EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – Shay Mitchell: ‘Pretty Little Liars’

Shay Mitchell is known as Emily on Pretty Little Liars, but she’s also a host of new dating show Get Roped In, by SweeTARTS. SweeTARTS writes the premise of the show as this:

The Get Roped In Dating Show involves three digital celebrities as contestants including Ryan Tellez of The Warp Zone, Meghan Rienks and Catherine Valdes of Catrific. Some of their biggest fans will try to spark a connection with these online personalities through a series of challenges involving SweeTARTS Ropes. Unique tests will require creative skill, ample coordination, and lip service. Winners will join their YouTube stars on a group date following the show.

To promote the new show and also give us some inside info on Pretty Little Liars, Mitchell chatted with us about everything going on and took time to wish everyone a “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Read on for our interview with Mitchell below.

So, one thing I know PLL fans are wondering about is what will happen to the girls when they go off to college.
Ooh. Hopefully they’ll leave their cell phones behind and never use technology ever again. (She laughs.) Yeah, it’s going to be really interesting. I’m excited to see where the writers are going to take that, but we’ll just have to see if we get to follow the girls all through college.

Well, what’s happening with your character right now?
So, actually Emily and Hanna have a couple episodes coming up where they’re having a little dance-off with each other. And, all of the girls have obviously been pinning Alison as “A” and we’ll have to see if that’s actually the case.

I know some fans are thinking that “A” could be Mike … or Cece. Do you even know who “A” is?
I still have no idea and I prefer to keep it that way. I told the writers that if they were to tell me, then I would want to be honest because I’m an honest person, so I’d have to tell you, which is exactly why I don’t know.

Okay. So you’re a good secret-keeper as long as you don’t know the secret. (I joke.)
Exactly. (She laughs.)

So, is there anything you can tell us about Emily for the rest of the season?
Yeah. All the girls have really put their thinking caps on and they’re all sort of playing detective and want to get down to the bottom of this. It’s been a while now, but I feel that they’re the closest that they’ve ever been. It’ll be really interesting to see if they fill out the puzzle.

Okay. Now let’s talk about Get Roped In.
Yes! It was a really great partnership to get involved with just before Valentine’s Day, which I’m really excited about. You can get the opportunity to go on a date with one of your favorite YouTube stars, so I’m going to play cupid. It’s going to be interesting to see if any sparks fly.

How do you personally feel about online dating?
I’ve never done it personally, but I have a lot of friends who’ve had really great experiences with it. I think if it works for you, that’s great. I also think that you can find great connections that way by putting yourself out there.

So, how did you get involved with the show?
Well, I’ve always been a fan of SweeTARTS candy and when I found out about their new candy, I had to try it. It’s like a licorice-style candy and it’s great because there’s no artificial color or flavor in it, so you don’t have to feel too guilty about eating the whole package.

Now let’s jump back to Pretty Little Liars. Were there any episodes that when you read the script you were just like, “Whoa!?”
Yes. I have to say it was the season finale. 100%. When I read it, I was like, “Dude, you gotta be kidding me.” I think the fans are really going to enjoy it.

Okay, let’s wrap it up with a more personal question. In your own dating life, what do you look for in a guy?
Honestly, someone who’s just fun and adventurous and doesn’t take themselves too seriously.