There’s a rumor running rampant in Hollywood that Shay Mitchell is the nicest person in the entertainment industry. “As beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside,” people are always telling me. Which, as you know, is saying something. Shay didn’t do anything to dispel the rumors when I spoke to her in late December. After 18 solid months of filming, she finally had a holiday, during which she should have been resting, or celebrating, or at least combating her terrible cold. But nope, on her first real vacation since shooting the Pretty Little Liars pilot, she called me up to chat about the mayhem of season 2B, the launch of her new website, and why she thinks landing the role of Emily Fields was meant to be.
AfterEllen.com: This is kind of embarrassing, but I was actually just shouting at you on TV because I’m watching the winter premiere and Oh, my God!
Shay Mitchell: I know!
AE: No, seriously. Oh, my God.
SM: No, seriously! I know!
AE: We should do this for like an hour. I’ll just shout incoherently at you while you affirm my Pretty Little Liars mania.
SM: Good idea. Where are you in the episode?
AE: You’re in the greenhouse with “A” and you just went flying over a table with glass shattering everywhere. Was that really you?
SM: Yes! My dream movie role is some kind of action role where I get to blow up cars while running in heels. And so this was such a fun taste of that. We had stunt people on set doing the choreography, and I was like, “Um, I’d really rather just do it myself.” They’re always like, “Shay, please don’t jump over that table.” And I’m like, “Yeah, no worries; I won’t.” And then when the cameras start, I run full throttle and throw myself at it. My knees were so bruised up after that – but it was totally worth it.
AE: I talked to Marlene yesterday and she said season 2B is full-on Badass Emily. Are we going to get to see more?
SM: Oh, yes. And it was so much fun to play! When Emily started out in season one, she was kind of reserved and kind of willing to sit back and let things happen as they happened, let other people take control. And she’s evolved so much since then. She doesn’t give a crap anymore. Like, you want to call her the weakest link? She’ll show you the weakest link.
AE: I’m only going on what I’ve seen so far in the premiere, but 2B seems creepy as hell.
SM: You have no idea. Honestly, it was kind of scary shooting that greenhouse scene. I mean, we always have lots of crew around, but it was dark and the cameras were outside and I was in there by myself most of the time.
AE: Marlene told me her sons were on set the final day of filming and the youngest one got so creeped out by A’s lair that he had to leave.
SM: I saw that room on the final day of shooting. I was hanging around on set talking to Marlene and she was like, “Let me show you this room.” And we went in there and I was like, “Holy – thanks for giving me nightmares as I’m heading home by myself!” The second half of this season is intense. It’s creepy. Not kid creepy. Grown-up creepy.
AE: Great. I couldn’t even walk my dogs outside after the sun went down for like a solid week after the Halloween episode.
SM: Oh, Heather. You’re going to need a hand to hold for the rest of this season. Don’t watch it alone. I’m always telling Marlene that she’s got a nail in her head or something. She comes up with the most twisted stuff. Well, all the writers do. I have such a tremendous amount of respect for our writers, for the way they build on Sara Shepherd‘s stories. I mean, even the way they’re able to stay on top of everything going on with all the characters. It’s a full-time job just keeping up with who Emily is dating!
AE: Yeah, let’s talk about Emily’s love life in 2B. Is she going to settle down with Maya or continue to play the field and date every gorgeous girl in the state of Pennsylvania?
SM: Well, I can tell you that someone comes back –
AE: You can say it’s Maya. I already know it’s Maya.
SM: Oh, good! OK, so Maya comes back and things really heat up with them. There are some intimate scenes with them, more intimate than Emily has ever had on the show. But the thing with Maya is that she’s been away for a while, and Emily didn’t just stand still while she was gone. She’s been growing and embracing her sexuality and owning who she really is. And so it’s a neat connection because it’s almost like they’re meeting each other for the first time. Maya is going to be a little shocked with how forward and how comfortable Emily is with herself now. Emily is a new Emily, and we’re going to find out if Maya likes the new Emily as much as Emily likes the new Emily. There are some pretty steamy scenes.
AE: Let’s talk about you a little bit. It’s been a pretty great year for you. So many Pretty Little Liars accolades. You launched your own website.
SM: It has been such a blessed, crazy year. I feel so lucky to be a part of this show, but I also wanted another way to connect with my fans in a way that’s a little more involved than Twitter and Facebook. I’m so excited about it because my website is not like anything I’ve ever seen before. I want it to be a place where I can connect with people and encourage them. I want to do how-tos and tips about things people maybe don’t know. I want it to be empowering for girls and women of all ages and ethnicities and sexual orientations.
AE: My favorite part of your website are the videos with your mom.
SM: I have been telling her my whole life that I want to compile all the things she’s taught me into a book. She’s wonderful. I don’t know how she does it, but she knows so much, and she’s always teaching me. And so I decided to use my website to share all of those things with other people.
AE: You know the Shay Mitchell Army?
SM: I do!
AE: Yeah, I’m going to start a Shay Mitchell’s Mom’s Army. She’s so great. Was she reluctant to do your website videos or was she like, “Sure, I’ll be a star!”
SM: The funny thing is, she was coming to stay with me, so I picked her up from the airport and in the car on the way to my house I was like, “Oh, some people are coming at 8:00 in the morning and we’re going to shoot some videos.” And she was like, “Cool, what are you shooting?” And I was like, “No, we’re shooting. We’re shooting videos about everything you’ve ever taught me.” She was a little nervous, but we had so much fun.
AE: I continue to be blown away by your generosity with your fans, how willing you are to reach out to them and connect with them.
SM: You know, my goal – and I’m not saying this like a pipe dream; I am going to make it happen – is to be able to go into schools and talk to teenage girls. I want to talk to them about self-esteem and self-worth, about relationships with boys and relationships with girls and relationships with their family and friends. And about embracing and celebrating the differences that make them who they are. I always wanted to be an actor, but more than that I always wanted to be able to reach out and help people.
I am thankful every day that role that came to me was Emily Fields. She’s a wonderful character, and I love playing her – but she’s also an important character. Things are changing. The world is finally understanding that love between two people, no matter their gender, is just love. And Emily is a part of that. She’s a sweet character, a fun character, and she’s a character who has found empowerment through embracing the fact that she’s a girl who likes girls. I am so proud to play her. It’s like the universe worked its magic and brought her to me.
AE: Every time I talk to you I feel like we’re living in the future. I told you this last time, but one of the first straight actors I ever interviewed told me right off the bat that she was worried about being typecast as a lesbian for the rest of her career, and you’re over here saying that playing gay is one of the biggest blessings in your life.
SM: That’s because I think it is! Acting has given me a big voice and I want to use that voice to empower people.
AE: OK, I asked Twitter to give me some questions for you. I’m just going to ask you the two most tweeted ones. The most tweeted one was: Will you marry me? “Me” being, well, Twitter, I guess. Will you marry Twitter? Shay, how many marriage proposals do you get a day. Be honest.
SM: I can feel the heat radiating off my face I’m blushing so much. I’m single! I don’t get marriage proposals every day!
AE: Well, clearly you’re not reading AfterEllen.com frequently enough. OK, here’s the second most tweeted question: How does it feel to be the most gorgeous woman in the world?
SM: Heather! My face is so red!
AE: I’m just reading Twitter out loud to you! You know everyone here thinks you’re gorgeous! You’ve seen the AfterEllen.com Hot 100!
SM: Well, thank you. Your readers are wonderful.
AE: We think so. I don’t want to keep you because I know you’re sick. But good luck staying alive for the rest of the Pretty Little Liars season. If it’s anything like the premiere, you’re going to need a lot of luck and probably a flamethrower.
SM: Ooh, a flamethrower! I’ll talk to Marlene!
