Zaria‘s devotion to the role of Faran elevated the character even more during season 2 of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Zaria, 28, broke down the “different” physical preparation for season 2, her commitment to Faran throughout the years and the interesting developments in her character’s love life.
Warning: This story contains spoilers about the Pretty Little Liars: Summer School season 2 finale.
“In season 1 we had this amazing choreographer Kelly Devine and I really felt like a lot of who Faran was I built in those sessions with her. So it was really difficult to kind of have the rug pulled out from under me,” Zaria said about Faran stepping away from the dance world. “But Faran really built upon her physicality so I got in the gym. I was working with my trainer who is just amazing and when we got out there, I was putting in some work.”
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Zaria’s costar Jordan Gonzalez — who plays Ash — also helped with her transformation.
“Jordan was teaching me how to lift a few weights and all that great stuff. But it’s true that Faran really finds herself in her physical attributes. I was just saying how a lot in season 1, her scar was something that you’ll see her really feel for it. So this season I didn’t really have that because the core of her pain wasn’t coming from here. And she would touch it as kind of a reminder of where she was and who she was,” she continued. “Her stance is also different this season. And also what I call her tick. The thing that she would do was feel her calluses because she was always very hyper aware of what made her different. So she has a little bit of that this season too.”
Season 2 picked up after Faran and her friends found out that Angela’s (Gabriella Pizzolo) brother Archie was behind the murders taking place in Millwood. After Archie was sent to prison, the girls tried to enjoy their summer despite having to take extra classes to pass their sophomore year.
Faran specifically found joy in working at the community pool while also building upon existing friendships with characters such as Kelly (Mallory Bechtel).
“Mal is just a phenomenal actor and person. So in that regard, I was really fortunate to have such a great partner and I would serve and she would serve it right back. It was really beautiful to have those moments,” Zaria recalled. “But I think that Kelly is really a safe space for Faran because Faran recognizes her pain and sees her in a way that I think Faran wishes people see Faran. So when she sees everything that Kelly has gone through between losing her dad, losing her sister and just losing her way, I think she has a soft spot for her. By helping Kelly, she helps herself.”
In a more surprising turn of events, Faran shared more scenes with Kelly’s now-ex-boyfriend Greg (Elias Kacavas), who helped show a new side to her. Zaria weighed in on Faran blossoming flirtationship with Greg in the wake of her split from Henry (Ben Cook).
“I think that [Henry] hasn’t grown in the way that Faran feels that she’s grown. It’s really beautiful because sometimes we just don’t grow the same way. It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person or that Bloody Rose has to kill you. It just means you got to go your separate ways and we both have to expand,” Zaria detailed to Us. “It makes sense that she’s broken up with him and exploring something new.”
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With Greg’s questionable track record, not every fan wanted to see Faran spending more time with him.
“I don’t know if everyone’s perfect in the world but Faran is not. So she is really experimenting with Greg. Also Greg’s not perfect — and that’s OK too. He’s done some really atrocious things and there’s no excusing that,” she continued. “But I also think that sometimes we have to allow people the space to grow or else we just want people to be terrible forever — and that can’t be the end goal. We can’t always hope to keep them there and hope that they don’t grow so that we could hold that grudge against them. I think that that’s not beneficial to any of us.”
Zaria, however, doesn’t mind that Faran and Greg’s potential romance became such a hot topic. In fact, she’s thrilled to see the passion and the support that fans have her her character’s future.
“I am grateful for all of the conversation. I think if they allow grace for the characters, they’ll also allow grace for themselves. But also I love how protective they are over Faran,” Zaria told Us. “That’s why I built her. That’s why we built her. She’s yours. I’m torn for their sake and I hope [fans] allow themselves the freedom to grow and to make mistakes. You cannot grow without mistakes. But at the same rate, I’m like, ‘Yeah, be mad. Be upset.’ I love that. Not that you’re upset, but I love that you care. That’s amazing.”
Since joining the show, Zaria has been blown away by the level of fan support, adding, “I’ve never been a part of a fandom that’s like this. I have never actually had an online community like this. So it has been such a beautiful and heartwarming and just a gut punch in the best way. Just a gut punch of love. Because I’m getting on and they’ll do these amazing things like character appreciation days.”
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Zaria continued: “I want to give it back. I want to do an appreciation day for every single fan. It’s really nice to see people care so much. They want the show so bad and that is such a rewarding experience as an actor. I got into this business because I’ve always wanted to connect with people. So any path that leads me to more connections, I’m just so grateful for.”
As season 2 came to an end, Zaria reflected not only on the personal but professional lessons she learned. She cited season 1 as a “season of adaptation and of vigilance” while the most recent installment was knowing how to “be OK with not being OK.” Zaria is excited to see what a potential third season could bring out in her — and Faran.
“As someone that plays Faran, I want to protect her. I have such a soft spot for her. But when people ask me I’m like, ‘Put her through the ringer. I want to see her on rock bottom.’ But it’s true, I do,” Zaria quipped. “It would be really fun to see her really just break down and be vulnerable. We see her cry once in two seasons. I hope that she’s able to really express herself in all of the ways that humans express themselves. I also hope that she’s interested in the plot. I would be excited to see what it would feel like for Faran to care about the killer [more].”
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is currently streaming on Max.
