Lucy Hale Tells Us All About Her New Show

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming actress Lucy Hale into the Who What Wear offices for an exclusive Q&A. Always fans of her off-duty style, we were particularly excited about this IRL opportunity to pick her brain on all things fashion, in addition to getting all the details about her new show on The CW, Life Sentence, premiering this Wednesday, March 7, at 9/8c. Before our editorial director, Bobby Schuessler, interviewed the fashionable star, guests enjoyed drinks, bites, and, of course, plenty of photo ops. Here’s everything Hale shared with us about her life, her style, and this exciting new role.

Tell us about the show and what your fans can expect.

Life Sentence follows a girl named Stella who is 23 years old. For the last eight years of her life, she was living with terminal cancer. She's the type of girl who sees the glass half full: She's super optimistic and lives every day like it was her last. She made super-spontaneous decisions like getting married, and then in the pilot we find out that this rare treatment that she's been receiving worked. She's not remission—she's cured of cancer. Now the story shifts: It's not a show about a girl who's sick; it's about a girl who has to figure out her life and who she is.

What drew you to this project specifically?

It was probably three months before we wrapped the last season of Pretty Little Liars, and I was like, You know, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life after this. Then I heard about this show. I thought it was really interesting taking this sick-girl story we all know the ending to and flipping it on its head and making it more of a comedy. They were taking a heavy topic and laughing about it. I always knew that for my next step after PLL I wanted to do something drastically different—I was playing the same character for eight years, and creatively I was itching to do something else.

How do you channel your own self-confidence?

I think your identity comes with age. Now I'm 28 years old, and I know what makes me happy and what doesn't. When I know I'm making the best and healthiest choices for me, that's when I feel the most confident.

Your character, Stella, has cool, relatable style on the show. Do you have a creative hand in picking the outfits?

I typically roll with it. She's an old soul to me, so I wanted her [wardrobe] to have this vintage feel, so she wears a lot of Peter Pan collars and high-waisted skirts and over-the-knee socks.

Are there any trends or brands you're gravitating toward right now?

I never really know what the trends are, but I love Anine Bing. I typically go for more casual stuff, too, like Rachel Comey. I'm really into vintage and thrift shopping right now. My favorite store in L.A. is American Rag. There's a cool jewelry designer named Kat Kim and a shoe brand called By Far. Re/Done jeans and T-shirts are great too.

Do you have a go-to off duty look?

Jeans, a leather jacket, and a T-shirt. Honestly, I also live in Lululemon workout clothes.

Ready to discover your new favorite show? Tune in to The CW this Wednesday, March 7, at 9/8c for the premiere of Life Sentence.