The Untold Truth Of Ashley Benson

Although it's now impossible to imagine Pretty Little Liars without Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin, the series' showrunner, I. Marlene King, revealed an interesting truth during an interview with Seventeen: Benson was the last star to be chosen for one of the main characters. Once Shay Mitchell was cast as Emily Fields, Lucy Hale signed on as Aria Montgomery, and Troian Bellisario was secured as Spencer Hastings, one main role remained — Hanna, a complex character who rises to Queen Bee status after her friend Alison DiLaurentis (played by Sasha Pieterse) mysteriously disappears.

Being in the right place at the right time helped Benson secure the role. "We wanted one of the four original Liars, excluding Alison, to be blonde. We couldn't find anybody that felt right," King told Seventeen. In a twist of fate, the show Eastwick, on which Benson starred, was canceled while Pretty Little Liars was casting, leaving Benson ready for new opportunities. After seeing Benson in tears while coping after learning the news that her show was canceled, King was convinced. "She knows how to use those 'Pretty Little Liars big eyes,' I call them," she explained. "We knew we had our Hanna."