As many fans know by now, 2010’s teen drama Pretty Little Liars is getting a reboot on HBO Max. Written by Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the new series is called Original Sin and will focus on the town of Millwood and how events from twenty years ago affect a new group of five “little liars.” Dealing with their parents, as well as their own dark secrets⏤plus threats from an anonymous assailant⏤these liars are going to have to be stronger than ever if they want to make it through the show alive.
Just who are these new liars? Some we’ve seen before in other projects and some are fresh faces. If you’re curious, don’t worry⏤we’re going to get to know each actress and uncover where you know them from as well as a bit about their new characters.
1. Bailee Madison as Imogen Abel
Imogen Abel is described as the “final girl” of the group and the one who is most persistent at pushing to understand who is harassing them. She’s already giving Spencer Hastings vibes, which is a nice homage to the original. As for the actress, Bailee Madison, she should be a familiar face to most. She grew up in the spotlight in movies such as Bridge to Terabithia, Once Upon a Time, and even Adam Sandler’s Just Go With It.
Madison has had a successful career at the ripe age of twenty-one and doesn’t show any signs of stopping soon. If Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is a hit like it’s expected to be, then hopefully Madison will get the recognition and acclaim as an actress that she deserves.
2. Malia Pyles as Minnie Yin
Minnie Yin, played by Malia Pyles, seems to be the liar with the most experience dealing with harassment. After experiencing some sort of trauma at a young age, she’s withdrawn into an online world, familiarizing herself with the internet and how to use it both wisely and maybe even unwisely. Due to this anonymous source, it seems that Minnie will be a huge help in battling the anonymous assailant virtually. Can she back it up in the real world, though? We’ll have to wait and see.
As for Pyles, she’s had short stints on a variety of TV shows including Batwoman, Baskets, and even Freeform’s The Fosters. She’s still a fresh face in television, which is always exciting to see in big projects like the Pretty Little Liars continuation, and it’ll be even more exciting to see what she brings to the table!
3. Chandler Kinney as Tabby Hayworth
Chandler Kinney’s character, Tabby Hayworth, is described as being one that’s hiding a big secret. This immediately draws comparisons to Alison and Aria from the original show, considering that Tabby is a wannabe director. Like Alison, she has something she’s hiding and doesn’t want anyone to find out, similar to how Aria was dating her teacher. With Tabby’s love for movies and directing, perhaps she’s the ‘artsy’ liar like Aria was. Hopefully, though, we don’t see another student-teacher relationship anytime soon.
As for the actress playing Tabby, Kinney is most known for her role in Disney Channel’s original movie Zombies 2 and will be appearing in its sequel, Zombies 3, which should be coming out in the next year. She’s also been in shows like Lethal Weapon, K.C. Undercover, and American Horror Story. Kinney may be young, but she’s building her resume quickly and impressively.
4. Maia Reficco as Noa Oliver
Noa Oliver could quickly be compared to Emily simply because she’s an athlete; however, the next thing listed in her short bio is that she is just coming back from juvie. The reason why she was in juvie remains unknown, but it appears that she’s trying to get back to a normal life with her devoted boyfriend, Shawn, only to have the anonymous harasser come into her life. Noa seems to be one of the more mysterious characters so far, leading fans to believe that she’ll have a big role in the show with plenty of her own secrets.
Maia Reffico is likely more widely-known as a singer as opposed to an actress. She was most recently as Young Eva in the Encores! production of Evita and was also in a series called Kally’s Mashup⏤a sort of Hannah Montana show that has run for over a hundred episodes. Other than that, it seems that Reffico is still new to the screen and it will be interesting to see how she does on the show.
5. Zaria Simone as Faran
Along with Imogen, the character who seems to be the most fleshed-out is Faran. No last name has been released, but her story makes up for it. Faran is a talented dancer and is training to become a ballerina. Not only does she have the dark secrets of her parents and new anonymous abuser to deal with, but also the multiple micro-aggressions in the dance world that no one could have prepared her for. She desperately wants to escape Millwood, but can she overcome all of the obstacles standing in her way?
Faran is played by Zaria Simone, otherwise known as just Zaria. Zaria is another newbie to the screen, and even though she has little experience, she can’t be counted out just yet. She’s been on shows like Black-ish, Two Distant Strangers, and even Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! alongside Jamie Foxx. Zaria is definitely an up-and-comer to watch.
With so many fresh faces in this cast, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is sure to make a splash when it premieres. One good thing about a cast like this is that there are a few actors who can lead and know their way around, like Madison and Kinney, while the others will have the opportunity to make a name for themselves in this brand new and highly-anticipated project. Not only is it exciting for fans of Pretty Little Liars, but also fans of acting itself. It’s always great to see actors get their shot at making it “big” in the industry.
What do we think, liars? Are you seeing any similarities between the original liars and the newbies? Do you already have a favorite?
