Lucy Hale Shares On Dark Times She Endured After ‘Pretty Little Liars’
Lucy Hale opened up about a dark time she endured after Pretty Little Liars ended in 2017. The actress, 32, played Aria Montgomery on the hit thriller drama, which ran from 2010-2017. During an interview with People, Hale opened up about what she went through post-Pretty Little Liars.
“It was such a crazy experience to be a part of something that was massive on a global scale. The show changed our lives overnight. We were so young, so busy and over worked. But you’re up on this mountain, and you’re like, ‘Every thing is so great! People love us’…When you step outside of that, you’re like, ‘That’s not normal,'” she continued. “After the show ended, it was a dark time in my life. It made me realize, ‘Oh God, I actually don’t know what I like about myself.'”
Hale had to do some soul searching to find what she liked about herself outside her career. After taking a step back, she was able to find qualities she liked about herself, such as being a good friend and being a good mother to her two dogs, Ethel and Elvis. The actress even enjoys spending time with herself.
“I just really had to hang out with myself. I’m at a point now where I love what I do, but I also like who I am outside of that. That, to me, is a big accomplishment because I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say that about myself.”
Hale practices yoga and takes walks with her dogs to combat these feelings. In addition, she learned to prioritize her mental health and limit how much she goes on her phone.
“It’s hard when you’re online, and you’re on your phone, and you see all these beautiful people, and you think you’re supposed to look like that,” she says. “I think that one really sad thing about the internet is it can rip away how you feel about yourself, and it’s just such a shame. I limit my time on my phone these days to keep me in higher spirits.”
“You know what I love about Adele? She recently said in an interview, ‘I lost all this weight, and I’m really sorry that that triggered a lot of things in other people, but that’s not my job to make everyone happy.’ I thought that was so accurate,” Hale added. “In our industry, I do feel a responsibility to be open and honest, but I also have to take care of my mental health.”
Fans can keep up with Lucy Hale by following her on social media. Pretty Little Liars can be streamed on HBO Max.
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