Hope you guys are as stoked as I am about THE LYING GAME! And will be tuning in and watching it tonight on ABC family!! Alexandra Chando plays the main role of two characters, Emma Becker and Sutton Mercer. With the premiere of ABC Family’s “The Lying Game”, Alexandra Chando
recently took part in a media Q&A.(noted this is not the full transcript Q&A)
"The Lying Game," a new one-hour scripted drama, follows Emma, a
kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister,
Sutton. Sutton, unlike Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is
seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton
talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a
lead on the mysterious identity of their birth mother.
After Sutton inexplicably fails to return to the girls' designated
meeting place, Emma must decide whether to come clean about her identity
and risk her own safety in the hope of uncovering her twin sister's
whereabouts, along with the truth about why they were separated in the
first place.".
Moderator What can you tell potential fans and fans of Pretty Little Liars why they should be tuning in to watch this new series?
A. Chando Okay. Great. Well, I think one of the main things for Pretty Little Liars fans to know is that our series is also based on the novel by Sara Shepherd, who wrote the series Pretty Little Liars,
so that is definitely a start. Our show it really is a mystery. It’s a
little bit dark. There is definitely a lot of mystery to it, but at
the same time, it has a lot of heart. It touches on romance and love
triangles and relationships between parents and their teenagers. There
are definitely a lot of secrets. I think a lot of the Pretty Little Liars fans will be able to get into our show, as well, because we kind of have a very similar tone, if you will.
Moderator Can you talk about playing dual roles and the challenges that come with that?
A. Chando Of
course. It’s first a blessing, first of all, to just have the
opportunity to play two roles. To be able to develop two characters and
kind of find different things about them and explore them each and
every day has been incredible. It does come with its challenges,
though. I have 15-hour work days and I’m working an awful lot compared
to what I would be working if I was just playing one character.
It’s a challenge in the sense, besides the hours and the exhaustion,
just trying to keep them straight sometimes. We’re about to embark on
Episode 6. Today, we start it. it’s gotten a little bit easier to
really feel like these characters and understand them, but there are
moments where a little bit of Sutton will creep into Emma and vice
versa. It’s definitely been a challenge and I’d say, as well, having to
act with a green screen or an eye line with an X on the wall has become
easier, but it was definitely in a challenge in the beginning.
Moderator What first attracted you to this role?
A. Chando
Well, aside from the fact that I would have the opportunity to play two
characters, which I’ve always fantasized about doing, the pilot was just
so well written and the characters so relatable and not only my
characters, every character in the show, I think, has an element of
relatability for an audience member. That was really incredible. Just
the fact that it was an ABC Family show and ABC Family puts out really
great projects, as well as Alloy, and the connection was Pretty Little Liars.
Everything just kind of lined up, but specifically, the characters were
just really solid characters and I just thought it would be such an
interesting thing to be able to develop these two girls and see where
they lead.
Moderator How are you like either of the two characters?
A. Chando I
can relate to both of the characters. Obviously, with Emma, I consider
myself a kind person, thoughtful, and I try not to take things for
granted. I mean I grew up in a wonderful family, a wonderful household,
which is great, but with Sutton, I think, I relate to the way she
handles things emotionally. She’s less emotional. She’s kind of
compartmentalizes things and I kind of find myself doing that often,
especially in this industry and where life has kind of taken me. There
is a little bit of both of me in each.
Moderator Did you read the novels beforehand?
A. Chando
Actually, when we shot the pilot, which was in December, the first novel
wasn’t out yet, so we didn’t get to read it until after the pilot was
done being shot. But I did read the first one. I haven’t had a chance
to read the second one yet, but I did read the first one and it was so
helpful. It really helped paint the picture of who Emma was and where
she came from and her upbringing and what she has kind of dealt with in
the past.
Moderator Do you think it differs a lot, like the show versus the novel and how they play what is called the lying game in the novel?
A. Chando
The show does differ from the book. It’s a mystery and in order to keep
fans intrigued and keep a television series going, we need to maintain
that element of mystery. If we were to just follow the book directly
then there would be no mystery involved. We did depart a little bit
from the book, but it’s based on the characters and the lying games are
mentioned.
Want to know all about Emma and Sutton then read
The Lying Game Books
before the TV series starts on August 15th on ABC Family, starring Alexandra Chando.
