We Were Liarstells the story of a seventeen-year-old girl, Cadence Sinclair (Emily Alyn Lind), who loses certain memories after a terrible accident. As she works to piece things together in her mind, without the help of her friends or family, she eventually discovers the devastating truth. The Sinclairs are great at keeping secrets, and are often a quite messy family, but ultimately, they do love one another.
The series is based on the beloved book of the same name by E. Lockhart, and is the first of a trilogy. This means there could be future seasons ofWe Were Liars,something the showrunners would love to pursue. As with most adaptations,changes needed to be made, but season 1 does remain quite faithful to the book.We Were Liarscomes to Prime Video on June 18.
ScreenRantspoke with Lind, Shubham Maheshwari (Gat), Joseph Zada (Johnny Sinclair), Esther McGregor (Mirran Sinclair), David Morse (Harris Sinclair),Rahul Kohli(Ed), Candice King (Bess), Caitlin Fitzgerald (Penny), and Mamie Gummer (Carrie) aboutWe Were Liarsseason 1. The cast revealed what they love best about their characters, even though they aren’t always the best people. They also discussed what it was that drew them to the project.
The We Were Liars Cast Loves Their Characters, Despite Their Flaws
“She Has A Side To Her That’s A Little Psycho, Which I Think Is Great”
The characters inWe Were Liarsall have their flaws, but they also love their family and friends, even if they don’t know how to show it. When asked what it is they love about their characters, each of the actors had something lovely to say.
“I think Gat’s faith in his friends, at least Cadence.He wished that she could see things the way he does and the way he thinks,” Maheshwari explained. “I think he thinks about the world in a different way. And I think that’s something to learn from and take inspiration from. Just not losing hope and trying to convince his friends to see it his way. And speaking up in situations where he should speak up. I admire that.”
“Cadence’s rage is really interesting. She has a side to her that’s a little psycho, which I think is great,” Lind admitted. “I also like her outlook on life through a different kind of lens. I don’t know if I’d say rose colored glasses, because I don’t think anything’s even close to always peachy. Butshe really thinks in story form. She’s a writer, she’s trying to be better, but in the end, a listener. And I like that about her. I think the black hair is pretty cool, too. I might chop my hair off and do that, I think. I really did like it.”
“There’s a million things I love about Mirran,” McGregor exclaimed. “I think that first of all, her innocence towards life is really beautiful and her excitement for it, too, and wanting to figure it out and do it and live it is amazing.” Zada added,“I think Johnny really loves his family a lot.He’s a big family guy. I love that about him. I’m very similar to that.”
He’s way more vulnerable than anybody would imagine.
“I love that he’s way more complicated than anybody would give him credit for. He’s way more vulnerable than anybody would imagine. And that’s one of the things I loved about him, because you would never say that about Harris,” Morse ventured. “This Titan of an industry and the patriarch of the family, and he can be pretty hard on his kids and his grandkids. And you wouldn’t think of him having those other elements to him, but that’s what I loved.”
“I love the actor who played Ed’s nephew, Gat. Shubham,” Kohli expressed. “He’s the thing I loved most about playing Ed; getting to work with Shubham. Just a wonderful kid. I adore him. It feels like he’s my little brother. He’s the best.”
The We Were Liars Scripts & Books Were An Immediate Draw For The Entire Cast
“You Know That It’s Going To Be A Bingeable, Delicious, Romantic, Lovely, Twisted, Dark, Fun Story To Tell”
When asked what drew their attention to We Were Liars and solidified them wanting to work on the project, every member of the cast expressed their love for the story. “When I watch a film or show, the thing that I look for the most is the narrative, the story,” Maheshwari explains. “That’s what attracts me the most. And I think the story was so incredible. I read the book while I was auditioning, and I just kept thinking about the story and falling in love with it. And [Gat] and his dynamic with his friends and everything was just so interesting.”
“It’s different,” Lind agrees. “It was really cool because we had just such amazing source material, such a beloved book by E. Lockhart, that was super easy to fall in love with and be a fan of.” Zada remembers how much fun he had while auditioning for the series. “I had really fun auditioning scenes. I just got to go crazy with it. I felt like I knew the characters from picking it up and reading that first scene.” McGregor also comments on her audition process. “Everything. Just being able to audition was already a treat for me. Very, very charming in itself. So it immediately kind of took me in.”
“I feel like we all got the first couple of episodes and I just found myself really wanting to keep going. I wanted to know what happened,” Gummer reveals. “And then I also read the two books. The prequel and then, I went chronologically, then the book We Were Liars, and there was so much to draw from. It was so rife with material. The kind that you can just dream about.”
“To have the community of readers that were so in love with this book and then add the amazing Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie into the mix to bring it to television.” says King. “You know that it’s going to be a bingeable, delicious, romantic, lovely, twisted, dark, fun story to tell.”
“I just was really drawn to the character [of Penny],” FitzGerald recalls. “It was really fun to play someone sort of sarcastic and often cruel, and who breeds dogs. I mean, that was actually the biggest [draw]. During my first meeting, Emily Lockhart said right at the end, ‘Do you like dogs?’ And I remember thinking to myself, play it cool. I love dogs so much and I thought they won’t believe me if I come in too hot.”
We Were Liars
Cast
We Were Liars follows 17-year-old Cadence as she returns to Beechwood Island, seeking answers about a mysterious accident that left her with amnesia. The series explores her journey amid the private summer gathering of the Sinclair family, where secrets are guarded by friends and past love.
