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Bailee Madison

stars

HBO MAX

series

Pretty Littel Liars: Original Sin

Photography Tyler Patrick Kenny

Creative Director Deborah Ferguson

Interview by Stella Hofferman

After nearly two-and-a-half decades of acting, Bailee Madison has built quite the impressive resumé. Starting as an adorable child actress, to now a badass Final Girl in HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars reboot with a budding music career–the twenty-four year-old has proven herself as utterly magnetic and unstoppable. As the series’ most recent installment, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, closes off with an explosive and nail-biting final episode, Bailee Madison steps back to reflect on her role as Imogen and discuss her debut single “Kinda Fun” alongside her transition into becoming a singer-songwriter.

Leather Jacket, Denim Jeans, & Boots: R13

A major plot point in Pretty Little Liars: Summer School surrounds the main villain of the season, Bloody Rose Waters, conducting “Final Girl Tests” on the Liars that prey on both their vulnerabilities and their strengths–where failure equals death. If you were forced to endure a “Final Girl Test,” what do you think it would be?

Oh gosh, I don’t know!!!? I defer to Roberto and Lindsay for this one; they have the good ideas. I just hope it never happens. On screen? Yes. But in person? No thank you. These girls go through such twisted things. Bless them, they are forces.

Knit Bomber Jacket, Skirt, and Sling black heels: Sportmax

Who is your favorite horror movie Final Girl? Are there any that have inspired your portrayal of Imogen?

Laurie Strode and Sydney Prescott are two performances I love watching as their franchises go on. Sue Snell caught my attention during the first season, while Nancy Thompson was more of a second-season experience. As a side note, I love Grace Le Domas; Samara Weaving is so fun in that movie.

Knit Top, Skirt, & Heels: Stella McCartney

In a touching moment in Episode 6 of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, the Liars come together to host a Pride celebration, despite their town’s disapproval. What was it like to step away from the drama and the gore to honor Pride and highlight serious real-world issues?

It just felt fitting and right that we would have an episode like this. When I read the script, I thought it was so genius that it was taking place, during an episode that is exposing real life horrors. I feel very fortunate to be on a show led by creators and writers who honor the fun and thrill of the genre but work so hard to always highlight important issues. As actors, it’s a gift and an honor to get to bring those stories to light. It was such a beautiful day of filming for us all. We had the most incredible people join us for the pool party scene. They completely filled our set with so much joy, positivity and love. You can feel that energy when you watch those scenes. It was a breath of fresh air for our characters and for us.

Bomber Jacket, Skirt, & Boots: 3.1 Phillip Lim

Your role as Imogen has required you to act in some pretty intense chase scenes and stand-offs! What’s the process like of filming these? Do you have to do any stunt training?

I love stunts! I’m always like, “Any script with stunts, I’m already intrigued.” I haven’t yet had a role that required intense stunt training, but I’ve had the pleasure of working with some incredible stunt teams over the years. They’ve always kept me safe while allowing me to do as much as possible. Tracey Ruggiero is our stunt coordinator on PLL and it’s great because we worked together on Just Go With It when I was 10. Seeing her after all these years and carving out a stunt scene while wearing a fake pregnancy stomach was such a trippy experience for us! Each scene has a different process, but I try to participate in the pre-viz if I can and use it as a chance to map out the stunts with Tracey. She’s a badass, and so are the people on her team.I’m very grateful for them; some of my favorite days on set involve working with the stunt team.

Cardigan, Top, & Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana, Jeans and Boots: R13

Moving away from Imogen to focus on the woman behind her, earlier this year you released your first single! What inspired you to start making music?

I’ve always loved and appreciated how music moves a human. For a lot of us, it’s the thing that gets us through all of life’s lessons. I’ve played characters my whole life, but behind the scenes, I’ve been navigating life and growing just like everyone else. Having the creative freedom to choose my own words and create my own work is a healing experience for me.

What was the songwriting process for “Kinda Fun” like? Especially the experience getting to work on it with your boyfriend!

“Kinda Fun” was created during the actors’ strike. I was filming PLL when the strike was called, so I flew back home to LA and found myself missing being creative. My boyfriend is a musician, and one night he started strumming and singing an idea and we just started writing. The song was born from a moment of pure honesty and joy, and it just felt like a fitting time to release it.

Knit Top, Skirt, & Heels: Stella McCartney

Leather Jacket, Denim Jeans, & Boots: R13

As an almost-lifelong actress and a newly established singer-songwriter, have there been any other of your hobbies that you’ve wished to pursue professionally?

I’m eager and very excited to start stepping behind the scenes more. I love this industry way too much not to.