Shay Mitchell: Kissing Girls Feels Fine on 'Pretty Little Liars'
By Jessica Herndon, Wonderwall
We're heavy into season 5 of the hit ABC Family show "Pretty Little Liars," which airs on Tuesdays, but all actress Shay Mitchell, one of the show's stars, wants to talk about is this season's finale -- which airs on March 24, 2015.
"It's so twisted," she squeals to Wonderwall.com during a recent interview. Unfortunately that's all she can dish of the thrilling teen drama, on which she plays Emily Fields. If she gives away any more, "I'll get fired," she assures. "But the writers just nailed it!"
Filming on "PLL" resumes in March and Shay is ready to get back to work and continue with her detailed storyline, which currently includes recovering from a breakup with Paige McCullers (played by Lindsey Shaw). Playing a lesbian on the show is "so important because that's the life that we live in," says Shay when asked why her character's romantic status is impactful.
"When I get asked 'How does if feel to kiss a girl?' Honestly, completely fine," she adds. "I'm in this character. I know what it's like to love somebody, so how is that any different just because it's another girl? Sometimes I enjoy it more. I know they are going to smell pretty and I don't have to worry about all of that. But it's not a big deal."
In the future, Shay says she wants the next girl, or whichever straight actor plays a gay character, to not get asked how it feels, as she often does. "You wouldn't ask Lucy Hale what it feels like to kiss a guy," she adds of her "PLL" costar. "I love my character's love life and this revolving door of different girls. It's fun and I get to work with a lot of amazing actresses."
One of the family network's top-rated shows, "PLL" has turned many of it's lead actors into stars, including Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, and of course Shay, who has her own fashion and lifestyle blog Amore & Vita, her own YouTube channel, which gained 100,000 subscribers the day it launched, and over 5 million followers on Instagram. She's also the new spokeswomen for Carmex Moisture Plus.
"Love and life go hand-in-hand and Amore & Vita came about because I am in love with everything Italian," says Shay of the her blog, which she runs with pal Michaela Blaney, who she grew up with in Vancouver, Canada. Each week the girls pick a new theme to base their content around. This week's posts are all about the Super Bowl, from healthy recipes for that big Bowl party, to football themed manicures.
"It's a passion project," Shay says, adding that the blog also features how she stays fit, her makeup routine, highlights of her travels, and what products she carries in her bag. "I have like four Carmex lip balms in my bag at all times while traveling."
Shay recently returned from a vacation in Bali, a trip she documented through gorgeous photos posted to social media. Based on the shots, Buzzfeed called the fashionable beauty a "mythical goddess," and we couldn't agree more. So of course we had to get the details on her stunning boho vacation style.
"I stress about packing, but most of the time I figure it out when I get there," she says of what she chooses to slip on while on vacation. "Different wraps, scarves, and pashminas I bought abroad. I bought one of the scarves from this woman outside of an art gallery and I wore it the rest of the time."
But when she's back home in Los Angeles it's all about snagging those chic, universal toppers. "I have this floor-length, camel-colored wool coat from Aritzia that I wear all the time when it's chillier," she says. "A coat is such a statement piece!"
Playing Emily on "PLL" also has its style perks. Shay admits she snags one main item from her character's wardrobe: "Her Nike sneakers. That's what I take the most." Though she admits she'd much rather don a pair of heels above sneakers these days.
But in many ways, the actress says she is very similar to her character. "She's extremely loyal to her friends and very protective. That I am," she says. " I have a good ear and I listen and I'm also a good secret holder. I would do anything for my friends and my family."