catalyst to get her to the next stage of death. And she doesn’t know what it is, and she doesn’t know what the trigger is that’s going to get her to move where she needs to go. So she definitely knows that dwelling on everything that’s happening right now and obsessing about it and torturing herself even more, is not what’s going to help her move on. So she sort of feels like, especially with the advice of Aiden, she definitely feels like “I need to start accepting things. I need to find my own peace in myself before it translates to the outside.”

And are we going to see her get a ghost love interest perhaps?
I can’t tell you. There’s definitely some development with that.

And we learned that eventually a door appears, and a ghost goes through that to move on to the next phase. I imagine that won’t happen with Sally for a while?
Well, I don’t know. Her whole journey is finding what it’s going to take for her to get that door. You have to watch and see. I wish I could talk about it.

Are we going to get to see any flashbacks of Sally’s life? Or Sally and Danny together before she died?
There is a flashback in Monday’s [Ed. Note: Tonight's] episode.

And how is her relationship with Sam and Aiden going to continue to develop?
Essentially, the three of them have just met. Aiden and Josh knew each other before, but the three of them as a unit have just met. So, the relationship is very gradual but it happens quick enough because they’re all in these really extreme situations and it’s natural that they all bond through that and lean on each other and rely on each other, and support each other. So it definitely develops, because it’s something really beautiful. What I love about it is they all protect each other and come to really, really care about one another. And I feel like that’s what it is for the three of us in life, too. What we have as a friendship in real life does translate in the show.

I was just going to ask you what your experience has been like working with Sam Huntington and Sam Witwer? The two Sams.
Yeah, I know. Samwich! Those guys are my closest friends now, and it was sort of instant that our connection happened. We met the first time at the screen test in LA in June and when we read together, the three of us, there was right away this sort of electric spark that happened and we just knew how to relate to each other. And we all found our places immediately within our friendship. It’s only grown every single day since then. You can imagine when you spend 18 hours a day with people, you really get to know them. And a lot of times, you end up not liking the people you’re working with. But we’ve been really lucky. In fact, we’re all going to Hawaii on Sunday for a week. So we really like each other.

Do you have a favorite moment from filming the show so far?
My favorite moment probably of the entire series [so far] is in episode 2 when I’m flying down the stairs. That was something so special to shoot because we actually shot that on the 2nd day of shooting and it was a big process to shoot that because I had to get a full body cast made. What it was is that I was lying in this cast of my body, and there’s this metal spike sticking out of my stomach, and five huge men tipped me over and pretty much put me on this giant pole in the middle of this completely green studio. And the camera was on a crane, and they had the wind machine going and they had the playback going. And it was really this beautiful moment for the entire crew as well. Jeremy Carver was there who’s one of our writers and show-runners and he was saying Anna [Frick] who is our other writer, they wrote this and part of them felt like it was going to be cut from the script, because it is a fantasy sequence, it is really extravagant for just one little piece. And so they were just amazed that they kept it in and it actually turned out so beautifully. And I think it was a special moment for everybody, and I was really moved by the whole thing. I really felt like I was in it, and I felt like I was thinking about Sally so much. I care about her so much. I care about her journey. So it was sort of like a cathartic experience. It was really nice.

That sounds like such a nice moment.
Yeah. I’ve seen that episode 4 or 5 times, and I still get goosebumps every time I see it.

What would you say has been the biggest challenge so far in playing Sally?
I think doing this character is really challenging. She’s an emotional character. She’s going through so much. And really we see her keep hitting these rock bottoms, and to really put yourself in that situation is tough and really challenging. But I really couldn’t be more grateful to be able to do something like this. For me, in my career, it’s rare that I’m able to play a character that’s so well rounded, and so much like an actual person. You see her go through so many different emotions, and often, within one scene, she can be really hyper and happy, and sort of manic and then go to a really, really dark place, which is such an amazing challenge and I’ve been embracing it. I really love it.

I know you can’t spoil a lot, but what can you tease about what’s coming up for Sally in the next few episodes?
Well, Sally definitely – episode 5 coming up on Monday is a huge episode for the three of us, individually. There’s some huge bombs that are dropped and I think after that point, especially for Sally, everything changes. And she’s taken a turn that is really different from the way she starts off in the beginning.

Interesting. And obviously, I already love the show. But what would you tell viewers as to why they should tune in?
I think it’s just a really relatable show. I think that our three characters are going through things that everybody sort of is dealing with, and I feel like especially for people in their 20s. We all have something inside of us that we feel like we need to hide from the world. We feel like we’re sort of uncomfortable with and sort of a monster in ourselves that we don’t want anyone to know about. And these people are dealing with exactly the same thing but in these heightened situations. So I think people can watch it and find the pieces of themselves in any of us three, and sort of relate to that and find something in us that they love.

I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
I’m so happy you like it!

My first reaction to Sally was “Oh she’s sassy! I like her!”
(laughs) Oh God, you’re in for so much.

Be sure to tune in tonight to SyFy at 9 pm for an all new episode of Being Human.