Image Source: Wikimedia Commons, IMDb
American actress, singer, and television personality Lucy Hale is remembered for her iconic portrayal of Aria Montgomery in Freeform’s successful show "Pretty Little Liars." Lucy not only received love and appreciation from the critics and the audience but also several accolades for her convincing role as Aria.
The actress first appeared on-screen as a part of the Fox reality show American Juniors, and she finished in fourth place in 2003. Lucy stared in minor roles in Drake and Josh, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, The O.C., How I Met Your Mother, and Wizards of Waverley Place.
Pretty Little Liars ended in 2017 and the cast members of the show found it a little hard to adjust to their reality without the constant threat of being scared by A. Lucy Hale was one of them, as she shared with PEOPLE, "After the show ended, it was a dark time in my life. It made me realize, "Oh God, I don't know what I like about myself. It was such a crazy experience to be a part of something massive on a global scale. The show changed our lives overnight. We were so young, so busy and overworked. But you're up on this mountain, and you're like, "everything is so great! People love us! 'When you step outside that, you're like, 'that's not normal.'"
Lucy Hale and Ian Harding as Aria and Ezra on 'Pretty Little Liars'. Image Source: Instyle
To get back to herself and in the real world outside the world of Pretty Little Liars, Lucy Hale decided to spend some time with herself to get to know herself more broadly and sensibly. Today, she stars in Ragdoll and is currently filming The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry in Boston. The actress will not reprise her role as Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars’ spinoff show "Original Sin." Lucy's most recent romantic comedy movie, "The Hating Game," was released on Friday, in which she plays Lucy Hutton. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Sally Thorne, and the actress shared that the author always had her in mind while casting or thinking about making a movie based on her book. "I hope that the people who like the book feel like we did it justice. It’s always hard to get everything right, but I feel like we did a good job, "she expressed.
Lucy added that romantic comedy movies are comforting because people always know that they will get a happy ending, which makes them easy to watch.
Speaking about finding solitude in one’s own company, Lucy shared, "I just really had to hang out with myself. I'm at a point now where I love what I do, but I also like who I am outside that. That, to me, is a big accomplishment because I didn't know if I'd ever be able to say that about myself. " After Pretty Little Liars ended, the actress went on to star in the ‘Riverdale’ spinoff show "Katy Keene" and enjoys taking up roles that challenge her but also teach her something about herself.
Lucy Hale is often spotted while walking her dogs, Elvis and Ethel, in Los Angeles and with a cup of coffee. She adds, "I used to think one day I'd have these big hobbies, but it's more just quiet moments with myself. I don't know if it's because work constantly pulls me in a million different directions, but I love solitude. It's not unusual for me to not do anything social for months at a time. " The actress also mentioned that since the time she started to spend time with herself, she has limited her screen time and given herself a rest or break to focus on her mental health.
Lucy Hale on taking her time off-screen shared, "It's hard when you're online, and you're on your phone, and you see all these beautiful people, and you think you're supposed to look like that. I think that one really sad thing about the internet is that it can rip away how you feel about yourself, and it's just such a shame. I limit my time on my phone these days to keep me in higher spirits. "
The actress shared in her interview that singer Adele’s recent interview, where she mentioned that keeping herself and her mental health above everyone’s happiness, inspired her. Lucy elaborated, "You know what I love about Adele? She recently said in an interview, "I lost all this weight, and I'm sorry that that triggered a lot of things in other people, but it's not my job to make everyone happy." I thought that was so accurate. In our industry, I do feel a responsibility to be open and honest, but I also have to take care of my mental health. "
Sharing about the same, Lucy Hale said, "Feeling like I have to please so many people makes me hate myself." I can't live my life wondering what people think of me. I hope people like me, of course. And I hope people relate to what I'm saying, but if they don't, that's not my problem. Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you'll ever have in your life. " The actress also shared that when she is having a stressful day, she likes to channel whatever energy she has inside her to work out to blow off some steam. She added, "I listen to what my body needs, and so I mix it up. I love Pilates and yoga, and I do strength training twice a week. I live across from a hiking trail, and I try to go every day for some quiet time."
The 32-year-old actress also opened up about her dating and said that even though she is open to love, she is not looking to settle down with something she believes she does not deserve. Lucy added, "I mean, dating is hard in general, but L.A. is a strange place to date. It's tricky with my job taking me everywhere, and I know what I'm looking for. I think it's good to be picky. Society makes you feel like you have to be married or have kids by a certain age, but that's outdated and doesn't work for my life. "
