The TV Chick

Pretty Little Liars has become a new favorite of mine. I had high hopes for this show since the beginning because I was a big fan of the book series. Sometimes it’s hard to see a book adapted to a television series or movie because while you read, you form a vision in your head of what the characters look and act like. Sara Shepard’s style of writing is so descriptive that she doesn’t leave too much to be imagined. However, Pretty Little Liars really brings to life these characters in a great way. There are things that are different but as a whole, it really does justice to Shepard’s writing. In the book, one of my favorite characters was Alison DiLaurentis. There was a lot of mystery and intrigue surrounding her (Is she A? Who is A?), and not just because she went missing. On the show, Sasha Pieterse truly personifies Alison. She does a wonderful job of bringing life (or death?) to Ali, and I only wish we saw more flashbacks. I recently had the chance to chat with Sasha (who is quite lovely) about the show, Alison and her manipulative ways (perhaps she is a protegee to Regina George from Mean Girls?) and why everyone should be tuning in.

I’ve read the books, so I know a fair amount. But tell us a little bit more about your character Alison DiLaurentis.
She is very feisty. She’s the queen bee of the school, and the girls. There’s five best friends, and she kind of rules over them. She’s like Regina George [from Mean Girls]. She’s very manipulative, but at the same time, she’s got a really sweet side too. She really does care for the girls, but she kind of has them under her thumb. (laughs)

Are you anything like her at all?
Um, (laughs), I like her style, and I kind of like the way she does things. She’s fun to play. I can kind of relate to her, I guess.

It’d be weird if you were like “I’m exactly like her!” (laughs)
(laughs) Yeah, I feel bad sometimes reading the script and then filming the scenes. And I feel bad because I totally belittle someone, and I’m just like “Oh I’m sorry!” but it’s so much fun. She’s like my guilty pleasure to play.

You have read the books. What about the books have you taken and brought to Ali? And what did you enjoy most about the books?
First of all, I love Sara [Shepard's] writing. Everything is so, so detailed and graphic. You can visualize everything, and I love that about it. And I love how she describes every characters so immensely — it’s just amazing how she does [it]. It’s kind of nice just to bring Alison alive. Because in the books, too, she describes her and so to put a face to Alison is really important because there are a lot of flashbacks in the books. And I think the show is a better understanding of who Alison is, which is good. I think the fans will really enjoy it.

You had mentioned you think Ali is like Regina George. Do you take any aspects from her and bring her to the role?
Oh definitely. You know how Regina George is so manipulative, that she’ll do something in a sweet way but it really has an evil meaning? And it’s just how you twist people’s emotions and get them to do what you want them to. Regina’s really like that, and I think Alison is too. I think Alison definitely has the control on the girls and no one really wants to be controlled by a mean person all the time, but when you’re really sweet about, it’s even more twisted, but it gets them to do what you want.

A scene in the movie that sticks out for me is when Cady’s character realizes Regina’s backhanded compliments, and that she doesn’t like her bracelet.
Exactly!

And do you have a favorite moment from filming the show so far?
There’s been a few. In Vancouver [where the pilot was filmed], it was freezing, it was like negative seven degree weather, which was crazy. And there’s one scene where Troian [Bellisario, who plays Spencer] and I are in our bathing suits outside. It’s supposed to be this nice summer day, we have all the lights on, it looks summer-y from the camera side. And then there’s snow falling in Troian’s hair and my hair but you can see more in Troian’s. So they had to cut the taping, and put something over her. We had to put a canopy over us so you couldn’t see the snow. And then we’re breathing really hard, so you can see the air, so we had breathe through our noses and all that kind of stuff. It was fun, actually.

Oh my gosh! Well it must have been a nice bonding moment for you.
Yeah, definitely. Lucy [Hale, who plays Aria] and I had that moment too when we [had] frozen yogurt, and we’re all in these little skirts and shoes and our toes are freezing. (laughs) But you know what, it was really fun. The crew was really good to us. They had little canopies with heaters inside them. We had toe warmers, hand warmers, everything you can think of, they were great.

Has playing Ali been a challenge to you at all? Since to the viewers, we’re not sure if she’s alive or dead.
I think every role is a challenge, and Ali for sure, because you really have to get all of her layers, because she has so many. And right now, no one really knows if she’s dead or alive, or who’s sending the messages. There’s so many secrets, so you have to play it in a way that you don’t give away anything, but at the same time, people really get Ali. So yeah, it’s a challenge, but it’s fun and I love it.

You’ve been acting since you were very little. What makes this show different from others you’ve worked on?
Actually being in a series is great because it’s different every week. There’s so many secrets and so many details that you never get bored. You’re always doing something different, and there’s always different circumstances and different areas and things that you wouldn’t normally see. There’s a lot of shows [where] the same thing sort of happens every week. I think especially in teen shows too because it’s the drama and the boys and the clothes. And this has that aspect, but because there’s so many secrets, and because it’s almost like a murder mystery, it’s a Mean Girls/Gossip Girl/Desperate Housewives sort of feel for teens. I think it’s really cool for the viewers and for us because we’re never bored, they’re never bored, you’re always doing something different and seeing something different which I think is really good.

Yeah, absolutely. You had mentioned that Ali has a lot of layers. We really haven’t even begun to delve into that yet. Can you give us a little teaser of what’s coming up for her and what we might see soon?
I can’t give away too much! (laughs) But I will tell you that I think there’s a lot that no one really knows about Ali and I think we’re going to be seeing a lot of that hopefully in the second season and hopefully towards the end of this season. Obviously, if we have a second season, cross your fingers!

I think so!
I hope so, I really do hope so. But I think a lot is going to be revealed about Ali that hasn’t even been touched on in the books yet. I think it will bring a different aspect to the girls and their characters because as much as they have all these secrets, Ali does too, and they don’t know them yet. And so they all intertwine. It’s like this big web. And I think slowly but surely, you’re going to be able to put the pieces together. I think as the show goes on, it’s just going to be such a broad picture of what these girls are really living like. There are so many different pieces to it, and it’s crazy. Sara has pulled certain things from her childhood — not that these are true stories necessarily — but things that would happen in Rosewood. So you just get this dark, eerie feeling about what happens in Rosewood. It’s a really cool story.

Is there more to Ali in the show than there is in the books? Does it branch out as the season goes on?
Yeah, yeah definitely. It’ll definitely surprise you and the viewers. Especially in the second season, if we have one, there’s going to be a lot more to it.

I noticed that you connect with a lot of your fans through Twitter. Have you gotten a lot of good feedback about Ali and the show?
Definitely. I’ve been really happy because every time I go on Twitter, there’s so many nice messages. I’ve gotten like one or two bad ones, but there’s always those. But most of it is really good, and I have so much support already which is unbelievable. I’m so blessed with it. They’ve all been really, really good to me, and to the girls and to the show. Everyone’s a big fan already which is so great to see. It just makes us feel better, I know for sure, knowing that we’re doing a good job and that we’re portraying the characters the way they want to see it, which means the world because that’s what we’re doing, that’s our job, that’s what we’re living for so it’s very interesting and very exciting to see all the feedback. So I’m very excited. I hope you are too!

Oh yeah! It’s interesting that you say that, because it’s sort of a fine like between people who read the books and were fans of the books, and then seeing it come to life. And to hear they’re excited about it — I know I am — so that’s very good to hear.
Aw, yeah. It’s actually mind-boggling already. The fourth episode [was last] Tuesday, and already there’s so much hype about it. Which is good, it didn’t fall flat. Our viewers keep growing. It’s very exciting.

Do you think any of the cast anticipated the extreme success of the show?
I think we were all hoping for it. I don’t think we thought it would do this well, this soon. All of the ratings and feedback and articles and everything that’s being put out there — it’s great. It’s really amazing to see success this soon. So I’m very excited. And I know the girls are. Everyone has such a vibe on set already, and now that there’s success with the show and the ratings are so good, everyone is so happy and bubbly all the time. We’re so carefree it’s ridiculous, so it’s a lot of fun on set. And this just makes it better.

And are you all friends off set as well?
Oh yeah. I know the girls hang out all the time. They go shopping, and so do I. We all have busy schedules but we make time to check in and see each other when we’re not filming. We’re a good little family.

A good little Rosewood family.
Yes, exactly.

If you were to tell viewers as to why they should tune in to Pretty  Little Liars, what would you say?
First of all, I think it’s a good summer show, and you don’t really have that many options right now. If you really want to Tivo something or tune into something that you have to see every week — which, we had Lost and Heroes and that sort of thing where you had to pay attention to the storyline. And [Pretty Little Liars] is one of those. You really have to watch every week to understand the story and what the girls are going through and to find out all of the mysteries. And I would just say, especially if you’re a fan of the books, this is just bringing it to life. Even if you’ve never read them before, I think it’s an interesting story, and I think it’s a good story for girls…and guys, too of course. But as a young adult drama, I think it’s a really good show to watch. I really hope you do, and I’m just excited and hopefully they are too. We will see!

What TV are you watching lately and what are your favorite TV shows?
Oh my gosh. I love So You Think You Can Dance. My parents are professional dancers, so we all sit down and watch it. The show is just amazing, and the talent is absolutely incredible. I love the comedies. I love Big Bang Theory, New Adventures of Old Christine. I love Two and a Half Men.

All the sitcoms!
Yeah. Chuck. Honestly, I will sit down and watch those in my free time, whenever I can.

I read that you were working on your music. Do you think there’s a chance we might hear you sing on Pretty Little Liars?
That would be great. We will see. I’m doing my demo right now. No news yet if I’m going to do it on the show, but you never know. I’m sure you will hear some of my music soon.

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