While my Y-chromosomes have never included a strong sports strand, even I was surprised at how deeply and quickly I cared about the female fibbers that drive “Pretty Little Liars.” They’re smart, sexy, sneaky and the most addictive foursome since Carrie & co.
Tonight sees the ladies band together when an unexpected face returns to Rosewood (aren’t they always) and forces Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer to once again confront their mysterious messenger.
I caught up with Shay Mitchell to talk about the final four episodes, if Emily’s relationship with Maya will continue to heat up and the biggest “Pretty Little Liars” secret she is at liberty to divulge!

PopWrap: OK, so I fully admit to liking “Pretty Little Liars” more than any 28-year-old man probably should — please tell me you’ve noticed this from other people?
Shay Mitchell: I have [laughs]. I also think with all the parental relationships on the show, Laura Leighton and stuff — her fanbase from “Melrose Place” is watching thinking, “oh my god, this is really juicy too.”

PW: Last week it looked like Toby died, should we take that to mean a funeral is in the works?
Shay: I think that fans should never think it’s safe to assume. Rosewood may be a quiet town, but some serious stuff is always going down. So it could be either extreme – we could have a funeral for him .. or not.

PW: How is Emily feeling about Toby after homecoming and his disappearance?
Shay: There are so many unanswered questions. Shock from the whole homecoming thing, frustration because nothing was resolved. I always think, with everything going on around her, poor Emily. Toby is someone she thought was on her level – someone who she thought really understood her. But now he’s missing or dead – for her it’s all about the unanswered questions.

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Based on Sara Shepard’s series of young adult books, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS has turned into a pretty big hit for ABC Family. Sort of like a cross between GOSSIP GIRL and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, the show concerns a group of well-off female high school friends in the town of Rosewood who try to figure out what’s going on when one of their number vanishes.
Troian Bellisario and Shay Mitchell, who respectively play Spencer Hastings and Emily Fields, talk about their characters and reasons why it’s better to tell the truth.
iF MAGAZINE: In real life, do you have friends who share secrets with you?
SHAY MITCHELL: I do. I have a close circle of friends – I’m really close with all of them, but maybe they may not be so close with each other, so there are secrets that I have with one of them that I wouldn’t expose to the other one and vice-versa, so I understand this clique that the girls have extremely well.
TROIAN BELLISARIO: I’m kind of a tomboy – you wouldn’t know it, actually [laughs] – but I have a lot of guy friends and guys are really funny, because they’ll always be there for you, but sometimes you can just not tell them things. So I have one wonderful female friend who’s my sister, and we share everything with each other. I’ve also been really fortunate, actually – my parents [television veterans Donald P. Bellisario and Deborah Pratt] are wonderful and I can tell them anything – even boy stuff, with my dad. It’s weird. So I’ve been really, really fortunate to have that. Read the rest?

Toronto actress Shay Mitchell says she loves shooting her hit TV series “Pretty Little Liars” in Los Angeles, but insists she’s still true to her Canuck roots. “I did bring my maple syrup and am on Skype very often with my friends and family in Canada,” Mitchell, who plays teen Emily Fields on the series, said in a recent phone interview. Really? Maple syrup? “I swear to goodness I brought maple syrup!” Mitchell, who is of Filipino, Irish and Scottish heritage, asserted with a laugh. “And when we all shot the pilot in Vancouver, I gave the director and the producers of the show a little maple syrup and a little postcard from Vancouver … They loved it.” “Pretty Little Liars,” which airs Tuesdays on MuchMusic in Canada and ABC Family Channel in the U.S., is based on Sara Shepard’s young adult book series about four high-school friends shocked by the disappearance of a friend.  Read the rest?