Freeform/Erin McCandless
Star Andrea Parker teases evil twin and "puppet master" Mary, how none of the Liars are safe from Mary, and how she wants the show to end.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season six finale of Pretty Little Liars.]
Rosewood just became an even scarier place.
On Pretty Little Liars’ season six finale, the long-awaited twin was revealed as Mary Drake (Andrea Parker), Jessica DiLaurentis’ evil sister who is seeking vengeance for her daughter Charlotte’s (Vanessa Ray) death. And to add even more terror to the town, an “Uber A” going by “AD” is out for blood too, and Parker tells The Hollywood Reporter that Mary is working for the Big Bad.
Parker also spoke with THR about what other “secrets and darkness” are lurking around the corner, how Parker wants the show to end, and more about Jessica and Mary’s “complicated” family.
Marlene says the end of season seven will be a satisfying end to the “Uber A” storyline. Has she clued you in on how the show ends?
I pretty much know all the secrets and it is a blessing and a burden simultaneously. Keeping secrets from the fans is really hard. They are so invested and responsive and communicative. It’s a great relationship. It’s hard to keep secrets from them.
Oh my God, seriously? (Laughs.) I’m going to go the total opposite. I want it to end in a love fest and I’m shipping for all of the original couples to get back together.
What has it been like playing the villain? How is her personality different from Jessica’s?
We all know how much I love to be bad. It’s kind of my forte. For me, this is a real treat. Jessica had a really good heart and she was really trying to do her best. She made some monumental mistakes and choices that weren’t necessarily a benefit to her family, but she did her best. Now Mary is full of secrets and darkness. Though they are identical twins, I think their hearts are very different. I’m going to move in that direction, and as the scripts come in, it will be fun for me to break it all down and bring it to life. When we go back in April, I’m fired up to scare the bejesus out of all of you!
What do you know about Mary and Jessica’s relationship as kids, both before and after Radley?
Family is complicated, as we all know. I would expect there was a lot of competition between them. I know that Mary has had some emotional problems and is not the most emotionally stable character. She was a patient at Radley years ago. I don’t know if she can be trusted. Her personality is very dark.
When Marlene came to you about the evil twin storyline, did you come up with a backstory for her, or did you collaborate on one?
We are still in the process of putting that all together. We had a big collaboration as we were shooting it, because I only found out at the table read of that episode. It wasn’t like I had a lot of time to prepare for the character. Since then, Marlene and I have been in talks, and we are actually going to get together next week now that she’s had time with the writers to see where it’s going to go. She’s going to fill in the cracks.
What can you tease on a larger level about her vengeance for Charlotte and how dangerous Mary is compared to other “As”? Is Mary “A”?
“AD” is “Uber A.” My initials are not “AD.” Mary is not “Uber A,” but Mary is working with “Uber A.”
Is Mary a dangerous person who we should be worried about now that she literally drove Alison crazy?
I think all the PLLs should watch their backs. All of them. I don’t think any of them are safe — especially Hanna. Hanna is not safe!
What can you say about Mary and Elliot’s relationship and what happened with Charlotte?
Elliot and Mary are loyal to Charlotte and they want to know what happened to her.
What do you imagine Mary was doing when she was gone? Was she plotting the whole time?
I see Mary as a puppet master.
Pretty Little Liars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform.
Pretty Little Liars
