Lucy Hale & Ian Harding Defend Pretty Little Liars’ Controversial Age Gap
Nothing says “prime-time scandal” like a 19-year-old dating her English teacher—and apparently that was peak entertainment for Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars. In a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter published June 20, Lucy Hale and Ian Harding revisited the now-infamous Ezria storyline and stood by the awkward age-gap that once had viewers clutching their pearls and parental controls firmly in hand.
Lucy Hale, who was fresh out of high school at 19 when she landed the role of Aria Montgomery, shrugged off any guilt trip about the teacher-student fling. “It was a different time,” she deadpanned, acknowledging that if PLL were shooting today, network execs might deliver a collective side-eye. Now 36, she admits the storyline hits differently when you realize your co-star was technically your professor in fiction. Still, she’s unrepentant: “I stand behind their love story forever. That forbidden romance drew a lot of people in,” she said, reminding us that nostalgia is great—unless you’re rewriting your script in real time.
Ian Harding, aka Mr. Fitz, leaned into the defense by calling their relationship a “meaningful connection” rather than a power-trip in polyester suits. “Hopefully that was enough to justify the deeply problematic relationship,” he quipped, conceding that society’s moral compass has spun a few extra degrees since 2010. In true deadpan style, he added that playing Ezra required “advocacy for this person, no matter who they are,” as if every high schooler secretly fantasized about handing in essays in exchange for love letters.
Despite the eyebrow-raising premise, Aria and Ezra did tie the knot in the 2017 series finale, offering a bizarre “safe haven” for fans amid the show’s perpetual suspense. Harding confessed that while filming, he leaned into the “teacher fantasy thing,” but he maintained that depicting questionable behavior doesn’t mean endorsing it—because nothing says “role model” like a wedding between student and instructor.
Behind the scenes, the drama started on paper. Sara Shepard conceived Pretty Little Liars while ghostwriting at Alloy, inspired by real-life kidnapping stories she researched for Cosmopolitan. Showrunner I. Marlene King then crammed the first book’s twists into one pilot, setting the breakneck pace fans still binge today. And yes, Lucy didn’t even audition—her CW follow-through from Privileged was all it took to land Aria, proving that tenacity and a devoted social-media squad can outperform drama class any day.
So there you have it: two actors defending a storyline that perfectly captures the awkward thrill of teenage rebellion and questionable decision-making. Let’s pretend we learned something about boundaries and moral fiber. Tune in next time for more baffling life choices served with a side of pop-culture absurdity.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, The Hollywood Reporter, Cosmopolitan
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
