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"Despite her head-turning entrance into a lu Beverly Hills restaurant, her L.A.-chic look (perfectly undone hair capped with a slouchy, hide-from-prying-eyes hat; a shimmery gold off-the-shoulder sweater; and the starlet-must-have combo of black skinny jeans and vintage boots), and the not-so-subtle snaps of amateur paparazzi, Tennessee-born actress Lucy Hale positively swears she's not a typical Hollywood actress. \"I've only been living here for a few years. I never thought about acting when I lived in Memphis\u2014actually, pretty much the opposite. I wanted to be a singer,\" Lucy reveals. \"Someone randomly suggested I audition for a few things. I thought, Why not? And I got a role on [Nickelodeon's] Drake &amp;amp; Josh. It was literally just a sentence, but I was so excited to be an actress.\"\n\nAt fifteen, Lucy moved to Los Angeles with her family, and clearly, she's come a long way. After appearing on the short-lived Bionic Woman remake and the critically lauded Privileged, she's finally found her place in the spotlight with ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars.\n\nPlenty of shows boast superfans\u2014think Lost, Gossip Girl, or The Vampire Diaries. Then, says Lucy, there are Pretty Little Liars fans, a particularly keen\u2014and persistent\u2014bunch who love the dark allure of the mystery series (not to mention the boy drama, high school power plays, and, naturally, the clothes). \"People on the street stop me and ask about who [character] A is. My friends try to get plot secrets\u2014even family members try to squeeze information out of me,\" the 21-year-old says. \"To prevent leaks, the production staff only gives us scripts the day before we film. It's crazy!\"\n\nThe show, which starts its second season this month, became an instant hit, amassing more than 2 million fans in just a few weeks. \"I was nervous to audition because I know how popular the books are,\" Lucy says. \"I actually read for two parts: Hanna\u2014who's played by Ashley Benson, one of the first friends I made when I moved here\u2014and Aria.\" The latter was a natural fit: \"Hanna is the comedic relief of the show, whereas Aria is darker and edgier,\" she says. \"Everyone immediately said, 'Oh, you're so Aria.'\" Lucy will admit that the casting directors were, for the most part, right. But her true personality burns brighter than her celluloid character. Thoughtful, hyperarticulate, and more than a tad sardonic, Lucy seems older than her years. \"I suppose that's another thing I have in common with Aria,\" she notes. \"She's sixteen going on 35, and I feel that way too.\"\n\nUnlike Aria, Lucy has never dated one of her teachers (thankfully). But she will reluctantly admit that she has a real-life special someone. \"I don't talk too much about him because, well, it's private. I've learned from my past relationships,\" she says. And she's determined not to fall into the \"boyfriend trap,\" as she puts it: \"I'd wrap myself up in my significant other's life and want to make his world my world. It wasn't healthy.\"\n\nIf this idea of love, loss, and learning from your mistakes sounds like the theme of a country tune, it's no coincidence. Lucy loves Lady Antebellum, and one of her favorite singers is Taylor Swift. \"She's amazing\u2014listening to her songs is like reading a girl's diary. We've gone through a lot of the same relationship things.\" Other artists that top her iTunes list are Lady Gaga and Rihanna. And Lucy definitely hasn't lost her own musical goals; she's in talks to test out her voice in an upcoming ABC Family movie. As for the rumors swirling about a possible record deal, Lucy deftly diverts the question with a wry smile: \"All I can say is that if I ventured out into that world, it'd be a dream come true. I took guitar a while back, and my heart wasn't in it at the time, but I'm ready to try it again. I sing in the car, at home\u2014it's a huge part of my life, especially since I'm from Tennessee. When I'm ready for it, I'm going to dive into it 100 percent.\"\n\nLucy's confident, yes\u2014although she's the first to confess that it wasn't easily acquired. And the entertainment industry's mean-girl mentality didn't help either. \"There's jealousy everywhere and tons of politics. The problem is that people in L.A. never really have to grow up,\" she says. \"Everyone needs to chill out. There's room for us all.\" The solution she found (which, she adds, is \"pretty much the same way you should deal with high school\") is simple. She says with a shrug, \"Surround yourself with the right people, and realize your own worth. Honestly, there are enough bad people out there in the world\u2014you don't need to be your own worst enemy.\"\n\nNext up for Lucy is Scream 4, due out in April, in which she appears alongside a cavalcade of fellow It girls: Emma Roberts, Shenae Grimes, and Aimee Teegarden. \"I was pretty terrified while I was shooting. There's a lot of blood, a lot of screaming, and, well, it's a Wes Craven movie,\" Lucy says, laughing. \"I'm a huge horror-movie addict, and it was really amazing to be part of a cult classic.\"\n\nAfter a litany of questions dodged, from Pretty Little Liars scoop to boyfriend details, one might wonder what Lucy can and will spill about. \"I love clothes,\" she offers. \"I could talk about online shopping all day\u2014I'm always on Etsy, Freepeople.com, and Shopstyle. I'd love to go to fashion week! I'm learning more about designers, thanks to Pretty Little Liars' costume designer, Mandi Line. Each cast member has their own look: Ashley is the sexy one, Troian is preppy, Shay is sporty, I'm the quirky one.\" Lucy admits to being a slave to comfort most days (\"Hello, I live in L.A.!\" she says), but her sartorial inclinations are leaning more and more toward high fashion. \"When I dress up for events, I prefer Marc Jacobs and Dior. But I dream about wearing Chanel one day.\" For this nascent Hollywood darling\u2014who has the television, music, and movie worlds all in her pretty but powerful grasp\u2014somehow we think Chanel is the tip of the iceberg.\n\nEdited for teenvogue.com. For the complete story pick up the February 2011 issue of Teen Vogue, on newsstands January 3!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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