We’re just one episode into Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, and someone has already come back from the dead.
The pilot, which aired on March 20, introduced fans to the world of Beacon Heights University, where students had been mourning the death of Taylor Hotchkiss, the daughter of the wealthy and esteemed Hotchkiss family. Only, as we learned toward the end of the episode, Taylor isn’t actually dead; in fact, she seems to be on the run from something dark and dangerous. Sounds a lot like Alison DiLaurentis’s journey in the original PLL, where the Liars spent four seasons trying to avenge her death, eventually discovering she was alive the whole time. (“Did you miss me?”)
We’re definitely not alone in making that comparison. Actor Hayley Erin, who portrays Taylor, says that upon getting cast she was told her character is basically the “new” Ali. “I wondered, ‘Does that mean she's alive? Am I going to be in flashbacks? How's that going to work?’” Hayley tells Teen Vogue of her initial reaction, adding that she was so excited to find that the big reveal took place in the very first episode. “I love when you just get hit in the face with it, and I was excited that I get to keep a secret.”
Having been a fan of actor Sasha Pieterse and the original PLL series, getting to be Alison DiLaurentis 2.0 is “the coolest thing ever” to Hayley, who is also known for her work on the long-running soap General Hospital. “[Alison was] such an interesting character,” she adds. “I love that you can watch the first episode and the last episode, and her character has evolved so much. I'm looking forward to exploring...the similarities and the differences.”
Like Ali, Taylor is obviously afraid of something — so much that she believes disappearing is the best way to escape her danger. “It's a big thing,” Hayley says. “It's bigger than her and it's bigger...than everyone that's working towards solving this mystery.” And while there’s much more to learn, the first episode offers a glimpse of that darkness; the pilot ends with the murder of Nolan Hotchkiss, Taylor’s brother, and the final scene reveals a huge surveillance team seemingly keeping tabs on every single BHU student at all times. Somewhere, “A” is shaking.
As the series continues, viewers will undoubtedly learn more about Taylor — and what she’s trying to overcome. Hayley notes that Taylor’s affluent status doesn’t play into who she is as a person (unlike her brother Nolan, from what we’ve seen so far). “She's got her moral code that she follows,” the actor adds. “She's so freaking smart and it's so fun to play a character that's really dynamic. On the surface, she can be a little prickly. She's not so concerned about what everyone is always thinking about her now that she's shed the pressure of being a perfectionist. She's got a lot going on.”
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Meet the Cast of PLL: The Perfectionists, the Murder-Mystery Thriller You're Going to Be Obsessed With
