'Tried my best': Shay Mitchell admits feeling 'scared' while working with 'Pretty Little Liars' co-stars
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a recent interview with Byrdie, actress Shay Mitchell opens up about her experiences playing Emily Fields on the hit series 'Pretty Little Liars' and her journey beyond acting. Mitchell, now 36, gained fame alongside co-stars Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, and Sasha Pieterse.
In the accompanying interview, she reflects on her portrayal of Emily Fields on 'Pretty Little Liars', a role that catapulted her into stardom.
Shay Mitchell talks about navigating insecurities
Mitchell acknowledges the initial challenges of joining the show with less acting experience than some of her co-stars. She reflects, "When I booked the show, I knew I didn't have as much acting experience as the other girls. A part of me was scared, but I knew I would eventually figure it out. Do I think my performance was Academy Award–winning? Absolutely not. But f**k it. I did it, and I tried my best. I learned more on that set than I could in any acting class."
Amid the success of 'Pretty Little Liars', Mitchell felt the need to break free from being defined solely by her character, Emily. Social media played a crucial role, allowing her to showcase her personality and interests beyond acting. This exposure led her to venture into entrepreneurship with a travel accessory company and later a tequila seltzer brand.
"I have a few other things I'm working on, and they're no-brainers for me as well," she says. "I'm excited because I love creating. It's like giving birth, but to a brand," Mitchell said.
Shay Mitchell embraces motherhood and diversity
Shay Mitchell candidly discusses her role as a mother, emphasizing the importance of celebrating her daughters' mixed heritage. Mitchell, who shares two daughters, Atlas (4) and Rome (1), with partner Matte Babel, is of Filipino and Irish descent, while Babel is Trinidadian and Caucasian.
Mitchell sees it as her parental duty to nurture curiosity about their diverse backgrounds and instill values of equality. The actress, known for her breakout role in 'Pretty Little Liars', stresses the significance of educating children from a young age about love without judgment, irrespective of appearance.
"My duty as a parent is to celebrate that Atlas and Rome are mixed," she says. "Matte and I encourage them to be curious about their background and treat everyone equally," she added.
This isn't the first time Mitchell has addressed the importance of embracing diversity within her family. In a June 2020 interview with ET, she emphasized the need for children to understand that everyone deserves love without judgment, drawing from her experience of growing up in a mixed family.
"I think it's so important to educate them at a young age so they know that truly no matter what you look like, you deserve to love and be loved without judgment, be all and end all and that's it," Mitchell said at the time. "Especially coming from a mixed family herself."
In a recent interview with Byrdie, Mitchell opened up about her parenting philosophy and the values she hopes to instill in her two daughters. She said, "I want them to see me and know you can be extremely independent yet still rely on others for support. I want to instill a strong work ethic in them. My parents always said if you get something on your own, nobody can take that away from you. So I want them to know if you believe in something, you can attain it."
