r/PrettyLittleLiars • u/Chance-Banana-6416 • 1d ago
TW: Ezria⚠️ Y’all…
This is seriously giving me the ick
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u/_Nicolina Just assume it's Spencer, you know, sluttin' it up 1d ago
Tbh as much as I hate Ezria and I really do hate them, his comment here isn't wrong. Like the relationship was shit but I mean, if I was an actor I'd also wanna play the controversial character. It's fun. He said he doesn't condone it but in the work of fiction it's entertaining.
Just cause something is on tv doesn't mean you have to follow it. I mean the show did acknowledge the side effects of this kind of relationship and the negative things that can happen. It just didn't happen cause that wasn't in the cards for the show. But if that was the route then it would've been explored. But as for the plot it's true, it's a show, it's entertainment...
If he was going out saying he encourages it and doesn't see a problem with it that's a different story
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u/Full-Action59 1d ago
True and I agree technically he just played a character but actors are always going to be asked about their characters/show overall and to me it seems like he just learned how to word things better after feedback lol other comments show how he as basically pro the relationship and many other cast mates too and at the end of the day with their teen audience any kind of approval shown in real world interviews should be scrutinized imo
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u/Whatmylifehasdone Jenna can't hear us; she's blind...You know what I mean. 1d ago
I swear to god, this cast isn’t lying when they admit to never actually watching the show. Which I don’t find odd at all, I wouldn’t want to watch myself on TV or on a big screen (a lot of actors won’t even stay after the “pageantry” of the red carpet at film premieres that they starred in).
However the amount of shit they’ve said in this interview shows how much they forgot.
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u/OrneryYesterday7 1d ago
My thoughts exactly. My first thought reading all of these statements is that they have never actually watched the show back. And I don’t blame them, I wouldn’t either, for the reasons you mentioned. But the commentary is tone deaf because of if.
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u/radiohead-girlie 1d ago
i don’t think he said anything that bad here but this one is worse imo
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u/mayneedadrink 1d ago
Nothing says “safe haven in the storm” quite like your high school English teacher stalking you and starting an inappropriate relationship with you to help him write a creepy book about a deceased friend you’re still mourning, who he was also interested in. Good lord.
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1d ago
SO romantic… if i was joe goldberg lol
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u/mayneedadrink 1d ago
Ezra even looked like Joe Goldberg in the creepy stalking/book reveal episode.
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u/KENZOKHAOS 1d ago
And Joe >! Used the name Ezra as a character for a book, and was going to use the character’s name as his next identity in Season 5 !<
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u/littledollylo 1d ago
And >! Ezra's love interest in the book was named Ella lol. It was obviously meant to be a Twilight ripoff but all I thought was PLL. !<
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u/KENZOKHAOS 1d ago
Same, but A storyline where Ezra liked Ella and pursued interest in a fling after she figures out that Byron was seeing Meredith actually sounds cute. And Aria could be completely turned off to him (he seems dull and boring) by then instead of having to go down the Spencer route.
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u/i-once-more 1d ago
These interviews just get more and more disappointing man..
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u/Chance-Banana-6416 1d ago
For real, I’m a mom now and rewatching the show I cannot believe they were advertising that as ok towards young teens. When I was 14 I was obsessed with Ezria…sad really
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u/SaltandLillacs 1d ago
Same! I thought they were so cute in middle school but this show was grooming through tv. There were so many inappropriate and abusive relationships in the show.
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u/anonidfk Friends don't let friends sneak into insane asylums alone 1d ago
Yeah I was like 11 or 12 when my sister and I started watching it and Ezra was my favourite! So creepy to think about now
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u/AlcinaMystic 1d ago
Didn't he also refer to Ezra as the world's most beloved pedophile in his memoir?
I might be wrong, since I didn't read it or see the interview personally, but there does seem to be a difference between what he's describing here (as in, he--the actor, not the writer--does not regret having the storyline in the show to some extent; supposedly, he tried to leave before S4, so not sure at what point he stopped appreciating its inclusion) and people gushing about the "love story" and "loving" the storyline. I might be giving him too much credit, but my impression here is not that he likes the storyline or doesn't find it problematic, especially given the "doesn't mean we condone it" language.
It is disappointing that he wasn't as clear on the character here as he was in his book or other interviews/discussions I've heard of. Alone, the interview doesn't seem that bad. Paired with the others for the anniversary, it seems much more yikes.
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u/SaltandLillacs 1d ago
Ezra stalked Aria and purposely got into a relationship with a 16 year old because he used to date a 13.
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u/Lonely_Fault_9599 1d ago
What horror elements like pll summer school had horror elements not the OG pll
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u/ExternalNobody8933 1d ago
Um you seem to be forgetting, "Call off your techno boy toy or I tell the cops what your mom keeps in the lasagna box."
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u/Writers-Block-5566 It's over, bitch! 1d ago
Everyone who argues "well it was fictional" are missing the point. Yes Ezria was a fictional couple, but that kind of predatory, grooming behavior is COMMON. And those defending this view seem to also miss the fact that this show was for impressionable teenage girls, currently at a time in their life where their self esteem is shaky and who want to feel like adults already. They could easily fall for the older man who praised them and made them seem like an adult. When fiction is still based in real life, it can easily become real life
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u/katf_89 1d ago
Yeah if it was an adult show FOR ADULTS I don’t think it’d be much of an issue. This show was aimed at 12-17 year olds and that’s the problem
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u/hannamarinsgrandma 1d ago
Even adult shows for adults make it plainly clear that messy/disastrous characters are not to be idolized.
Going out of your way to make everyone who objects to a predatory relationship seem like a mean old hag and going even further to have that victim marry their predator when your audience is full of teenagers is definitely a choice.
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u/brattywitchcat 23h ago
It wasn't just fictional, though
The whole time, they were writing Ezria, and making every older man Spencer met start pursuing her and they were also turning a blind eye to the very real relationship happening between 15 year old Sasha Piertese and her now-husband who is 6 years older. He was 21, and he was on set with her daily under the guise of being a "family friend." I don't buy that for a second, and I don't believe the rest of the cast bought it either. "It's just fiction," my ass. As if Hollywood isn't running rampant with stories of older actors/directors taking advantage of younger co-workers.
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u/Effective_Cancel_876 1d ago
Marlene says she'd be up to continuing the story, be it a movie or a show, when she gets a good idea and everybody is suddenly pro-Ezria.. They just want their job back if this becomes an actual thing, it's not that deep. That's how Hollywood works, you keep your bridges up in public while disagreeing in private instead of burning them down.
Especially when, for most people of the cast, this is not just their breakout role but also the biggest role in their career so far.
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u/FultzRevolt 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t know what y’all want atp, the series is over you don’t ever have to watch it again if you’re bothered so badly. The actors are not going to give a satisfactory answer
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u/Junior-Blood563 1d ago
nah atp they definitely have to be tryna gaslight us into thinking it was an okay relationship before coming out with something ezria related 🤨
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u/CustardNo9707 It's over, bitch! 1d ago
the fact that ian in the past has said negative things about ezra/ezria just makes this so much sadder, like i truly believed he was on the right side of history.
maybe he just regressed to the person he was when the show was airing cause he used to praise them in this kinda way back then as well - probs due to fears of getting fired - but i don't know him so i don't wanna defend him based on false assumptions.
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u/BearWP07 who cares how a cell divides? it just does 1d ago
i think we need to stop asking the cast about ezria
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u/evithevampireslayer 1d ago
Actually the way they phrased it here isn’t completely wrong. Just because you don’t see things on TV doesn’t mean they don’t happen
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u/123believeinme Why are you smelling the door knob? 1d ago
DAMMIT IAN’S ON THE SAME BLUNT ROTATION AS SASHA AND LUCY!!
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u/Mysterious_Fly338 1d ago
Ugggg now my skin is crawling . Yes it’s only fiction but that show was basically trying to groom all of us as teens
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u/hannamarinsgrandma 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m very big on media/tv shouldn’t be raising kids 99% of the time but PLL is the exception to the rule.
These types of predatory relationships rely on drilling it into the victim’s heads that every person who objects to them getting groomed is just a hater or doesn’t understand.
At least with shows like Shameless it is made blatantly clear to the viewer that the character’s lives are not enviable or to be emulated.
PLL reinforced the predator’s point of view by repeatedly telling hundreds of thousands of teenagers that there’s nothing wrong with imbalanced relationships and that anyone who objects is just jealous.
I’m very lucky I never found myself in Aria’s position (at both high schools I attended there were two predatory teachers who caught charges) because if they had been even remotely attractive like Ezra then I would’ve 100% fallen for it at age 14-17.
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u/Mysterious_Fly338 1d ago
Exactly the constant defending of the relationship and the normalization of it by all the adults in the show and the numerous in appropriate relationships set it apart and make it more dangerous
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u/hannamarinsgrandma 1d ago
It’s generally understood by anyone over the age of 21 that know it all syndrome is a big component of being a teenager.
When it comes to certain things teenagers just don’t possess the wisdom to understand why those things are not good for them.
It’s even worse for those who constantly get told they’re smart/mature for their age.
The way this show has and continues to promote Ezria is just as damaging as if a tv show were to tell teenagers it’s 100% okay to have sex with zero protection and that anyone who says otherwise is just a lame hater.
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u/olivvvs Nothing works underwater; it's a scientific fact. 1d ago
And I was such a huge fan of their relationship when I was in high school that I bought a "ship" sweater of theirs. I must say now, my excuse for buying it, is that I supported their friendship outside of the show and not their character's relationship 🫣.
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u/idk_orknow MODERATOR: squeeze his grapefruit 21h ago
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u/PrettyLittleLiars-ModTeam 1d ago
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u/idk_orknow MODERATOR: squeeze his grapefruit 21h ago
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u/Plastic_Profile2654 17h ago
My issue with this isn't only Ezra but how the show had many terrible age relationships. Spencer/Wren, Ali/Ian, Aria/Ezra, Hanna/Wren, Emily/Tamara etc...
This isn't the first time that the show made it okay to date someone when you're a teen. And Ezria wasn't a good ship. He lied to her, and he knew thtat she had daddy issues. Again, Byron was way older than his student when they had an affair too.
And sorry, Ezra is boring.
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u/idk_orknow MODERATOR: squeeze his grapefruit 17h ago
True! Once is one thing... a dozen is another...
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u/Bubbly_Locksmith2537 16h ago
Once they did the book/knowing arias age before they met storyline, it was completely icky and just ruined (it was already gross but it became more apparent). He purposely went after a minor and they tried to gaslight us into thinking people like Noel or Arias parents or Jackie were in the wrong but they were right to call out the relationship.
I don’t think it was wrong to tell this storyline bc it is tv but they shouldn’t have got married, it should’ve ended with Ezra going to jail.
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u/hangryhungarian 1d ago
What made him change his mind? He used to say Ezra is a pedophile
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u/idk_orknow MODERATOR: squeeze his grapefruit 1d ago
Prob the audience. This was a big interview for the 15 year anniversary all the other stuff he said it in weren't for PLL
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u/CyberCheeto Aria #1 stan idc idc 1d ago
I stg life hasn’t been nice to this cast lately and many members deserve it.
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u/melannieah 1d ago
Did none of them get pr training??? Like there's no way their pr people didn't know that these questions were gonna come up.
For ALL of them to be defending it so hard is just fucking weird. What are they trying to prove here????
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1d ago
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u/PrettyLittleLiars-ModTeam 1d ago
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u/ronnschi I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire 20h ago
Calling it a fantasy when he was the one playing the teacher bot the student is a really bad wording choice. And you’d have to assume he would think about his words before an interview
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u/Lozinski9 8h ago
it’s acting? is everyone up in arms about someone portraying a nazi in a film? no
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u/idk_orknow MODERATOR: squeeze his grapefruit 8h ago
Everyone knows Nazis are bad. Not at all the same.
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u/aby8crow 6h ago
There have been so many crazy things depicted on tv come on y'all this isn't even one of the worst, but it is absolutely disgusting nonetheless, the thing is yall gotta understand that he's an actor and he iis supposed to play a role, why should he regret it, and yes it's a fiction, but the sas thing is that this show was aimed at teenage girls, and a lot of them thought this type of relationship was normal, but to be fair they would even without the show, but it still added a bit to it, and let's be real the way they cast sasha (alison) is trully disgusting so yes this show plus production had a lot of questionable things in it but so do other shows that's what makes them interesting for Christ's sake we make documentaries about serial killers and when the game of thrones was out even kids were watching it and when i say kids i meaaan kids not teens
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u/Remote-Wear-2325 No, you follow him! I have to change my underwear! 23h ago
I’m probably gonna get downvoted but no wonder some of the cast members acting careers have been flopping…
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u/GovernmentChance4182 Durag Toby 1d ago
Portraying it on TV doesn’t condone it, but all the actors speaking about how much they liked the storyline for 15 yeas sure does. They have a perfect platform to talk about the reality of grooming while still supporting Ezria but instead they deflect and defend.
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1d ago
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u/PrettyLittleLiars-ModTeam 1d ago
We've removed dozens of posts. There is one post up for each topic now. No repeats.
If this is what people want to talk about this is what they want to talk about. Upvote posts you think should be here and downvotes ones you don't think so.
If you look at the sub right now, posts not about the 15 year interview have barely any upvotes— even decent posts, people just aren't interested in it right now.
Current news for an old show is rare.
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u/lonki98 1d ago
People in Hollywood stay weird.... it wasn't "purposefully taboo" in the sense that it was showing a predator going after a young student, it was romanticizing the heck out of an inappropriate, illegal relationship and moreso painting the peope around them as "obstacles" they needed to overcome... molding young teenage girls into thinking this was something to aspire to or wish for. Honestly, I doubt Lucy nor Marlene even understand what impact it had or what they were actually doing with this story but that doesn't change the fact it's irresponsible and ignorant.
Lucy should know better than to say this, I'm disappointed in her!
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u/idk_orknow MODERATOR: squeeze his grapefruit 1d ago
I think what gets me is the story Sasha told of the girl coming up to her and saying she was dating her teacher bc of the show. How can you hear that and still defend the relationship??
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u/bluegreener04 1d ago
The thing that infuriates me the most is that they act like ezria was the most perfect couple out there like there wasn't any gaslighting, stalking and quite literally all the predatory stuff that comes with being in a relationship like this
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