The "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists" Stars Even Keep Secrets From Each Other

It only takes one look around the set of Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists to realize: we’re not in Rosewood anymore. Sure, "A" is no longer around to send those cryptic text messages — kisses! — but there are plenty of other mysteries hiding in plain sight.

The upcoming spinoff, which premieres on Freeform on March 20, will take viewers into the world of Beacon Heights University, a prestigious institution filled with plenty of mysterious secrets. At the center of the series are three students striving for "perfection" — Ava Jalali (Sofia Carson), Dylan Wright (Eli Brown), and Caitlin Martell-Lewis (Sydney Park) — each with dark secrets of their own. Tangled in the new mystery are two PLL originals: Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) and Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish), who join BHU as faculty members, each hoping to turn over a new leaf while leaving their Rosewood past behind.

Like its predecessor, The Perfectionists is based on Sara Shepard’s book series of the same name. While PLL was set in the fictional town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, viewers will be transported across the country to Oregon where they’ll get to know Beacon Heights: a small, college town that serves as the backdrop to a gruesome murder, and something far more sinister lurking underneath. The university campus itself looks like something out of a gothic novel (think: ivy-covered buildings and iron gates), and just outside the school, you'll find a thick forest where the "perfectionists" are apt to link up for secret midnight meetings.

For the newcomers, entering the dark and twisted PLL world is a dream come true. Before joining the cast, Sofia Carson was a fan of the series herself, having binged it on Netflix with her sister. “I truly feel so honored to be part of this,” the actor tells Teen Vogue, adding that the entire experience has been an adventure. Sydney Park feels similarly, remarking that PLL is “such an iconic show” with a huge fan base.

Given PLL’s gigantic reputation — not to mention its “army” of fans — there’s no doubt that The Perfectionists has pretty big shoes to fill. But according to showrunner I. Marlene King, fans have a lot to look forward to. “We've really tried to create a new world that has all the elements that Pretty Little Liars had in terms of mystery, romance, great friendship, unconditional love...and lots of twists and turns,” Marlene tells Teen Vogue, emphasizing her hope that fans will fall in love with the new characters just as they did with the original Liars. The producer, who partnered with Sara to bring both PLL and The Perfectionists from page to screen, notes that Mona and Alison were brought into this new story to serve a specific purpose. “As the show progresses, you'll see how organically they fit into the world,” she adds, assuring fans that they will “do our best to pay homage to the books.”

Viewers who watched PLL throughout its seven seasons will remember that Mona and Ali didn’t always get along; Mona was the original “A” after all. For the first two seasons, she harassed and stalked the Liars (not to mention running Hanna over with her car). As the series progressed, Mona eventually found herself back in the Liars' good graces — but there was always a healthy skepticism about her motives. “It’s fun to see [Ali and Mona] together in the pilot as frenemies and then watch this winding path they're going down,” Marlene tells Teen Vogue of the characters’ relationship. “Wondering if they can trust each other or not; realizing at a certain point in time they may have to trust each other.”

Trust was certainly a big factor in Rosewood. It always seemed like anyone could be “A” — even one of the Liars themselves. (Lucy Hale was even convinced her character was “A” at one point.) The same holds true for The Perfectionists. As a murder unfolds in the pilot, almost anyone could be a suspect, and even the stars themselves don’t even know who did it. “I have no idea,” Sydney tells Teen Vogue with a laugh. “I’ve got a couple of theories, but who knows?” The actor adds that the cast is given pieces of the plot on a weekly basis, which they discuss excitedly in a group text together. “We're all texting each other on our chat like, ‘Did you read this yet? Have you seen this yet?’”

But given that these characters exist in the Pretty Little Liars universe, secrets are still the name of the game. During the original series, actor Troian Bellisario knew for years that she would be portraying the show’s ultimate villain — something that she kept to herself, despite being close with her costars. It seems as though nothing has changed this time around, as the Perfectionists stars are holding onto juicy details of their own — secrets that they aren't even allowed to tell their costars. “There's a lot of things that we don't know, and Marlene is very good at telling certain people some things about their character that nobody else knows,” Sasha tells Teen Vogue. “It's definitely like PLL in that way.” Sofia adds that the secrecy is exciting, admitting she knows things about Ava that her fellow actors don’t. “It's almost like part of the storyline…. We're all so mysterious, and we have so many secrets, it could be any of us.”

At its core, PLL was always about the unshakable bonds of friendship, which translated into a tight-knit bond among the cast as well. And even though The Perfectionists is just getting started, it’s clear that this cast is already forming lasting connections. “It already feels like a little family,” Janel says, explaining that the newcomers have blended into the already-established PLL world seamlessly. “They're all so kind and wonderful and talented, and really it just feels like they've been here the entire time.”

Sasha agrees, telling Teen Vogue: “We all get along so well, and I love the dynamic between all of us and the way that we've bonded, and you can see it on camera.” She adds that the friendships formed nearly immediately, just like it did at the beginning of her PLL journey nearly a decade ago. “It’s so rare that that happens,” she says. “It’s kind of a ‘pinch me’ feeling because I'm like, ‘I can't believe this is happening again.’”

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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out:

• Here’s Your First Peek at the PLL: The Perfectionists Premiere

• The Perfectionists Will Hide Clues at the Beginning of Every Episode

• I Already Don't Know Who to Trust on The Perfectionists