“I started out singing and didn’t have any interest in acting. I had this manager who suggested I put some auditions on tape. I didn’t want to do it at first. I wanted to sing. Somehow, she talked me into it. I came out to L.A., then overnight fell in love with it. Thinking back to when I was 14, I never would have thought I’d like to be an actor, and now I love it even more than singing. It’s really crazy how it worked out,” Lucy said to Hollywood Today.

At age 15, Lucy begged her mother to take her to LA for Pilot season so she could kick start her career, but it wasn’t an easy ride leaving her hometown and the rest of her family to go to the bright lights of L.A. “I don’t think I booked anything for a solid year, but I learned an awful lot about the industry,” Lucy told Teen Scene.

Lucy guest starred in an episode of Ruby and the Rockets.

Good news started coming Lucy’s way when she landed a gig in an episode of Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, playing the role of Amy Cassidy. The following year, Lucy filmed a pilot called Secrets of a Small Town, a drama set in a small town where a mysterious murder occurs and then the victim’s sister suddenly disappears. Lucy had the role of Tisha Steele, but unfortunately the show was never picked up. Lucy then appeared in an episode of Drake and Josh, playing the character of Hazel, and also starred in an episode of The O.C. in season three, playing the role of Hadley Hawthorne – Kaitlyn Cooper’s boarding school roommate. In 2007, Lucy landed another Pilot for the show American Family, playing Brittany Jane, but unfortunately that Pilot was not picked up either. Later that year, Lucy appeared in an episode of How I Met Your Mother, guest starring as Robin’s younger sister Katie Scherbatsky, a role that Lucy wouldn’t mind reprising one day. “You know what? I'm really going for it, because outside of Privileged, that was the most favorite thing I've ever done. Keep your fingers crossed, because I sure am!” Lucy said to TV Guide in an interview in 2009.

Lucy with David Henrie – don’t they look cute together?

After How I Met Your Mother, Lucy had a guest arc on Wizards of Waverly Place, playing the role of Miranda, Justin’s goth girlfriend. In real life, Lucy also dated David Henrie, who plays Justin. (David also plays Ted’s son in How I Met Your Mother too! How’s that for six degrees of separation?) By now Lucy was becoming increasingly recognised by casting directors thanks to the stream of guest appearances, and she finally landed herself a more permanent gig when she was cast in the remake of Bionic Woman. Lucy played Becca Sommers, the younger sister of Jamie Sommers, aka Bionic Woman. Becca was your typical teenage girl, who also happened to be a talented computer hacker. Sadly the show, which took a harsh beating from critics, only aired for eight episodes and was cancelled amongst the drama that was the Writer’s Strike of 2007.

Lucy and the Bionic Woman cast.

“It was such a bummer. It was my first show, and for that to be my first experience ... was hard. I mostly felt bad for Michelle [Ryan], who worked her ass off every single day [as the series lead]. People were so mean about it. It just wasn't meant to work out, I guess,” Lucy told TV Guide.

Lucy and Alexis Bledel in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

But as she had been doing throughout her career, Lucy didn’t let the cancellation of Bionic Woman deter her and bounced back, landing more and more roles. In 2008, Lucy was cast in the Pilot The Apostles, a cop drama where she played the daughter of a cop. The Pilot was never picked up and Lucy moved on and landed the role of Effie Kaligaris in the film Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Effie was the impetuous younger sister of Lena, played by Alexis Bledel.

“I was actually a huge fan of the first one! I read the first book but I haven’t read the other ones. I was familiar with my character and I was a big fan of Alexis Bledel so I was really excited that I got to play her younger sister!” Lucy said to Portrait in an interview in 2008.

Lucy and the Privileged cast.

Then Lucy landed probably her most recognisable role to date – Rose Baker in the quirky CW show Privileged. Based on the series How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, Privileged follows aspiring writer Megan (played by JoAnna Garcia), who has a run of bad luck and ends up taking on the job of tutoring rich twins Rose and Sage Baker (played by Ashley Newbrough). While Rose is the nicer of the twins, it’s interesting to note that Lucy actually auditioned for the role of the meaner twin Sage! Nonetheless, Lucy loved playing Rose, who was a lot like herself.

Rose and Sage up to a little mischief.

"Rose is like the peacemaker in the show...She's completely opposite from her sister. But I think Rose is also really driven, and I like to think that I am, to," Lucy said in an interview with Six Degrees. "She's really a sweet kid, and I just felt like there wasn't anyone like her on the CW. There are a bunch of catty girls, but Rose, she's really a sweet, kind-hearted person, and I felt that it would be a good person to portray."

Privileged Promo:

The poster for Fear Island.

Sadly, although adored by critics and fans, the show only lasted one season. In between filming the Pilot for Privileged and the rest of the episodes, Lucy also shot the TV movie Fear Island (also known as Deep Cove and Deep End), a thriller that she starred in alongside Haylie Duff and Aaron Ashmore.

“I was pretty pumped about being able to run around acting like a killer was on the loose. Seriously though, I found myself getting a little freaked out at times!” she told Teen Scene.

Lucy in Sorority Wars

Lucy then followed Fear Island with another TV Movie, the Lifetime movie Sorority Wars. Lucy played the role of Katie Parker, a college freshman who was planning to carry on her mother’s legacy by pledging with her old sorority the Deltas, but after realising that the popular and showy Deltas weren’t her style, Katie decides to pledge a different sorority – the more laid back Kappas, insulting the Deltas and all hell breaks loose! "I don't know if in real life they're this cut-throat," Lucy said in an interview with PopEater. "But in the movie they're definitely a little catty!"

Starring alongside Lucy in Sorority Wars was Amanda Schull, best known for her role as Jodie Sawyer in the film Center Stage, and more recently One Tree Hill. “They’d seen me on Privileged. I hadn’t worked with any of them before. Then they found Amanda Schull who plays the mean girl in Sorority Wars. The movie Center Stage was my favorite movie, and Amanda was the lead in that movie,” said Lucy to Hollywood Today.

Sorority Wars Trailer:

Lucy in C.S.I. Miami

Since Privileged ended, Lucy has juggled her time between TV and movie appearances, from appearing in an episode of the “cute show” Ruby and the Rockets, to playing a young runaway mother in an episode of Private Practice, to playing a Miley Cyrus-esque character, who seemingly burst into flames while appearing on stage in an episode of C.S.I. Miami earlier this year.

Lucy in Private Practice.

While we love fangirling over Lucy, during her guest appearance on Private Practice, Lucy was provided with the opportunity to indulge in her own fangirl obsessions. One of them being the vampire drama True Blood. Lucy’s character’s mother was played by Kristen Bauer, who appeared in the raunchy vampire drama True Blood.

"Oh my God. I'm obsessed. Obsessed. It's so good. I'm so sad that we have to wait such a long time for the third season," she said to PopEater and confessed that " I just talked about True Blood the whole time and asked her all these questions!"

Keeping with Lucy’s vampire obsession, did you know that she auditioned for the role of Alice in Twilight? With rumours going around now that Ashley Greene may not be signing on for Breaking Dawn, maybe Lucy will be able to achieve her vampire dream after all!

Lucy with her Pretty Little Liars co-stars.

But for now, she’s keeping busy with her new show, the much anticipated Pretty Little Liars, set to debut on ABC Family this month. From the executive producers of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars has been described as a young Desperate Housewives - think picture perfect suburbia on the surface but dark secrets lurking just beneath. Based on the book series, the show follows four former best friends Aria (played by Lucy), Spencer (played by Troian Bellisario), Hanna (played by Ashley Benson), and Haley (played by Shay Mitchell), who drift apart after their best friend and mean queen bee of the group – Alison (played by Sasha Pieterse), goes missing.

We're looking forward to seeing Lucy as Aria in Pretty Little Liars.

A year later, the 16 year old girls – who aren’t exactly innocent and each have their own share of dirty little secrets – are brought back together when they each start receiving threatening messages from someone known as ‘A’ and who knows about everything each of them are trying to hide. Could it be their missing friend? Former Charmed star Holly Marie Combs, makes her television comeback, playing Aria’s free spirited mother.

Pretty Little Liars Trailer:

And if you think Lucy’s been a busy bee, let’s not forget that music is still her passion and she’s also currently developing her singing career and working on her first solo album.

“I’m in the studio recording and songwriting. I sing. The music side of the business is a lot harder to break into,” she said to Hollywood Today.

Lucy performing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in Sorority Wars:

Lucy on the red carpet.

Not to mention, Lucy still manages to find time to keep up with her other passions and obsessions. For starters, Lucy is a keen philanthropist. “I’m pretty involved with my church,” she said to Hollywood Today. “There’s a cause there called Generosity Water. If you buy their bottled water all the proceeds go to build wells in Africa. I’m involved in that and St. Jude hospital in Memphis.”

She’s also a keen tweeter, so you can follow her at http://twitter.com/lucyyhale. "I just feel that Twitter is a really good way to broadcast what I'm up to," she told PopEater. "For the most part everyone's really supportive. I almost feel like they're my friends!"

Lucy also loves reading, cooking, going to the movies, watching You-Tube, and playing with her dog.

Lucy and her dog Yorkie.

As a young star in Hollywood, it’s easy to lose your way and buy into the hype and glitz and glamour, and then the next thing you know you’re making headlines in trashy tabloids. Thankfully, Lucy has yet to lose her focus.

“I was raised pretty well and I have amazing parents. My mom moved out here with me and got me settled in and we built a foundation out here in L.A. She still checks in. I think it's about finding other things that you love besides acting. I don't know, but I think if my whole life was acting and auditions and rejection I'd go a little crazy,” she said to ScreenStar.com.