8 Years After ‘Pretty Little Liars’: What’s Lucy Hale Up To Now?

Lucy Hale’s early career included parts in youth-oriented TV shows like “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” and “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She landed leading roles in short-lived series such as “Bionic Woman” and “Privileged,” before her big break came in 2010 with “Pretty Little Liars.”

Over the course of the show’s seven seasons, based on Sara Shepard’s bestselling book series, Hale played Aria Montgomery, a teenager whose life is turned upside down after the mysterious disappearance of one of her best friends. A year later, the group begins receiving threats from an anonymous figure who knows many of their secrets. Hale continued this role until the series concluded in 2017, cementing her status as a television star.

Life After Pretty Little Liars

It’s no surprise that Hale quickly landed another lead role in 2018 as Stella, a young woman diagnosed with terminal cancer who finds out she’s cured, in “Life Sentence.” Unfortunately, the show didn’t meet expectations and was cancelled after just one season.

In the same year, Hale starred in three films that set the tone for her subsequent career moves: the comedy “The Unicorn” (unreleased in our region), the Netflix dramedy “Dude,” and the horror film “Truth or Dare.”

A More Low-Key Career Trajectory

Following these roles, Hale continued to land lead roles in romance films that were directly released on DVD or VOD, such as “The Hating Game” in 2021, “A Nice Girl Like You” in 2022, and “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” in 2023, which largely went unnoticed. She also continued to appear in horror films like “Fantasy Island” in 2020 and dramas like “Son of the South” in 2022.

In 2022, Hale appeared alongside Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, and Megan Fox in the fantasy comedy “Big Gold Brick.” Despite its star-studded cast, the film failed to impress and was released on VOD in France, along with the thriller “Borrego,” in which she played the lead role. Her subsequent films, “Inside Man” and “F**k Marry Kill,” were not available in France, while the romantic comedy “Puppy Love,” featuring her and Grant Gustin from “The Flash” bonding over their dogs, premiered on Prime Video in 2024.

Further Attempts on Television

While Hale has struggled to make a significant impact on the big screen, television continues to welcome her. In 2020, she starred as the lead in the “Riverdale” spin-off “Katy Keene,” which focused on aspiring artists in New York City. Despite its less grim tone compared to its parent series, it was cancelled after one season.

Hale bounced back the following year by playing a detective in the police thriller “Ragdoll.” This dark miniseries, produced by the creators of “Killing Eve,” follows a team assigned to a horrifying case involving six dismembered bodies sewn together into a grotesque form, dubbed the “Ragdoll.”

In 2023, Hale was announced to be part of Darren Aronofsky’s series “The Answers,” alongside David Corenswet, though the project did not advance beyond the pilot stage.

What the Future Holds

While Hale hasn’t landed roles as iconic as Aria since, she continues to carve out a niche in Hollywood. She has several projects in the works, including a sci-fi thriller “White Mars,” a psychological thriller “My One And Only,” a romantic comedy “Princess,” and the biographical film “Kissinger Takes Paris,” featuring Tim Roth, Robin Wright, and Mary-Louise Parker.

However, her most anticipated upcoming film for fans of “Pretty Little Liars” is undoubtedly the Christmas romantic comedy “The Twelve Dates Of Christmas,” where she reunites with Ian Harding, who played her love interest Ezra Fitz in the series.

Lastly, she was announced in April 2025 as the star and producer of a new Netflix series “Dead Letters,” adapted from the novel of the same name and described by Deadline as an addictive whodunit. In it, she plays twins, one investigating the mysterious death of the other. However, there’s been no further news on the project since…

In the meantime, you can always revisit “Pretty Little Liars” on Prime Video or HBO Max.