Interview with Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars!
Ashley Benson (21) began performing in dance competitions when she was just three years old! She started her acting career at age 10, eventually landing a recurring role on Days of Our Lives. In 2009, after appearing in 13 Going on 30 and Bring It On: In It to Win It, she jumped at the chance to play Hanna Marin in Pretty Little Liars, an overweight and unpopular girl who transforms one summer into the school’s it girl. Check out Glitter Magazine’s exclusive interview with this Hollywood It Girl!
GLITTER: This coming season of Pretty Little Liars sounds like it’s going to be crazy. What do you hope happens for your character?
ASHLEY: I hope that she kind of figures out her love life a little bit and that her family kind of fixes all their problems because where we left off. There were problems with the wedding and the whole stepsister / stepmom situation is kind of hard for Hanna. So to try and just stick it out and hopefully everything will get better at this point.
GLITTER: You had said at one point that you felt like she was kind of lost. Do you feel like she’s finding herself now?
ASHLEY: Yeah, definitely, I think that she’s just getting used to the whole change in her life because the whole family thing is really taking a toll on her and I think she’s just trying to get used to it; she’s depending on her friends and her mom to help her out with that. So, I think she’ll get better as time goes on. She just has to get used to it.
GLITTER: What has been your favorite scene so far in the series?
ASHLEY: My favorite scene? Hmmm, I don’t know. I think one of our school dances; it was kind of like a circus inside. That was really fun because the set was really cool. Actually my favorite scene has to be the fashion show. We got to dress in really awesome outfits. I’ve never walked the runway before and we had to do it in front of a lot of people and that was pretty interesting. It made me really nervous. But it was super fun because we got to dress really awesome and we’ve never been able to dress like that on the show obviously. So it was really, really fun.
GLITTER: Why did it make you nervous?
ASHLEY: I don’t know. Because we had so many extras that day that had to watch us? And then we had the entire cast sitting down watching us so I just felt a lot of pressure. I’ve honestly never been that nervous filming a scene. We were all just kind of nervous.
GLITTER: I’ve read that you prefer black, white, and gray in your wardrobe. What do these colors communicate about your personal style?
ASHLEY: Hanna is the complete opposite of me. My style is, like, I like high fashion but I like to have an edge to it where Hanna likes bright colors and a lot of bright dresses with patterns. And I like more kind of a rocker chic looks.
GLITTER: So, if you could remake any film or television series, which one would you choose? And what role would you play?
ASHLEY: Ooh, a lot. I want to remake a lot of movies, but I think that the TV show I’d like to remake would be I Love Lucy and I’d want to play Lucille Ball.
GLITTER: What do you like about her?
ASHLEY: I think she’s amazing and she’s really funny. And she was the first strong female comedian. I grew up watching her. My mom loved the show. My dad loved the show. And I’ve been watching it since I was little so I really like it.
GLITTER: So do you see romantic comedies in your future?
ASHLEY: Yeah, definitely! I’d love to do that kind of stuff. And also I want to do a really edgy drama. I think that would be really fun. So there’s a lot of things that I want to do.
GLITTER: Who inspires you?
ASHLEY: Probably my family. You know, without them I really wouldn’t be where I am today. My mom took me to every audition and kind of gave up her life for me to be able to do this. And she went on set with me every day and took me to every audition. We drove like fifty miles every day to work getting to auditions and that kind of thing. So, they’re really great. They’re really supportive.
GLITTER: Does your life feel sort of bizarre at this point with all the changes and the fans, I mean, in a good way, but still very different?
ASHLEY: It’s definitely different for sure. It’s not too crazy, but it is different. I mean, every day there are people who come up to me, which is really cool but yet strange. When I go do signings in New York . . . I did a signing for a magazine cover that I did, and there were about 3,000 – 4,000 people who showed up. And I thought there were going to be like 200 girls. I think that was the very first eye-opening experience. It was so overwhelming but so amazing. Girls were crying and screaming and they sat outside the store for six or seven hours in the pouring rain just to meet me. I was like, oh my gosh! That’s just so awesome. I mean my life is still completely normal. It’s just people, I guess, are more aware of who I am. But I don’t really let it affect my everyday life.
GLITTER: What would a perfect afternoon be for you?
ASHLEY: Probably hanging out with my dog and my best friend and really doing nothing. Going to eat or going to the beach or watching a movie. I’m pretty boring! I don’t really do much but that’d be kind of fun.
GLITTER: I think it sounds typical, actually.
ASHLEY: You know, we work so much. So when we have days off, it’s like all we want to do is just relax.
GLITTER: What are your top three workout songs right now?
ASHLEY: I don’t really have particular songs but I love anything by Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, mostly rap, I guess, for a workout.
GLITTER: As an actress, you attend many award shows. What has been the most interesting award show you’ve attended and why?
ASHLEY: I actually haven’t attended many award shows. I think the first… I mean I’ve done all the Teen Choice Awards and the MTV Awards. I think the MTV Awards are the most fun and interesting because there are always like crazy things that happen and they’re more mature so you never know what people are going to say. That’s probably the most interesting. I attended the Emmys when I was seventeen or sixteen. That was kind of cool. But that was really it.
