Jan. 31 (UPI) — “Katy Keene” star Lucy Hale says the show is a “happy and inspiring” series.
The 30-year-old actress discussed the series in an interview with Us Weekly published Friday ahead of the show’s premiere Feb. 6 on The CW.
Hale plays the title character in “Katy Keene,” a spinoff of the teen drama “Riverdale.” The new show takes place five years ahead of “Riverdale,” and follows Katy (Hale), an aspiring fashion designer living in New York City.
“Our show is happy and inspiring,” Hale told the magazine.
“I’m at the point in my career where I only want to do things with a good message or that resonate with me,” she said. “I just feel really grateful that the show came into my life because, for more than one reason, it’s made my life better.”
Hale confirmed Katy, a friend of the “Riverdale” character Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), will appear in an episode of “Riverdale.”
“‘Katy Keene takes place five years in the future, so my character on ‘Riverdale’, I’m going back in time to when I’m in high school,” Hale said. “There’s a really great scene between Veronica and Katy where they’re discussing Katy’s mom and you realize the importance of Katy’s mom throughout this whole story.”
Hale also teased “some really cool surprises” to come for “Riverdale” fans in “Katy Keene.”
Hale is known for playing “good girl” characters, including Aria Montgomery on the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars. “Katy Keene” executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said in Hale’s Cosmopolitan cover story, released Thursday, that he used Hale in his mood boards before the actress was even cast.
“She was our prototype,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “Katy is kind of an It Girl but also the really relatable girl next door.”
“Pretty Little Liars” ended in 2017 after seven seasons. Hale told Cosmopolitan it was a “really tough” experience to grow up onscreen while playing a high school student for eight years.
“You did feel like you had to uphold some sort of image,” the actress said. “I’ve always been very petite, but over the course of eight years, my body changed. I gained a little bit of weight, and seeing how people reacted to that really messed with my head.”
“I look back and I think of all of the minutes and hours I’ve wasted upset over how I looked or something that was out of my control,” she added. “I wish I could get that time back, although it has led me to where I’m at now.”
“Katy Keene” premieres Feb. 6 on The CW.
