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When Shay Mitchell landed the role of Emily Fields on ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars (TV), she was living in Toronto, Ontario. Just two months into the show's run, it's a take-off hit and Shay is taking it all in stride. Now living in L.A., the Candian actress is among a hot new group of young women in Hollywood paving their way to success, and truly enjoying the ride.
PopStar recently caught up with Shay to discuss Pretty Little Liars (TV), the book series it's based on, and her high hopes for the character of Emily Fields. We spoke just two days before she and her fellow cast members attended the 2010 Teen Choice Awards (TV), where Pretty Little Liars (TV) took home the award for Choice Summer TV Show.
Let's talk about the show Pretty Little Liars, which premiered on ABC Family on June 8th. Can you tell us how you landed the role as one of it's main characters Emily Fields?
Yes, I was living in Toronto at the time, when my manager sent me the breakdown of the character in the show. I originally auditioned for Spencer's character who is now played by Troian Bellisario. I read for her and they still hadn't found their Emily, so I thought "Emily's a great girl" and I read for her. Then they flew me down to L.A. to test for the network and the studio. I found out that week that I had landed the role, so that was my entrance into Pretty Little Liars.
You list the book "Pretty Little Liars" as a favorite of yours. Had you read the series by Sara Shepherd prior to this, or did you discover it through the T.V. show?
Exactly, I discovered it after I got the breakdown - when I was flying back from L.A. I had gotten a couple of the books, the first two. I read them on the plane, and then I read through all of them, except the last one. That''s the only one that I haven't read yet. I don't want it to end. It's sitting on my bookshelf and I see it, but I haven't read the last one yet. I'm holding off.
How would you describe Emily in your own words, and how might she be similar to you?
I would say Emily is a very sweet girl. She really tries to do good things, and she's been brought up very well, but also under a very conservative family. Out of the group, she wants everything to be smooth, wants everything to be good with her group of friends. She's also a very competitive athlete. She's very sweet and extremely loyal to all of her friends.
Is she similar to me? I would say that I hope my friends would say the same thing about me. I really do like to smooth things over whenever there's little bumps in the road with any of my group of friends. I am slightly competitive too. I didn't think I was as athletic as Emily was when I first read about her, but since I moved out to L.A., I've been pretty athletic out here. So I'm not going to say that I'm not athletic. I'm not on the swim team, but I'm climbing ropes in Santa Monica and I'm doing a lot of crazy things out here.
But as far as style goes, and wardrobe, that's probably the main difference. I have more heels than I have running shoes.
I was going to ask you that next, how you two are different.
Yea, that, and as far as being brought up, we were polar opposites. My family was extremely liberal and I wasn't raised with my dad being in the military or anything like that. So, we differ in how we've grown up.
Emily is dealing with a lot of teen conflicts related to friendships, boyfriends, her own personal insecurities, and even issues dealing with her own sexuality. Have you taken any valuable lessons from the experience of portraying Emily that may transcend to younger viewers of the show?
Yea, just getting to play a character like her. You can't label her as being gay or straight, or anything right now as far as the show is heading. I learned that I can't define this character by her sexual orientation because it really isn't as black and white as most people would like to think, especially with her. She's confused and I think with her she's like "you can't label me" because she's falling in love or liking these characters for who they are, and not so much whether they're a girl or a boy.
How would you like to see the character of Emily evolve?
I'd like to see her live an authentic life. It's very straightforward. I'd like her to feel comfortable amongst her group of friends, and especially her family because the way they've raised her in the show is to be very perfect and to have everything in order, and that it's important what people on the outside think about you. I would like for Emily to just be very comfortable with who she is, and put that aside for a bit and focus on what makes Emily really happy.
The show contains elements of drama and intrigue. How far ahead do you get to know what's going to happen with your character or the plot line in general, or do you just find out when you get the script each week?
I find out about three days before we do the table read. We don't even get the scripts a week ahead. So I have no idea what the writers have in store for me.
That can be a good thing right? Does it create a bit more spontaneity?
Exactly, yes. And the table reads are such a blast because we're all reading it for the first time and we're all like [gasp ] "this happens," and "oh my goodness, this happens with your character," and it's really really fun.
Can you describe the atmosphere on the set?
It's such a blast. And this being my first big show, and being a lead on it, I'm so blessed to be able to work with such an amazing cast and crew. Everybody from the lighting to sound, they're so great. They make my job so easy. I come to work and I just have a blast, and I go home. So, it's very very fun. I just love everybody who works on Pretty Little Liars. It's been so amazing, and I'm just very fortunate.
Because the show has been so well received, the network just ordered an additional 12 episodes for the season, which will make a total of 22 episodes. What type of responses are you getting personally with regard to the show's success?
Yea, especially with my character too. I'm doing the whole Twitter thing, and I get to read a lot of the comments that fans of the books and the show write into me, so I've been hearing a lot from young girls (and boys) that the show has really helped them a lot with their day-to-day life. They've seen a character on TV who is very relatable to who they are, and it's a character who isn't, like I said before, labeled as one thing or another. She's discovering herself. She's in a gray area and figuring it out. So to hear fans say that this character has helped them and is helping them, is amazing. I think that's the best compliment I could ever have.
Even when they stop me on the street and they say "I love your character, honestly. To see somebody going through what I'm going through right now is so helpful," that means the world to me, so I'm happy if I can do that.
You just recently moved to L.A. How are you adjusting to life in Hollywood?
Really really well. It's so nice. I was living in Toronto before moving out to L.A., and before that I was living in Vancouver where my parents currently reside. So I've lived on the East coast and I've lived on the West coast of Canada, and now to live on the West coast in the states is great. To have the beach right there, and I'm finding all these neat little pockets of Los Angeles that I'm falling in love with. It's really neat. I have my weekends off to discover all these great little places, so it makes it really fun. Then I go home to Canada too, which I"m doing next week. I miss Canada a little bit too. It'll be nice to go home and see my friends and family.
Give us some idea of how you like to spend your free time. I understand that you're interested in Interior Design?
Yes, and I think more so because of moving into my apartment, and I've got a fresh slate to decorate and really do it exactly how I wanted it. So I've been doing that a little bit. But aside from that it's been, like I said, sightseeing. I have a really great trainer out here because when we're on the show, I don't get as much time as I'd like to be in the gym, and I don't get up at crazy hours to go to the gym. So in my time off, I've been working with a really amazing trainer and we've been doing so many fun things.
I also try and see a movie here and there. There's a couple of movies that I'm really excited to see, especially Eat Pray Love (2010). I'd like to see that. And I try to squeeze in some sort of travel during my hiatus, but I think going to Vancouver for a couple of weeks will be just the right kind of trip.
So do you have a celebrity crush?
I don't. I don't have a celebrity crush. I know, I'm trying to think, because somebody else asked me that and I was like "hmmm - who's my celebrity crush?" and no, no one.
To be quite honest with you one of the celebrities who just gets me laughing all of the time is literally Jonah Hill. I can't stop laughing whenever I see one of his movies, so I will go to any movie that he is in and I will watch the movie over and over again. But as far as a 'crush' crush, no. I don't really have one.
Have you mapped out a particular life plan for yourself, or do you more or less follow your impulses at this
point?
Right now, I'm not looking very far ahead. I was always planning things and where I'd like to see myself. Even before the show, I was mapping out what road I was wanting to head down. Now that I'm right where I want to be, I'm just taking it day by day. I'm so happy with where I am, so to look forward would kind of make me miss out on everything I'm doing right now. So I'm trying to just stay in the now.
Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?
I would just like to say thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me and the rest of the cast.
To hear that they really love the show and also, coming from a book series was extremely nerve wracking for all of us, because you never know how they're going to take it. So they fall in love with this book then it turns into a show, and sometimes it doesn't always live up to the book series. And although it's slightly different, I am really happy that people have felt very positive about the show, and felt that we kept the essence and the spirit of Sara's books series.
I'm very happy and I just want to say thank you for liking the show, and I hope you continue to watch it.
Pretty Little Liars (TV) airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC Family.
