Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin star Bailee Madison says Lucy Hale told her to audition

If anyone knows the value of being a Pretty Little Liar, it's one of the stars of the original 2010 series. So it's no wonder that Bailee Madison's journey to becoming a Liar in the upcoming HBO Max show Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin starts with Lucy Hale, who played Aria on the Freeform version.

"Before I was a part of the show, [Hale and I] were working out together and we were doing abs, and she looked over at me and she was like, 'Oh my gosh, best idea ever, you should do the new Pretty Little Liars,'" Madison recalls to EW. "She was like, 'My friend Roberto's doing it.' That was it, that was the conversation. And then a couple months later, the script was sent to me and I texted her and I was like, 'You're never going to believe this.'"

Hale's friend Roberto is Original Sin co-creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, whom Hale worked with on the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene. And in the end, Hale was obviously on to something, because Madison plays teen mom Imogen in the upcoming series.

"My favorite was calling her and letting her know that I was joining the show," Madison says. "Her advice has honestly just been to trust my instincts and enjoy the ride, enjoy the process."

As a huge fan of the original series, Madison wasn't sure what to expect from this re-imagining, but having the support of those who came before her has been a huge help. "You can't recreate something that's so special, but they laid the foundation for us to be able to create our own world within the PLL universe," Madison says. "The girls have been so kind and lovely. Troian [Bellisario] has been so lovely about talking about wanting to direct an episode. I would love to have their footprint on our show as well."

She continues: "For me, it's so full-circle. All of the girls found their way into my life as I've been growing up in this business, and they've turned from people that I've watched and admired on screen to friends of mine. Lucy's been by my side for this whole process, which has meant the world to me. So to have the support from the people that I looked up to and [co-creator] Lindsay Calhoon Bring means everything. I definitely, being an OG fan, know you cannot recreate what that show did, nor can you recreate the original Liars. They are untouchable."

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will launch on HBO Max this summer.

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