INTERVIEW: Lesley Fera Talks About the Inspiration for ‘Pretty Little Wine Moms’ Podcast, Her Bond With Her ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Family, and Future Guests
Lesley Fera is bringing the Pretty Little Liars series back to life in a whole new and creative way with her rewatch podcast “Pretty Little Wine Moms.”
The actress is known for her role as Veronica Hastings, Spencer’s mother, on the hit Freeform series Pretty Little Liars. She recently created a rewatch podcast with Holly Marie Combs (Ella Montgomery), and Nia Peeples (Pam Fields), which fans are absolutely loving. The podcast gives fans behind-the-scenes stories and funny anecdotes about each episode of the series from the three co-hosts and their guests. Each episode is broken down by the PLL Moms and includes an interview with a special guest every week.
A new episode of the podcast is released every Wednesday, but Elite and VIP members of The Rosewood Clubhouse get two-day early access to all episodes. The PLL Moms are currently making their way through the first season of the series and just released their episode discussing “Monsters in the End” with Sasha Pieterse.
Read our exclusive interview with Lesley Fera below to find out more about the “Pretty Little Wine Moms” podcast, her friendship with Marie Combs and Peeples, what she loved about Veronica’s journey with Spencer, what inspired the rewatch podcast, her favorite PLL ship, future episodes, and more.
GLITTER: How long have you been acting?
LESLEY: Professionally, I’ve been acting since I was 23 — so almost 26 years. My God, has it really been that long? Ha! I was attending Graduate School in Sarasota, Florida (FSU/Asolo Conservatory) when I was able to land my first agent: Brevard Talent Group. With their representation, I was able to book some commercials and guest star gigs as well as obtain my SAG card, before returning to Los Angeles.
GLITTER: What pushes and motivates you on a daily basis?
LESLEY: I think what motivates me are my first thoughts in the morning — “I am grateful!” and “Every moment of every day is so precious.” The knowledge that I have only one life is motivating. And I have a strong desire in that one life to value my family and friendships, seek out creative endeavors that feed my soul, and let the people around me know that I love them.
GLITTER: Your podcast is the ultimate way for a Pretty Little Liars fan to rewatch the series. How has the fan response to the podcast been?
LESLEY: The fan response has been utterly amazing. They have been so supportive. The PLL fans are simply the most loyal and incredibly supportive fans I’ve ever encountered. Their positive feedback has meant so very much because we wanted to provide them with something during this harrowing time in the world and they’ve appreciated it so much.
GLITTER: One thing that really shines in the podcast episodes is your friendship with your co-hosts, Holly Marie Combs and Nia Peeples, as well as the bond with the three of you and all of your guests. How special is that for you to have such a family-like bond with the cast?
LESLEY: It’s been a beautiful journey. We were friendly while filming the show, but certainly not as close as we’ve become through doing this podcast. We’ve discovered so much about each other — we are like family now. As for the cast, they’ve been immensely gracious to appear on our show and it is a testament to the PLL family that I. Marlene King and Lisa Cochran-Neilan created.
GLITTER: Seven years is a pretty amazing run time for a series. Was there a season that you particularly loved filming because of a certain storyline?
LESLEY: Honestly, every season is my favorite season. It’s like choosing your favorite child — it’s impossible. I loved Veronica’s journey with Spencer — how we grew from an angst-driven, tenuous mother-daughter dynamic, to a mother-daughter team striving for the truth, to a mutually inspired friendship.
GLITTER: What inspired you to do the rewatch podcast?
LESLEY: My husband, Ned Mochel, and I had a strong desire to stay creative while sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. So we created a podcast: Homeward Bound: Surviving the Coronavirus. We loved doing it and it’s really a little time capsule for the earliest days of the pandemic. We decided to have the PLL Wine Moms on our show for an interview and the fans went nuts. Our season was coming to a close, and then the idea came to us to do a PLL rewatch. I thought not only would it be a lot of fun, it would provide some much-needed escapist entertainment for our fans.
GLITTER: What was your favorite episode to rewatch with a guest for this first season and why?
LESLEY: Every episode is my favorite — again, it’s like choosing your favorite child. It’s impossible. I literally adore each and every episode and interview. Every guest has been so generous with their time and so beautifully candid. All of the actors have been so funny and authentic. And with the writers, producers, directors, their interviews are so rich — they’re like little master lessons on the entertainment business.
GLITTER: You’ve had both of your on-screen daughters, Troian Bellisario and Torrey DeVitto, on the podcast. What is your relationship with each of them like and how fun was it getting to catch up with both of them?
LESLEY: I adore both of them. They are both such accomplished women. I’m like a proud mama watching them fly and succeed post-PLL. They are both immensely intelligent, kind, and beautiful souls. I really miss seeing them and being able to connect, But, luckily, we stay in touch and check in with each other periodically. They will always be my “babies.”
GLITTER: As I’m sure you know, PLL fans are huge on relationships/ships, do you have a personal favorite?
LESLEY: Come on – I have to say Spoby or I’d never be forgiven. But seriously, Spoby. And then a close second would be Haleb..
GLITTER: What was your favorite thing about Veronica Hastings? How like or unalike are you from Veronica?
LESLEY: I suppose my favorite things about Veronica are her protectiveness of her family, her tenaciousness, strength, and sense of humor. There’s a lot of me in Veronica — we’re both type A, driven personalities. We both have a tough exterior but are softies on the inside. And we both adore our families. Where we differ is in the way our love for our family manifests and the lengths to which we are willing to go to protect our loved ones.
GLITTER: Would you be down for a Pretty Little Liars reunion of some sort?
LESLEY: Oh, hell yeah! It’s long overdue and it would be phenomenal.
GLITTER: One amazing thing about Pretty Little Liars is the show had five strong female leads that were all different. What message do you hope that sent to fans?
LESLEY: Well, I hope it sent a message to fans and network executives alike that women can carry a show successfully and women can produce, direct, and write a successful series. Stories centered around women are always so powerful — think about it: Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Glow, The Handmaid’s Tale, The L Word, et al. Or with a show like Mad Men, an androcentric time in our history, but the women often stole the show. I hope the trend continues because those stories are always so rich and show little girls that all things are possible.
GLITTER: What is your personal favorite behind the scenes story or moment from the series that you have shared so far on the podcast?
LESLEY: I loved the story about, I believe it was episode three, where I had appendicitis and had to go into surgery so I was unable to film my scenes as scheduled. The producers rallied and were so kind — they gave one of my scenes to Nolan and worked out the schedule to make sure I remained in the episode. That was remarkable and my first inkling that I was a part of something different — a real TV family.
GLITTER: For anyone reading who doesn’t know the meaning behind the name “Pretty Little Wine Moms,” can you explain?
LESLEY: At the end of Season Six, the moms got together while the girls had their prom in the Hastings’ barn. We hung out in the Hastings’ house throughout that night and proceeded to get soused. We hunted Mr. DiLaurentis for some answers and ended up locked in his basement. After that, we were called the Wine Moms. Ned and I knew we had to have Wine Moms in the title. And then I thought we needed something to harken back to the show itself, so I came up with “Pretty Little Wine Moms.”
GLITTER: You also give back to charities that are close to your heart with revenue from the podcast. What charities have you donated to so far?
LESLEY: We love being able to donate to charities that are near and dear to our hearts. So far, we’ve been able to give 10% of all of our Patreon earnings to the following charities: Actor’s Fund, Feeding America, LA Regional Food Bank, American Nurses Foundation, Meals On Wheels, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Start Rescue, The Lange Foundation, and Wounded Warrior Project.
GLITTER: On top of your costars, you are also bringing some amazing behind the scenes people on the podcast as guests too, such as executive producers, line producers, writers, directors, and the PLL costume designer. It really gives so much BTS details, what made you think to do that?
LESLEY: We love our crew. And there’s so much to learn from them. We knew early on that we wanted a wide spectrum of guests to give a full picture of the show and to be able to provide lots of behind the scenes information from varied points of views. We knew what fans were receiving from most PLL articles and conventions, but we wanted to expand that. I think it’s what makes our rewatch unique.
GLITTER: Tell us about what joining The Rosewood Clubhouse means?
LESLEY: If a listener visits our patreon.com page — “The Rosewood Clubhouse” — and becomes a member, they (depending on the tier) get lots of fun extras — 2-day early access to the episodes, the full video podcast, a monthly live Q&A with the Wine Moms, etc. It’s been an incredible way to connect with our listeners. It not only helps support our show, but 10% of all proceeds go to charity.
GLITTER: How else can fans support the podcast?
LESLEY: Fans can also subscribe wherever podcasts are available (Apple Podcasts, Spotify…), leave reviews, and share it with five friends. Those are little things but they help so much in terms of our growth.
GLITTER: Can you tease anything about future guests or episodes?
LESLEY: Last week we had a wonderful interview with Joseph Dougherty (writer/producer/director of PLL) for episode twenty. This week, we have Sasha Pieterse. And for our finale of the season, we have Lucy Hale. For season two, picture the intro to PLL – shhhhhhh!>
GLITTER: Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans listening to the podcast each week?
LESLEY: I just want to say thank you. We are so enormously grateful for your support. It means the world to all of us.
GLITTER: Glitter has a Celebrity #SelfLoveCampaign, what does self-love mean to you?
LESLEY: For me, self-love means positive self-care which includes doing the things that bring me bliss: meditation, quality time with friends and family, soul-satisfying creativity, gardening, studying Italian, studying piano, playing with my dogs, writing, eating right, and exercise.
GLITTER: What are your thoughts on the current state of our nation?
LESLEY: Oh boy, where do I begin? We are in the fight of our lives to ensure our Nation’s better angels prevail. Everything comes down to voting on November 3, 2020 in terms of changing our trajectory as a Nation. In my opinion, this election will determine if we remain a democracy. It doesn’t get more crucial than that, so please vote!
GLITTER: Is there something your fans would be surprised to know about you?
LESLEY: So many people tend to assume I’m from the East Coast, but I’m a native Californian. I grew up in Corona, CA, a small town in the Inland Empire. I speak Italian and love everything Italia. My all-time favorite TV show is Taxi. And my go-to candies are Boston Baked Beans and Jelly Bellys. Is that arbitrary enough?!
GLITTER: What is the best way for fans to follow you and the podcast on social media?
LESLEY: Visit prettylittlewinemoms.com and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at Pretty Little Wine Moms.
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