Zaria: I felt the same about you!
Bailee: Maia and I had the first social media interaction. We freaked out over text and were voice memo-ing. Maia was the first one to land in upstate. Chandler and I saw each other when our cars pulled up at the same time. The three of us all met outside and then Mallory [Bechtel, who plays antagonist Karen] also came down. We were so eager and excited for our little family to be completed, which happened the next day when Malia and Zaria were able to join us.
It was very instant. We were about to embark on a really big journey together. All of us were unsure of what was ahead, but looking around at each other we were like, “We have each other.” The show resembles that as well.
Chandler: Going into it, we were all excited to see what the dynamic was going to be because we didn’t have a chemistry read which is not the norm. So there was nervous energy, like first-day jitters. The first time we were all together, I looked around and thought, “This works. We have something special.”
We spoke that first day—I don’t know if you guys remember—about what an amazing experience this had been for all of us, even in that first day, to be surrounded by such amazing, strong women. That’s a big draw for us to this project. It created a different level of creativity and vulnerability that you can bring to your work.
Malia: Do you guys remember the first day when [the producers] brought us down into this rehearsal space and brought out blueprints from the original Pretty Little Liars series? We all held it, oohing and aahing over the original sets.
Bailee: I do remember the blueprints! It was blueprints of the sets from the original PLL. So you could see Aria’s bedroom and Rosewood. We were holding the actual physical pages with location notes, and I teared up.
Maia: Bailee, you and I almost cried. As always! As always.
Are you the criers on set?
Maia: Oh yeah.
Chandler: These two.
Zaria: Pretty Little Criers.
The original series is based on a book series, so there’s a preexisting notion of who all the characters are. Also, they knew each other back in the day. However, your characters are not friends until the end of the pilot.
Bailee: It was a wonderful experience for us to not have that [backstory and characterization] entirely locked in. If anything, it helped make it a very authentic performance as friends. It was fun for us to go through each episode and get to know each other as our characters are going through life together. You’re watching the characters, but you’re also watching us blossom as partners on screen. That’s a beautiful thing that very rarely gets to happen.
Zaria: Every single character is an individual standalone person, but they also come together to create this beautiful fabric, like a thread that becomes a quilt. A thread is still a thread, but a quilt is pretty cool too. Faran’s not very trusting, but she learns she has people she can confide in. I thought that was a beautiful story for her to experience.
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Malia: For Mouse, too. She doesn’t have any friends when the show starts, and there is a fear of getting too close to her peers. Through this accidental meeting of the girls, she finds her strength and eventually her voice. That is so much of what young women go through when they are coming of age. You’re finding yourself and your individuality. When you find friends who validate you and lift you up, that’s when you feel comfortable enough to step into yourself.
