Shay Mitchell

Shannon Ashley Garcia "Shay" Mitchell (born April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for her role as Emily Fields in the mystery thriller drama series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017), which earned her nominations for a People's Choice Award and six Teen Choice Awards. She garnered wider recognition for starring as Peach Salinger in the psychological thriller series You and as Stella Cole in the Hulu comedy series Dollface (2019–2022). She has since voiced Alexandra Trese in the Netflix animated series Trese (2021) and executive produced the crime drama series The Cleaning Lady (2022–2025).

After appearing in a series of short films, Mitchell made her feature film debut in the musical drama film Dreamland (2016). She went on to appear in the comedy film Mother's Day (2016) and Christmas film Something from Tiffany's (2022), and headline the horror film The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018).

Aside from acting, Mitchell is recognized for her fashion and business ventures. She is the founder of the travel fashion company BÉIS, the tequila brand Onda, and the production company Amore & Vita Inc. Labeled a fashion icon, Mitchell was dubbed the "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire in 2014, and in 2015, appeared on the Maxim Hot 100 list. Her life, fashion choices and public appearances are subjects of widespread media coverage.

Early life Mitchell was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and Mark Mitchell. Her father is of Scottish and Irish descent. Her mother is from the province of Pampanga in the Philippines and left the country at age 19.

Mitchell's mother is a first cousin of Lea Salonga, a singer and musical theater actress. She attended Rockridge Secondary School and then later transferred to West Vancouver Secondary School where she graduated. By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modelled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona, eventually returning to Toronto to study acting.

Career 2009–2015: Early work and Pretty Little Liars

Mitchell began acting in 2009, making cameo appearances on the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation and the police drama series Rookie Blue. Also in 2009, she appeared in the music video for "Hold My Hand" by Jamaican rapper Sean Paul.

Mitchell was cast as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars, an adaptation of the book series of the same name. She initially auditioned for the character Spencer Hastings, for which she was rejected and the part was instead given to Troian Bellisario; thereafter she tried for Emily Fields and was cast in the role. On portraying Fields, she wrote: "I think for me, it's one of the best characters that I may ever play because of the [impact] she had on so many different people. So I'm very fortunate I was able to be the one to bring Emily to life." Pretty Little Liars opened to positive reviews, and obtained a cult following. Mitchell garnered widespread recognition and praise for her performance, with many lauding the characterization she applied to the role. In 2014, she was named the "Sexiest Women Alive" by Esquire magazine, and in 2015, she was included on the Maxim Hot 100 list.

In 2010, Mitchell appeared in a four-episode arc on the Disney XD series Aaron Stone, as Irina Webber. In 2011, she signed a contract with Procter & Gamble to be the spokesperson for the Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo line. In the same year, Mitchell created a YouTube channel, where she is best known for her lifestyle-type videos. In this period, Mitchell frequently took on fewer roles to focus on Pretty Little Liars; these were mostly roles in short films. In 2015, Mitchell co-authored the young adult novel Bliss with Michaela Blaney,

2016–present: You, Dollface, film roles and other ventures In 2016, Mitchell made her feature film debut with the musical drama film Dreamland, starring as Nicole, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. That same year, she headlined the comedy film Mother's Day, where she played Tina. The film was a moderate commercial success, and marked Mitchell's film breakthrough, though it was panned by critics.

In 2018, Mitchell was cast in the former Lifetime television thriller series You, in the role of Peach Salinger, a wealthy and powerful socialite, which she played in the shows' first season. The series premiered in September 2018, and received critical acclaim. It earned spots in several critic year-end lists, and the performances of the ensemble cast, including Mitchell, were praised; it is her highest-rated work. Also in 2018, Mitchell founded the production company Amore & Vita Inc. and signed a contract with Warner Bros. Television. She was subsequently cast in the ABC television pilot The Heiresses, adapted from the book of the same name, which was in production until 2018, when it was announced that the show was cancelled.

Mitchell also launched her travel brand, BÉIS in 2018. The same year, the horror film The Possession of Hannah Grace was released, where Mitchell was seen as Megan Reed, a "troubled ex-cop who takes the graveyard shift in a morgue". The project was filmed years prior, and she stated that it has been one of her more difficult roles to play. She stated in an interview with Collider: "I was playing a character who was dealing with major anxiety, and to be honest with you, before this role, I hadn't really encountered anxiety in my personal life. Getting this role and being in Boston and shooting it, right after coming off of PLL, to then leading this film, there was a lot of pressure. ... I had so many panic attacks, in those first three weeks of shooting, and it was only a four-week shoot. I feel like I was truly feeling what I think that character must have been going through."

Since November 2019, Mitchell has portrayed Stella Cole in the Hulu comedy series Dollface, the best friend to Jules Wiley (Kat Dennings). The character initially drew comparisons to Mitchell's Peach Salinger on You, though she stated on the role that "Aesthetically, you can see a similarity but when you get to know Stella, she's really a wild spirit and a complete 180 from Peach. It was fun to go from that to this." Dollface is her first leading comedy role, where she provided the voice of the titular protagonist, Alexandra Trese. Since 2022, she executive produces the crime drama series The Cleaning Lady. The launch was met with significant backlash both online and in traditional media, and sparked conversations about the ethics of marketing skin care products to toddlers.

Personal life

Mitchell supported Somaly Mam Foundation, a non-profit organization that fought sex trafficking, until it ended operations in 2014. She has also worked with The Trevor Project alongside the Pretty Little Liars cast and the NOH8 Campaign. She works with the WE Charity, which helps communities develop educational resources, In a 2017 interview with Maxim magazine, she said, "People always ask me, 'You play a gay character? Are you gay? Are you straight? Are you this? Are you that?' Look, Emily doesn't label herself, and I don't label myself either. I fall in love with the spirit of somebody. Love is love, and that's something that I'll keep saying." They have two daughters together, born in October 2019 and May 2022.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2009 Degrassi: The Next Generation Model Episode: "Up Where We Belong" 2010–2017 Pretty Little Liars Emily Fields Main role 2010 Aaron Stone Irina Webber 4 episodes Rookie Blue Cute Girl Episode: "Mercury Retrograde" 2012 Punk'd Herself Episode: "Heather Morris" Glee Girl in Yellow Jacket Episode: "Britney 2.0" 2015 Project Runway Herself Guest judge; episode: "Fashion Week: Who's In and Who's Out" 2017 Shay Mitchell: Chapters Fullscreen Original Series; also executive producer 2018 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Guest judge; episode: "Pop Art Ball"2018 You Peach Salinger Main role (season 1) 2019 Almost Ready Herself Direct-to-streaming series; also executive producer 2019–2022 Dollface Stella Cole Main role 2020 We Celebrate: Class of 2020 Herself Television special 2021 Trese Alexandra Trese (voice) Main role Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail Purple Episode: "Fording the River" 2022–2025 The Cleaning Lady Executive producer 2023–2024 Velma Brenda (voice) 7 episodes

Music videos Year Title Artist Notes 2009 "Hold My Hand" Sean Paul 2016 "Under You" Nick Jonas 2017 "Help Me Help You" Logan Paul (featuring Why Don't We) 2018 "In My Feelings" Drake

Awards and nominations

Publications Bliss (October 6, 2015) (co-written with Michaela Blaney)