Lindsey Shaw Talks Learning From 'Love'
On last night's episode of Pretty Little Liars, I was shocked to hear Paige, of all people, making so much sense when it came to emotionally handling the recent Rosewood developments. I mean, this was a girl who previously expressed her love for Emily by trying to drown her.
And it's a good thing Paige has come a long way since then because Lindsey Shaw's latest character -- Sylvia in the thrilling Save Me -- could use a little waking up when it comes to her choices. In the new movie (now on DVD) Shaw's Sylvia falls for a mysterious young man who is later implicated in his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. But Sylvia's love overrides her rational thinking and she finds herself in a very dangerous game.
I caught up with Miss. Shaw this morning to talk about Love Me, and discovered we both had the same cinematic touchstone for the film!
ETonline: OK, so I have to tell you, Love Me reminded me so much of Fear, one of my favorite movies, ever.
Lindsey Shaw: Stop it! Stop it right now, that's exactly what I told them when I was getting driven from the airport to my first wardrobe fitting. That is exactly the vibe I got from it and I love that movie, so I'm excited to hear you say that.
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ETonline: What is it about Love Me, and Fear, that appealed to you?
Shaw: It's those intense emotions you have when you're young. I'm intrigued by the naivety of a young girl wanting to believe in love and a guy wanting to give that to her, but that not being the whole story. Fear obviously goes very far in that direction, while Love Me keeps pushing the stakes and edging in that direction until the breaking point. The twisted personality and the uncertainty are appealing.
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ETonline: Are thrillers like this fun to make?
Shaw: Absolutely. There's no ceiling on the drama you can bring with these movies. For most people, no situation will ever get this intense in real life. so getting to go as far as you possibly can is so much fun. You get to scream and to have permission to let all those crazy and bad and weird emotions out is really cool. Then, you go home at night and are fine.
ETonline: I know you're active on Twitter, what have your fans been saying about Love Me?
Shaw: It's been great. They really support me in anything I do. Yesterday the movie was a little bit in competition with my premiere episode of PLL. But through that, I pimped out the movie, which was genius -- I hope they all check it out.
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ETonline: You know, I have to say, I was surprised by how sane and rational Paige was in last night's PLL.
Shaw: It's so funny, I didn't make that connection at first, but everyone on Twitter was saying that too. She was the voice of reason, which is so cool. Sylvia, I think she's normally the voice of reason; she just gets caught up in this intense situation. I think she plows forward in a way she normally wouldn't. Interesting juxtaposition for both of those characters.
ETonline: I thought it was refreshing, and important, to see the rawness of Paige's emotions like that.
Shaw: That is my absolute favorite thing about this whole season of PLL. We all saw what happened to her in the summer finale, but I think because of the Halloween episode people don't remember this hugely traumatic thing happened to her. She's changed so much by that, so it absolutely alters her personality and character, which is a tip to the writers. That theme continues throughout the whole season. Of course, on PLL, you only get light to get dark again, so she's only reasonable for so long [laughs].
ETonline: Would you say there's one character you've played who is closest to who Lindsey really is?
Shaw: I love every single woman I've played, but the one that synched up the most was Kat on 10 Things I Hate About You. I'm still so, so bummed about that show. I think I'll be bummed forever. To have a feeling like that is one of the most validating things I've ever been through. I was her and so empowered on that set. In a way, I'm glad it didn't last because I'm uncomfortable again, which is also fun. But Kat Stratford for sure dude, feminist all the way. I think the characters that come to you are the ones you need at that time. I've definitely learned so much about being a woman from so much about every single woman I've played. Even Jennifer Mosely. Little, pre-pubescent Jennifer Mosely.
Love Me is now available and Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.