SEVENTEEN'S BIG 'TROIAN BELLISARIO' INTERVIEW

Seventeen Magazine

Troian Bellisario, star of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, appears on the cover of Seventeen's February 2014 issue (on stands January 7th). The new season of Pretty Little Liars also premieres January 7th. In a very personal interview with Seventeen, Troian discusses her challenges with being a teenager, her past struggles with self-harming and what makes her happiest now.

How she responds to her fans saying she’s perfect: “I’ve heard fans say that I’m perfect on the show and I want to tell them I’ve been through two hours of hair and makeup. Don’t hold yourself up to that!”

On dealing with the challenges of being a teenager: “I started self-harming when I was a junior. I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school.…I didn’t know what was right and what was wrong, so I think I created this bizarre system of checks and balances to create order in my world. But it really backfired.”

How she differs from her onscreen persona Spencer in Pretty Little Liars: “Sometimes I feel like I’m trying too hard, like I don’t belong. I just look around at Lucy [Hale], Shay [Mitchell], and Ashley [Benson], and I’m just like, Why am I on this show? Sometimes I’ve felt like a fraud. Like, I’m not like these other girls – I don’t dress like that and don’t know how to do my hair. The minute I’m off that stage, I try to get as “me” as possible. I do that by piling on my black eyeliner, and I put on my ripped tights. Dressing like myself again helps.”

On what makes her happiest now: “My friends and my family – the people who I love and who love me back. Whenever I get down, when I want to crawl under a rock, I just look around at them and I see how rich my life is. You have to remember what’s most important in life. I am loved by so many people and have a wonderful job. I know I’m incredibly blessed. I am a completely lucky human being.”