This is how old the cast of Pretty Little Liars were compared to their characters

Ah, Pretty Little Liars – I miss you. This show had me hooked for YEARS. Did it go on for far too long? Probably, as we all know how disappointing the finale was – but I won’t spoil it for those of you who are slacking and have never seen this show before. I still stalk the entire cast of PLL on Instagram and still feel goosebumps if I think about all the text messages from -A and all the bat-shit crazy things they did. If I think about it anymore, I’d probably end up at Radley too.

In Season one, our Liars are just beginning their junior year of high school. Here, they are 16 years old, gorgeous and scandalous, as -A comes out out of the woodworks, ready to torment them in the wake of Alison’s one year anniversary missing. However, what you might not know is how old the Liars really were in real life, compared to the age of their character – the difference is CRAZY.

Troian Bellisario – SPENCER HASTINGS

Age: 24

Bellisario was 24-years old in Season 1, when she first began her role of Spencer Hastings. Season one Spencer was full of angst and scheming – pining after another one of Melissa’s boyfriends, cheating her way into UPenn, and trying to hide from ‘The Jenna Thing’, all whilst wearing the most hideous waistcoat and hat combinations.

Lucy Hale – ARIA MONTGOMERY 

Age: 20

Oddly enough, Hale being four years older than her character in real life doesn’t make her sexy and secret student-teacher relationship with Mr. Fitz any less weird. I know he’s draw-droppingly handsome, but come on now. I can’t say that Season one Aria – or just all seasons of Aria’s fashion is any better than Spencer’s either. Wardrobe nailed it with the pink hair strips though – so iconic that it gives the same energy as that video of Selena Gomez and her blue bits of hair – ‘I’ve got a little bit of blue going on for the Teen Vogue party!’

Sasha Pieterse – ALISON DILAURENTIS 

Age: 13

Now, THIS is the most shocking. Ali ‘Did you miss me?’ DeLaurentis was merely a foetus when she stepped into her role of that signature yellow flowy top and being the most notorious blonde-blue eyed mean girl in Rosewood.

Shay Mitchell – EMILY FIELDS

Age: 23

When Mitchell started playing the role of Emily, she was 23 and had already put all that high-school drama behind her, before stepping into it all over again. In Season one, Emily starts to become a badass and I love her for it. Again, 2010 fashion is in full swing.

Ashley Benson – HANNA MARIN

Age: 20

Like Hale, Ashley Benson was 20 years old when she was cast for the show. Benson delivered some of the best lines on the show – ‘Jenna can’t hear us, she’s blind’ and ‘No you follow him! I have to change my underwear!’

It is no secret then that this cast really did grow up together, and by the time the series finale rolled around, they ended up closer to playing their real ages on the show. Even though the Liars had been and done high school in real life when they first started filming, and Alison’s actress not even yet started – they pretty much nailed their roles and gave us one of the most quintessential teen dramas of this century. PLL is a rite of passage for all girls out there.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

•Quiz: Which of the four main girls in Pretty Little Liars are you?

•A Pretty Little Liars reboot is coming from the Riverdale creator

•This is what your favourite Nickelodeon childhood stars are up to now

Featured image credit via ABC