Now that Pretty Little Liars introduced the new town of Ravenswood, just town or two away from Rosewood, Pa., the possibilities are endless for where the story may go in the new companion series.
For Keegan Allen, getting the chance to be one of the first two Pretty Little Liars characters to set foot in the "spooky, creepy town" was an adventure. The actor, who plays Toby, told The Hollywood Reporter that even the way the Ravenswood scenes were filmed were completely different.
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With filming recently wrapped on the summer finale, Allen spoke to THR about what cliffhangers viewers can expect, teaming up with Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) and what's ahead for "Spoby."
The Hollywood Reporter: What was it like seeing Ravenswood onscreen for the first time?
Keegan Allen: Shooting it was a completely different experience than what we saw onscreen. It was great to see the fans' response to it and to see what the show [Ravenswood] will be like. I think it's going to be great.
THR: How was it different filming the Ravenswood portions?
Allen: Cinematically when we shot Ravenswood, the emphasis was on the fact that it was this gray, old, spooky, creepy town. They put me and Troian [Bellisario] in very bright colors. I think we were in blue and green. We stick out and when we were shooting that you could really see that cinematically we stuck out from everybody else in the town. Everybody had very drab, earthy colors. Seeing it now color-corrected with the filters, it's really spooky. Mrs. Grunswald (Meg Foster) is very creepy too. It's just a creepy town. Everybody in it, they had a characteristic that was a throwback to old Hollywood classic horror movies.
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THR: What was it like being one of the first characters to venture into that town?
Allen: It was exciting. [Ravenswood] is more than a spinoff. It's like what's going on in another town at the same town. It's sort of like Pretty Little Liars but there's a subset within Pretty Little Liars that fans can salivate over now. To go there and see it all in full production was incredible. Some of those scenes felt massive when we were shooting them.
THR: It was nice to see Toby and Spencer working together again. Will that continue for the foreseeable future?
Allen: Yes, you'll see that. There is also other issues that she helps him with and that he helps her with. Everybody teams up at one point or another. In next week's episode, Caleb and Toby kind of team up and it makes for an interesting altercation.
THR: How would you characterize their "working" dynamic?
Allen: Normally you see these characters with their girlfriends and this now we get to see a glimpse of them sans girlfriends, just completely free to be their own entity and on their own roads.
THR: Is there a nugget that you can give us?
Allen: Something to do with planes. [Laughs]
THR: Going back to this week's episode, "Under the Gun," what were the standout moments for you?
Allen: The Emily mask was terrifying. Hanna and her parents' drama is exciting, to see the reality of a family falling apart over a murder accusation. I loved the way they did the Ravenswood thing. Me and Troian were wondering how it would be shot and how it would turn out and we're very pleased with how it turned out. Just everybody that they encountered, whether it was the gardener or all of a sudden everybody staring at a statue in the middle of nowhere with harmonic music playing, it was a very interesting episode. We get to see more of that in the show. We get to experience that as a whole. I know when I was watching it, I was hoping there would be more.
THR: What's next for "Spoby"?
Allen: Toby has issues with his past still with his mother and they go on a sleuthing mission that is very intense for him to go through and for her to continue to keep this a secret from her friends is very trying on her relationship.
THR: You guys just wrapped filming the summer finale. How crazy does it get?
Allen: It gets really crazy. There's a point where you can't believe it. There's a definite shock factor going on. There's a shocking moment in it that all the fans will react — I don't even know how they'll react [to it]. If there are people who have ben following the show since the beginning it's one of those moments.
Pretty Little Liars airs 8 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC Family.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
