Who the Heck Is “A”? Pretty Little Liars Star Tyler Blackburn Teases the Big Season Finale
Pretty Little Liars hottie Tyler Blackburn spoke to Snakkle about his promotion to series regular, his work as a talented musician and the repercussions of learning the identity of the infamous “A” (We’re freaking out!) in the season finale. By Elizabeth PerkinsSnakkle: We’re big fans of Pretty Little Liars, so it’s great to have the opportunity to talk to you before the big finale. We cannot wait! First of all, congratulations on your promotion to series regular this season. I love Caleb and Hanna together, so I’m glad you’re sticking around.
Tyler: Thank you, I’m quite excited myself.
Snakkle: How was it coming into a tight-knit group like that?
Tyler: Well, I’ve been working on the show for over a year and at this point I feel pretty close with everybody, and the promotion to series regular was sort of like—I feel like I was finally adopted. I was sort of the godchild for a season and a half and now I’m finally adopted. So, it’s just cool. I like it. It’s a great group of people.
Snakkle: It seems with such a young cast that everyone would be welcoming and tight. Is that how you felt when you first started on the show?
Tyler: Yeah! For sure! It’s definitely nice to have a lot of young people, and I actually like to have the balance between that and more seasoned actors—and I don’t mean that to be rude to the young actors. I’m just saying that just to have that sort of—and I don’t want to say older, either, because they might take offense to that—but you know what I mean. Just like a little bit older, like wiser. I love talking with some of the people who play the parents and stuff like that. Everybody’s been super cool, down to the crew, obviously the producers, the writers, it’s everyone. I really enjoy being there.
Snakkle: Now Caleb’s past sets him apart from a lot of the upper-crust teens in Rosewood and probably a lot of teens who watch the show. What’s your favorite thing about playing such an emotionally complex character?
Tyler: I like that he has flaws and stuff, and as an actor being able to play a badass in one scene and cry in another is just really rewarding. And the truth is, that’s so real, you know? Anyone who is perfect all the time is full of sh*t, you know.
Snakkle: That’s one of the things we like about you on the show. Your character is very real. Everyone comes with baggage, everyone comes with problems in their family, and you play it so authentically.
Tyler: Thank you, I appreciate it.
Snakkle: Obviously, Caleb’s baggage can cause problems in a relationship. So it’s good to see that things are going so well with Caleb and Hanna. You had that steamy shower scene—is it uncomfortable tackling scenes like that?
Tyler: That one was kind of uncomfortable. That was my, I don’t even know, like my fifth episode or something like that, so I was still like nervous going to set sometimes because I was—you know, I hadn’t had a steady job like that for quite a while, and it was the first time I had to be sort of the heartthrob, you know what I mean. And that puts pressure on you. So that scene in particular I was extremely nervous. I know this was so long ago and no one really cares anymore, but we’re in a soundstage and it was—no joke—maybe 50 degrees. And in the shower, the water kept going from freezing cold to burning hot. [Laughs.] And it was also one in the morning, so, it was such a mess. I was nervous for that one. But I’m so okay with the kissing scenes now. They’re quite fun. No lie. I hope the producers tell me way in advance if I have to do any more shirtless stuff, because I gotta get my crunches on, side bands and stuff going. [Snakkle translation: Got to hit the gym.]
Snakkle: So we fans are eagerly awaiting the reveal of A’s identity. How long have you and the rest of the cast known who he or she is?
Tyler: Well, we read the finale script before we filmed it obviously and that was a few months ago, so we’ve known for awhile. And, believe me, any interviews we do it’s hard not to accidentally reveal the gender or, you know what I mean, we have this sensitive information we have to be very cautious about. We’re walking on eggshells.
Snakkle: Since you knew the identity of A, did it make you take a different approach to the way you played your part and how you interacted with other characters on the show? You didn’t want to give anything away…
Tyler: Yeah, I feel like every character in some way has interacted—never mind, I don’t want to say anything. Just, yes. [Laughs.]
Snakkle: That’s good enough! You are not only an actor but a talented musician. You’ve contributed songs to other ABC Family shows, or just the one?
Tyler: Just one. The first thing I recorded was for this web series I did called Wendy. And then I have recently recorded another one that is on the promo for Secret Life of the American Teenager, and that one will also be on iTunes eventually. I just need to figure all that stuff out. It’s actually really fun, and it’s separate from PLL and I just love, love, love music so much that the fact that I have those opportunities is really great. I’m going to continue to work on it and sort of figure out what sound I want, and I’m working on some stuff with some friends (and a little band) and just doing my thing with that.
Snakkle: Are there any hopes, do you think, we’ll get to see you perform on PLL one day?
Tyler: I don’t know. To be honest with you, I don’t know that I would want to perform on the show as Caleb. It’s kind of, I feel, out of his character, you know what I mean? So, I don’t know. I don’t know that I would like that. But maybe at some other juncture—I don’t know.
Snakkle: Maybe you can contribute a song.
Tyler: Yeah.
Snakkle: You recently came back from Italy. Did you have any fans recognize you abroad?
Tyler: Yes, actually, which, to me that is so—it’s a combination of amazing and, um, weird. I don’t know another good word to put there. But it’s so weird that I’ve never been to Europe and I go to Europe and it’s like people know me, you know? It’s very, very bizarre. I actually got recognized in almost every city I went to—because I did this whole European excursion. In Venice, Italy, seeing fans—It was just bizarre but super cool too to know that the show is recognized all over the globe, and that is just amazing to me. You forget when you’re filming and you’re just doing the press and you’re playing the game of it all. You forget the realities like that, you know?
Snakkle: Do you remember the first time you were recognized by a fan?
Tyler: I feel like it was at a cafe in Los Feliz. It was like a young girl with her mom, I think. I think that was the first one. She was so sweet, and it wasn’t weird at all. Like sometimes it’s not the most comfortable thing to be stared at while you’re going down the aisles in the grocery store, but then you get the moments where [it feels] so awesome that you affected someone so positively and stuff.
Snakkle: That is pretty awesome. It’s probably something you’ll never get used to.
Tyler: Honestly, I feel if you ever get used to it then there’s like, something wrong with you. It’s still just a little bit weird. It’s one thing to be able to handle it, but if you’re like totally fine with that—like those people who get followed around every day by cameras and paparazzi and stuff—I would literally be in a straitjacket. I would be driven crazy. [Laughs.] That’s too much for me. I’ve said this, but if that happens, I’m moving to a ranch in the middle of nowhere. That’s not for me.
Snakkle: Filming the show has to be busy, so when you need to just relax with a comfort show, what do you like to watch on TV to take away the stress at the end of the day?
Tyler: There are a few TV shows that I like. I’m not always able to just watch shows, but a guilty pleasure of mine is Revenge. I personally love Food Network. I love cooking, so I watch Food Network a lot. I love Chopped. Then I also love the Discovery Channel and TLC and stuff like that. I find that to be interesting, you know. Sometimes I’ll sit and watch a little bit of those Real Housewives of… whatever, and I’m like, this is so… it’s kind of sad. [Laughs.] But it’s just our society, so it’s a little bit addicting, but then I’m like, “No. Don’t do it. Change it to something neutral.”
Snakkle: Any hints as to what PLL fans can look forward to next season?
Tyler: I mean, nothing exact because I haven’t read any scripts, but the way the show goes, as soon as you feel you got answers, you will have more questions. Just be prepared to want answers yet again. I don’t feel the pressure is going to come off the PLLs. I think they’re just going to get more involved and deeper into the mystery. I don’t think fans will be disappointed.
Snakkle: So there will be a lot of repercussions from finding out who A is.
Tyler: Yeah.
The Pretty Little Liars season finale airs Monday, March 19, at 8/7c on ABC Family.