Shay Mitchell

Career

By the time she was in her late teens, she had made a name for herself as a model. She had become the poster girl for a number of companies in various cities, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Barcelona.

After completing her modeling assignments, Shay Mitchell returned to Toronto to study acting. Simultaneously, she signed with her first theatrical agency and was on a roll with several national commercials. She even appeared in the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation in the episode Up Where We Belong.

In December 2009, Mitchell got the biggest break of her career. She was signed by the ABC Family (currently Freeform) for the television adaptation of the book series Pretty Little Liars. Though Mitchell initially auditioned for the role of Spencer Hastings, she finally landed the character of Emily Fields, the captain of the school's swim team who eventually becomes the coach.

Premiering to 2.47 million viewers, the series became a major hit. Shay Mitchell received critical acclaim for her acting skills. Such was the response for the series that it was aired for seven seasons.

Following the stupendous success of Pretty Little Liars, she was offered guest roles in many popular television series. She made an appearance on the Disney XD series Aaron Stone where she played cheerleader Irina Webber in 2010. Next, she guest-starred in the Global series Rookie Blue and appeared in the music video of Hold My Hand by Jamaican rapper Sean Paul.

In 2012, she appeared in an episode titled Heather Morris from the reality television series Punk’d. She served as the judge at Fashion Week: Who’s In and Who’s Out for Project Runway in 2015.

In 2016, she made her big screen debut in the American comedy-drama film Dreamland where she played Nicole. The film opened to positive reviews and was praised by the critics as well. The same year, she starred in a romantic comedy titled Mother’s Day wherein she played the role of Tina, who marries the ex-husband of Sandy, played by Jennifer Aniston. She was then seen as the guest co-host in Live! With Kelly and Michael.

In September 2017, Shay Mitchell was cast to play the lead role in the ABC television pilot The Heiresses, which was adapted from Sara Shepard’s book of the same name.

She launched her travel brand BÉIS in 2018. The same year, she played the lead role of Megan Reed in a horror thriller titled The Possession of Hannah Grace. Directed by Diederik Van Rooijen and written by Brian Sieve, it released on November 30, 2018.

In 2019, she was cast to play Stella Cole in a comedy web television series titled Dollface.

Apart from acting, Shay Mitchell has tried her hand at writing as well. She co-authored the adult novel Bliss with Michaela Blaney. It was released in 2015. She also hosts her own YouTube lifestyle channel.

Who is Shay Mitchell?

Who is Shay Mitchell?

Who is Shay Mitchell?

Shay Mitchell is a Canadian actress, model, and entrepreneur. She is best known for her role as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars. A big fan of Jennifer Lopez, Mitchell came to be known as Shay Lo among her friends. She developed a passion for performance arts in her childhood and even talked to her parents about pursuing a career in the same. After exceling in dance and modeling, she wanted to try her hand at acting and took acting lessons in Toronto. After landing a couple of commercials and guest roles in television series, Mitchell got her big break when she was cast to play the role of Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars. Her acting skills were praised by both critics and fans. She then went on to make a mark on the big screen with films like Dreamland, Mother’s Day, and The Possession of Hannah Grace. Apart from acting, Shay Mitchell has also ventured into writing; she co-authored an adult novel titled Bliss with Michaela Blaney.