‘Pretty Little Liars’: Lucy Hale Was 1 of the Only Cast Members Not Allowed to Know Who ‘A’ Was

Let’s face reality — certain people just can’t keep a secret, and this even applies to some actors on a set. Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale falls into this category.

The show, which ended in 2017, revolved around a major mystery — the identity of “A.” While it is easy to assume that all the actors knew the answer to this secret, it wasn’t the case. As it turns out, Hale was one of the only cast members not allowed to know who “A” was.

Who was ‘A’ on ‘Pretty Little Liars’?

This can get a bit complicated, so let’s do a quick rundown. Pretty Little Liars revolved around four teenage girls — Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily — who, according to Reel Rundown, are stalked by the mysterious and unknown “A.” “A” blackmails the girls using information only their deceased friend Alison would know. 

So, who was “A”? Well, the first “A” from seasons 1 and 2 of the show was Mona Vanderwaal, who would send messages with information that was known only to Alison. Eventually, she was caught and institutionalized, becoming a “complex” character in the victims’ battles against future “A’s.”

The second “A” who took over from Mona was CeCe Drake, born Charles Dilaurentis and also known as Charlotte. She obtained information from Mona and became “A” as part of a deal.

Finding it addictive, she continued but was ultimately caught. After being sent for treatment, CeCe was killed in self-defense by Mona. Finally, the third “A” was Alex Drake, Spencer’s identical twin. She went by A.D. or Uber-A and was eventually captured and imprisoned by Mona.

In ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ Lucy Hale was one of the only cast members not allowed to know who ‘A’ was

Just like the rest of us, it turns out that Hale had no idea who “A” was during the show’s run. 

MTV reported that “A” was the biggest mystery on Pretty Little Liars. “A” was known as the text-messaging antagonist who kept re-appearing no matter how many times he or she was unmasked. Almost all of the main characters on the show always knew exactly who “A” was, so why was Hale kept in the dark?

She revealed during an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers that there was a good reason. The actor says she “can’t keep a secret to save her life.” 

Hale wanted to find out who “A” was and said, “I’ve tried everything! I’ve tried listening at doors, I’ve tried bribing the executive producers and writers.” Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The actor had to wait until “A’s” identity was revealed to the millions of fans trying to figure it out.

The actor also admitted that she may have revealed the secret if she knew

Although Hale wanted to know the answer to the “A” mystery, she did say that she wouldn’t be surprised if she leaked the information, so it is probably for the best that she wasn’t told.

During the interview with Seth Meyers, the actor said that the writers and producers “know I would sit here with you, Seth, and it would like accidentally come out.”

It is pretty funny that one of the show’s leading ladies didn’t know who “A” was, despite everyone else being in on the secret.