13 Things You Didn’t Know About Pretty Little Liars

The teen drama, mystery thriller series Pretty Little Liars is based on eight novels of the same name by Sara Shepard. Since the show was adapted for TV audiences in 2010, it has become a ratings success and has brought actresses Troian Bellisario (Spencer), Ashley Benson (Hanna), Lucy Hale (Aria) and Shay Mitchell (Emily) into the spotlight of fame. Since the show is about to finish airing its seventh and final season, here are 13 things you didn’t know about the popular show:

13. Scared of Girls.

In a 2011 Seventeen interview, Troian Bellisario said: “Girls terrified me. If a boy was mad at you, he hit you or he’d yell at you. I’m thinking about my brothers. Boys didn’t go around just hitting me. But it was easy. With girls all of a sudden she’ll tell you ‘That skirt looks ugly on you.’ And you’re like ‘Oh you’re mad at me! I have to figure out what I’ve done.’”  Working on the set of Pretty Little Liars has probably increased her fears.

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12. The Lincoln Assassin.

Lucy Hale shares the same name as Lucy Lambert Hale who was a U.S. Senator’s daughter and secretly engaged to John Wilkes Booth. Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at the Ford Theater in 1865.

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11. The Fiancé.

Pretty Little Liars is not the only show Troian Bellisario (Spencer Hastings) and Vanessa Ray (CeCe Drake) have in common.  They were both in the hit lawyer drama Suits, albeit in different episodes. On Suits, they appeared as Patrick J. Adams’ love interest, but in real life Bellisario is engaged to him. Adams was also on Pretty Little Liars, but did not get a chance to act with either Bellisario or Ray.

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10. Cheater Cheater.

Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) has been unfaithful to every boyfriend she has had thus far on Pretty Little Liars. There might be some trust issues as all the female leads, at one point, questioned whether or not her boyfriend was A or his or her ally.

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9. But I’m Alive in the Book.

As most Pretty Little Liars fans have discovered, the TV series has long since strayed from the book series by author Sara Shepard. For instance, the character of Toby is killed in the book series, but remains alive on TV due to his popularity with fans. There are also several characters who were killed onscreen, but continue to live in the books.

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8. Musical Talent.

The stars of Pretty Little Liars, Sasha Pieterse (Alison), Janel Parrish (Mona), Tyler Blackburn (Caleb), and Lucy Hale (Aria) have all put out an album. In 2012, Hale signed on with Hollywood Records.

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7. Besties.

Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Troian Bellisario, and Ashley Benson are as close friends on set as they are off-screen.  Hopefully they aren’t hiding the same dangerous secrets as their TV characters.

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6. The Role She Wanted and The Role She Got.

During auditions, Lucy Hale tried out for the part of Hanna, but was assigned the role of Aria. Tammin Sursok auditioned for the character of Spencer, but was casted as Jenna Marshall.  Shay Mitchell read for the role of Spencer during auditions, but was cast as Emily Fields. Also, Brant Daugherty, who appears as Noel Khan, wanted to be Ezra Fitz during casting.

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5. Replacements.

Looks like Alison was not the only DiLaurentis who disappeared in Rosewood. Parker Bagley portrayed Jason DiLaurentis, Alison’s brother, in Season One and was later replaced by Drew van Acker. Similarly, Anne Marie DeLuise originally played Mrs. DiLaurentis in the pilot and then was swapped for Andrea Parker.

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4. Tween.

When the pilot for Pretty Little Liars was filmed in 2008, Sasha Pieterse, who stars in the role of Alison DiLaurentis, was 12 years old. While the main characters all play girls in high school, Lucy Hale (Aria Montgomery) and Ashley Benson (Hanna Marin) were the only teenagers as they were both 19 when Season One aired, while Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields) was 21, and Troian Bellisario (Spencer Hastings) was 23.

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3. Not in the Know.

While fans were in the dark about A’s identity, most of the actors and staff working on the show knew all about the mysterious A…except Lucy Hale.  In an interview, she said she was not told, because it’s feared she will let the cat out of the bag.

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2. Not Quite Gilmore Girls.

In case you were wondering why the set of Pretty Little Liars looks so familiar, it is because several of the show’s lots were originally used to portray the fictional town of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls.

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1. Who is A?

The Season Six premiere revealed that ‘A’ is Charles DiLaurentis, but in the book series, A is actually Mona.