The actress also talks about her new movie, ‘A Nice Girl Like You,' out July 17.
Lucy Hale is not going to lie, the cancellation of Katy Keene really broke her heart, but she will forever be grateful for the experience. ET’s Katie Krause chatted with the actress about her latest film, A Nice Girl Like You, as well as how her dating life is amid quarantine, and what she'll miss most about her CW character.
"I was sad about it for a week. I'm still sad about it. But I was really sad for a week," Hale, 31, expressed. "And I made my peace with it. I was like, 'Get it together, Lucy. You had a great time.' Nothing will take away from what I consider a really great season. I would rather do one awesome season that people loved than do, like, six that people are like, 'Oh god, let it end already!' I seriously made peace with it."
Following the news of the Riverdale spinoff's cancellation, Hale posted a tearful Instagram video where she shared that she had been crying all day.
"When I made that Instagram, I was so flooded with support and love. I needed to be reminded of that and it was amazing," she told ET, adding that she'll miss her cast, "but they're still my people. That's not going away."
"I miss New York. I really do. I really loved living there. I'll miss playing Katy," she continued, adding, "I feel like I was born to play her. That's why it was so devastating. You're just cutting the life short. What are you doing? [But it's] not my decision."
While Hale has moved on, she's looking forward to future projects and is "itching" to get back on a set. "I feel my best when I'm creative. I feel my best when I'm productive. And there are ways to be that when you're in your house, but it's not the same," she explained. "I love working."
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Hollywood has shut down -- and, as Hale admitted, so has her love life.
"I feel more single than ever, but it's fine," she cracked. "If anything during this time it's taught [me] -- because I've done the whole thing basically alone and I used to hate being alone -- I feel the only way I'm gonna date someone next is if they make my life better because I'm so happy right now having my own routine."
"I'm on a dating site now and I still never met up with any of them because I'm too nervous," Hale dished. "Believe it or not, I'm really shy in that sense."
But when she does find the right guy, she shared that having a sense of humor is everything to her, "and I have a specific sense of humor."
"I physically do not have a type. I've dated everything cross the board," she explained, adding that she's looking for "someone who's confident and comfortable in their skin."
"There's so many insecure men out there and I can't do that. I've dated that. Don't want that," she relayed, listing more qualities she would like in a partner. "Work ethic, drive, passion. I don't care what you do, just love it. Do everything a hundred and ten percent. A good moral compass. Just a good person. It's very simple what I'm looking for, but that's hard. Simple qualities are harder to find."
"I'm not settling for anything less than what I'm looking for. Because why? Why would I?"
Someone who also isn't settling is also her character Lucy Neal in A Nice Girl Like You. The film follows Lucy after her boyfriend breaks up with her after he accuses her of being too inhibited and calls her pornophobic. She then goes off on a sexual exploration of her own by making a sex-themed to-do list.
"The whole time reading it I was like, I'm so uncomfortable! I was like, I have to do it because that told me that a lot of other people are so uncomfortable about this topic because women aren't supposed to be this person but we are," she explained. "We can be sexual and open up about being sexual. Not just the men. That's just ridiculous. That's so 1960's. We're in 2020!"
"We should embrace who we are and we should embrace our sexuality because that's so much of who we are. How we express ourselves, how we are in relationships," she continued. "And this movie is more on the nose, but like, 'Let's go to a strip club! Let's do all these things.' But the takeaway should be, own whoever it is that you are, whatever it is that you love. Own it!"
"It's just a topic that might make people a little uncomfortable, but just sink into it" she added about why people should watch the film. "It's something we all do. We all talk about [sex]. It's a big part of who we are. And I hope for women it makes them feel great about themselves and empowers them -- and I think men will enjoy it as well!"
A Nice Girl Like You is available on Apple TV, Amazon, and all major VOD platforms. Hear more of ET's exclusive interview with Hale -- including how obsessed she is with her former Pretty Little Liars co-stars' babies and more -- in the video above.
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