Pretty Little Liars and You star, Shay Mitchell, is a lot more than meets the eye.
Here are a few interesting, fun-facts about the actress that will make you love her even more.
Shay is actually her nickname.
We’ve all gotten pretty used to referring to her as “Shay” and assuming that’s the first name on her birth certificate. But, her name is actually Shannon.
In 2009, she starred in the Sean Paul music video for “Hold My Hand”.
In the pursuit of a successful acting career, Shay started from the bottom — taking up modeling and music video talent jobs.
She has gone skydiving four times.
Because once was, evidently, not enough.
She posted this photo on Instagram, along with the caption “Nothing like it. #ijustwanttofly #4thtime”.
She’s a karaoke pro.
“I’m very good at karaoke,” she said. It’s embarrassing, I won’t do that again! Singing and dancing and performing —my [Filipino] family made me do that at every wedding when I was a kid!”
She originally auditioned for the role of “Spencer Hastings” on “Pretty Little Liars”.
But she later pursued the role of “Emily” instead.
“We had a really hard time finding Emily,” showrunner I. Marlene King told Cosmopolitan .
“We saw two [actors] on videotape, and I was inclined to go with the other person. But in the room, Shay just owned the character of Emily. She changed our minds in the room and got the role.”
Her best friend is Ashley Benson.
After meeting on the set of Pretty Little Liars , they instantly hit it off and became very close gal pals.
They’ve even traveled to Europe together.
#FriendshipGoals.
And they call each other Buttah and Benzo.
While we can’t be exactly sure how they came up with those nicknames for each other, it has definitely stuck.
They both use the hashtag #ButtahBenzo every time they post a selfie together on Instagram — which is often af.
She is Canadian.
She was born in Mississauga, Ontario. At 10, she moved with her family to Vancouver, British Columbia, and she went to university in Toronto while she pursued her acting and modeling career.
But she comes from Filipino, Irish and Scottish descent.
Her father has a Scottish and Irish background, while her mother was born and raised in the Philippines , and moved to Canada when she was 19.
Before making her big break in acting, she was an international model.
She modeled for companies in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona. But she later returned to Toronto to resume her studies.
Emily’s sexuality on “Pretty Little Liars” was a major controversy at the time.
But Shay completely supported it.
“I’m also playing a lesbian in the show. I kind of really pushed it with that. I feel like that’s the kind of society we have right now. I think the writers and directors have a good pulse of what’s going on. It’s reality,” she said .
But Shay actually loved playing a lesbian character.
“When I first started the show, I always got the question, ‘How does it feel to play a lesbian, to kiss another girl, to come out?'” she told Cosmopolitan .
“Because we were one of the first shows that tackled that, I love the fact that the character that I play had a positive impact on a lot of people. I encountered that time and time again, when fans would say Emily helped them bridge into the [coming out] conversation with friends and family.”
In real life, however, Shay doesn’t believe in putting a label on her sexuality.
“I grew up with a lot of family members who were gay. It’s just never been an issue for me. I’ve always said, and I will always say, love is love. You can’t really define it. I don’t think anybody needs to be defined,” she explained .
She almost didn’t get a matching tattoo with the rest of the girls from “Pretty Little Liars”.
“I didn’t want to be a part of this at all! Not because of the permanent factor, but because it’s painful. And on your finger, it’s even more painful!,” she said .
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She opted for a henna tattoo instead, before eventually caving for a real one.
She’s pregnant.
Shay and her boyfriend, Matte Babel, are expecting their first child together.
They posted a video on YouTube with their official announcement.
“Does this mean I’m allowed to drive in the car pool lane at all times now?,” she joked on Instagram .
