The TV Chick

Last night was the mid-season premiere of Pretty Little Liars and I’m so glad it’s back! All the girls have their theories on who A is and there were some very intriguing developments. Aria and Fitz are going to be together (we think!) Hanna got a visit in the hospital from A. and from Alison (in a dream). Spencer’s sister got married (!) to Ian (!!) and we’re all left to wonder why. But one of the most interesting storylines was Emily coming out to her parents. This isn’t seen on television a lot and I am glad to see Pretty Little Liars tackle it head on. What will the aftermath be? I recently caught up with Shay Mitchell, who plays Emily. We talked about what’s coming up with Emily and Maya, the qualities she shares with Emily, and how she’s glad to be the face of a gay teenager on television.

When you first signed on to Pretty Little Liars, did you ever anticipate the phenomenon it would become?
I knew that the books were amazing and I was really excited for the show. But did I know it was going to be like this? No! I don’t think you can ever expect it to blow up like this, I was really excited. Sara did such an amazing job with the books and now our writers on the show are doing such an amazing job to bring it to life.

Are you anything like Emily at all?
I think I share some of the qualities that Emily has. She’s extremely loyal to her friends and I’m the same way. And she is sometimes the shy one, the quiet one of the group, and that can be me at times. She’s competitive with her sports and stuff like that and I would say the same thing [for me]. The only thing that really differs between me and Emily is our fashion style.

And obviously, there’s going to be a lot going on with her and Maya…
Yeah…

What has it been like playing a teenager who is trying to figure out her sexuality?
It’s amazing. I’m so happy and blessed to be playing this character. I think it’s great that there’s somebody on TV now at her age that’s dealing with it. At the beginning, she’s not saying one thing or the other. She’s not saying “I’m gay” or “I’m straight.” She’s not titling herself as anything, and that to me is important, because I don’t feel like you have to. So I think it’s great. If I can be somewhat of a face for that and on TV and playing that character, then hey, it’s awesome. I’m so happy.

Have you had a lot of people reach out to you and talk to you about it?
Yeah, totally. I think those are some of the best compliments I’ve got and comments, talking to the fans when they say “I wish this show was on back five or ten years ago back when I was in high school so I could have seen somebody like that.” Most of the time on TV and in movies, you see the girl who is the weird one and that’s the one who is gay or a lesbian. And you see two hot chicks making out and it’s glorified. And this isn’t. It’s just simply what it is. And it’s humans finding each other and feeling something. And she’s not looking at genders, and I think that’s great.

And can you tease a little bit of what’s coming up? What’s going to happen with the Maya relationship?
It’s going to continue, their relationship, for a little. So much happens in Rosewood. One day you’re together, the next day you’re not. New people come and people go. It’s going to be good. Emily’s going to have a good time.

What has been the biggest challenge for you so far?
I don’t know. It’s been really great. We have such an amazing cast and crew, we’re so lucky. We’ve just been having such a great time.

And Lindsay Shaw is coming on to play Page, maybe a little bit of a rival for you?
Maybe a little rival. Holy man. It’s going to be good. Lindsay does come in and she picks up Emily’s athletic drive, so it’s good. She totally kicks it up and gets that out of her.

Do you have a favorite moment from filming the show?
I really did love the Homecoming episode. I thought it was amazing with Toby. The new half of season 1, we have a very amazing scene that I love. And I won’t say who it’s with, but it’s my favorite one that we shot. So you will see that within the first two episodes.

And what about her relationship with her parents? How is that going to continue to develop?
They’re going to deal with everything that’s happened and how they’re going to deal with that, I can’t say.

Can you give us a little teaser of what we can expect in the second half of the season?
Be prepared to watch and be even more at the edge of your seat than you were before, knowing that it only gets crazier and better and crazier and better.