Shay Mitchell

Hello Shay! So you’re going to be starring in the new show, Pretty Little Liars. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
It’s about four friends who fall apart after queen bee of the group, Alison, goes missing. They reunite a year after when they all begin to receive messages from an anonymous “A” person who is threatening to expose all their secrets that only Alison knew.

You play Emily, one of the four best friends. What is she like?
Emily is a really good girl who is captain of her high school swim team, was raised in a very conservative family, and is the sweetest out of the group of girls.

On what level can you relate to her?
Emily has a lot of admirable qualities that I respect. I would love to say that we share some characteristics like her competitive nature in sports, her love for the water (I also swam when I was younger), and her loyalty to her friends.

The Pretty Little Liars Poster

The show focuses on a story about friendship and secrets. How has working on it helped you to understand and explore these two topics?
It has made me realize how important having a good group of friends is, especially while growing up and going through high school. Reflecting on my own experience in high school I didn’t have a close group of friends initially and it made the experience so much harder. As far as the secrets part, it is always better to be open and honest with your friends to avoid the hurt it could cause by keeping secrets.

Which episode is your favourite, and why?
I really can’t pick one episode thus far. They have all been so much fun shooting. The writers are amazing and all of us girls get so excited reading for the next episode! There are great moments in each episode I’ve filmed to date.

Do you have any fun stories from set that you can share with us?
Haha! Well, there is one funny scene that stands out. It was when we were shooting in the forest and Ashley, who plays Hanna, was wearing these high heels and every time we would walk her shoes would keep sinking into the soil and sliding. So watching her get through that scene was pretty funny!!!

Shay in the pilot episode of 'Pretty Little Liars'

The television show is based on the books, written by Sara Shepard. Do you think fans of the books will be pleased with the show?
I think they will LOVE the show. It stays very true to the books, but there are some new twists and turns too that I think the fans of the book will be surprised to find out. The books are amazing and I can really say the same thing about the show.

The premiere of the show is in June. What will you be doing to celebrate it?
I am soooo excited!!! We haven’t really talked about it because everyone has been so busy working, but I am sure we will all be meeting at someone’s house to watch the show together.

Describe your ideal day.
My ideal day would be to wake up around 10:30 (I rarely get to do that now) and to go to a cute café somewhere with a friend to have a delicious brunch. Then drive down the coast with my dog foxy in the back and find a remote beach so we could lay out on a blanket. I would hang out there all day then pull out a picnic bag and have dinner while watching the sunset.

What’s one food you simply cannot live without?
Pizza. Pasta. Italian food. MMMMMMmmmmmmmmm.

Shay in the pilot episode of 'Pretty Little Liars'

Who is your celebrity crush?
Ummmm… I don’t really have one but I do think Paul Walker is really cute. I also really like Jonah Hill- he is too funny.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I want to go everywhere. Morocco, India, Tokyo, Greece, Spain… there are too many places to pick just one. I have travelled quite a bit but anywhere new is always great to explore and check out.

And finally, how can fans contact you? (twitter, myspace, facebook?)
Twitter: www.twitter.com/shaymitch
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfficialShayMitchell