Inside Lucy Hale's Complicated Relationship With The Pretty Little Liars Cast

Highlights

• Lucy Hale opened up about her struggles with an eating disorder and how it affected her during her time on Pretty Little Liars.
• Hale felt pressure to compare herself to her co-stars.
• Despite the difficulties, Hale emphasizes the love and bond she shared with her Pretty Little Liars co-stars.

During Pretty Little Liars' seven seasons on the air, the show created a slew of mysteries that fans worked hard to solve. Given that the show trained viewers to pick up on clues, it makes sense that many fans came up with theories about the cast as well.

In Lucy Hale's case, there have been theories about if she was pregnant and if she dated her co-star. There have also been fans who've wondered if Hale and Ashley Benson feuded after the show ended. Thankfully for curious fans, Hale eventually spoke out about her relationship with her Pretty Little Liars co-stars.

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When Lucy Hale appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in late 2023, the resulting interview was extremely revealing, to say the least. While many stars have used the podcast format to let their fans learn more about their lives, Hale's openness was still quite remarkable.

Arguably the most gossip-inducing aspect of Hale's appearance is when she spoke about her former co-stars. While Hale began to talk about her relationships with her Pretty Little Liars co-stars, she provided an important context.

As Hale explained, she was really struggling by the time she was hired to star in Pretty Little Liars. "Before I'd even booked, I struggled heavily with an eating disorder. And like, looking back now, it's, you know I can look at a picture and I don't think, 'Oh wow'. I'm like 'Oh.' I can tell exactly based on my weight or what was going on at the time. I was not healthy. I was not healthy."

Hale then went on to clarify that nobody else knew what was going on for her at that time. Sadly, Hale explained that she now realizes that part of the reason she dealt with that issue was a desire for control when she was so unsure of herself.

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"I was like, my life was changing, and I don't know where I fit in the show, with these girls. At least I have this one thing I can control. It gave me this false sense of security which I held on to for a long time.

In response to that powerful and sad revelation, Hale was asked how she coped with comparing herself to her co-stars at that time. As Hale went on to explain, she sadly didn't feel like she measured up among her Pretty Little Liars co-stars.

“I think at the time I would have told myself, like, ‘We’re not competitive.’ And of course, I’m only speaking from me…Of course, I felt pressure not to be prettier or to look better, but to, like, keep up. Because I did look at Shay and Troy and Sasha and Janel and Ashley and I was like, ‘What the f-ck? These are angels amongst me. Do I fit into that? People always wanted to pit us against each other. Were we all best friends? No. Some of us connected some of us did not. Did we have rough patches? Of course. We were in our f—ing 20s, of course.”

After Hale was honest that the Pretty Little Liars cast had issues, those quotes spawned a slew of legitimate headlines. However, it is important to note that Hale went on to talk about the bond she shared with her PLL co-stars.

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"But like, there was always a lot of love. I feel like." Still, Hale is very clear that comparing herself to her co-stars was a major problem for her. "But yeah, there was a lot of nights where I was like, I don't know how to keep up with this. I don't know if I want to keep up with this. It would like, eat away at me."

During a moment of reflection, Hale discussed how women are socialized to compete with each other. After expressing her opinion that some of the competition between her and her co-stars was manufactured, Hale explained that there was some truth to it too.

"There's enough room. That sort of mindset that there's not enough for everyone is like, the scarcity mindset is very... I think there was an element of that on the show because. Realistically, like, there were magazine covers, they were only choosing one. And, that's just human nature."

On the bright side, Hale talked about the affection she has for her PLL co-stars despite any rough patches.

"It wasn't that I didn't want to root for them. I did. I love them. I still love them to this day. Like I’m so proud that we maintained a level of like, it felt like a family. You know? You don't always vibe with certain family members, but you're family."

Finally, Hale spoke about fans who noticed she wasn't seen socializing with her co-stars. As Hale explained, she finds it hard to connect with people at times due to a lack of self-confidence. “Some of the gals really did connect and bond in a big way and I’ve always found it tricky to connect with people.”

The Truth About Lucy Hale's Health Issues

During Lucy Hale's aforementioned appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she was open about very personal topics. To Hale's eternal credit, on top of discussing her past eating disorder, she was open about struggling with alcohol use disorder. As Hale explained, her first brush with excessive drinking came at an alarming age.

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"I remember my very first experience with alcohol was the same as when it ended. I blacked out at 12 years old. I don't remember what happened, I threw up, I got very sick, and I remember being so distraught when I realized what had happened."

According to Hale, her drinking habits were very problematic right from the start. "I remember shame after every experience drinking, because my drinking was never normal. It was very clear I was drinking to escape something, even at a young age."

Other Stars Who've Been Open About Alcohol Dependency:

• Jessica Simpson
• Bradley Cooper
• Lana Del Rey
• Robert Downey Jr.
• Kristin Davis
• Tom Holland
• Naomi Campbell
• Rob Lowe
• Kelly Osbourne
• Ben Affleck

Things got bad enough that Hale says she thought about drinking "all the time" and "felt uncomfortable" if she was sober while socializing. Hale also revealed that even though she sought treatment during her Pretty Little Liars tenure, her co-stars didn't realize what she was going through. "I don't think anyone on the show knew."

Tragically, Hale revealed that things got really bad during her years of dependency. After stating that she used illegal substances and was "taken advantage of" in intimate situations, Hale remarked on what that stage of her life was like.

"I did have moments when I had to go to the hospital. It got really dark. I was very sad. I was very scared."

Fortunately for Hale and anyone who cares about her, after trying to change her life repeatedly in the past, she got sober in 2021.

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