Actress-singer Sasha Pieterse happy to be bridge to ‘Perfectionists’

LOS ANGELES: Super loyal fans of “Pretty Little Liars” were not happy when the news broke that the mystery series would be coming to an end in 2017. Viewers had invested so much time and energy into the show they needed a new outlet.

A lot of the challenge of giving the fans what they want fell on the shoulders of Sasha Pieterse, who played Alison DiLaurentis, the former queen bee whose mysterious disappearance rocked her small suburban town, on “PLL.” She and Janel Parrish, who played the wicked Mona for seven seasons, make the connection between the dearly departed “PLL” and the new “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists,” slated to launch Wednesday.

“What I love about what we are doing and what (executive producer I.) Marlene (King) has created is this bridge between ‘PLL’ and this new world,” Pieterse says. “What I love about Marlene is that she’s always managed to make things relevant, but not in the way of flaunting just what’s popular. It’s more in a way of opening conversations and creating deep relatable characters so we can all have real conversations about what life is about and what people of this age are dealing with.”

The story unfolds in Beacon Heights, a town that appears to be peaceful and tranquil. What is quickly revealed is from its top-tier college _ where Alison lands a teacher’s assistant job _ to the overachieving residents, a mystery looms around every corner. Fans of “PLL” will also have to decide whether or not Alison is trying to get past her bad girl ways. The spinoff is based on the book series “The Perfectionists” by Sara Shepard, who also wrote the best-selling book series “Pretty Little Liars.” Along with Pieterse and Parrish, the cast also includes Sofia Carson (“Descendants”), Kelly Rutherford, Sydney Park, Eli Brown and Hayley Erin.

King has designed “Perfectionists” where everything _ at least in early episodes _ swirls around Alison. Pieterse loves the latest chapter in playing a character who has been mean, a tormentor, almost died, got buried alive by her mother and became a teacher. The one thing Pieterse never was? Bored. Pieterse loves that her character is now a little older and lot wiser.

“What’s charming about her now, is she has a lot of wisdom. And there’s humor that comes with that, but also it’s way more than that. It’s deeper. And what I love about ‘The Perfectionists’ is that if you’ve never watched the show, you totally get it. You understand all of it. But if you were a ‘Pretty Little Liars’ fan, you appreciate so much of it without it being too in your face,” Pieterse says.

She describes her new setting of Beacon Heights as a ramped-up version of Rosewood. All the mystery, intrigue, relationships and action that took place on “PLL” will be accented on “Perfectionists” with more focus on social media.

“It’s all about being perfect,” Pieterse says. “The pressures of what being a perfectionist is. How unrealistic it is. The pressure that younger people especially are putting on themselves to live this perfect life that is unattainable.

“You end up harboring all these secrets in your life that are so unnecessary. We are also focusing on being watched. Who knows who is listening in on your phone or watching what you are doing and that is where a lot of scary factors in this show come in.”

Tribune News Service