When Pretty Little Liars launched in 2010 with sixteen-year-old Aria hooking up with her 20-something English teacher, it was a bit of a shock. Fans embraced the illegal—and frankly creepy AF—relationship and the two ended up being the show’s longest-running ship. Now, as fans celebrate the show’s 15th anniversary, PLL stars Lucy Hale and Ian Harding are looking back at Aria and Ezra’s controversial relationship.
“It was a different time,” Lucy told The Hollywood Reporter. “Would that storyline exist if it were being made now? I’m not sure, but probably not.” Showrunner I. Marlene King agreed, saying, “We were definitely probably crossing a line I wouldn’t cross now.”
Despite agreeing that the relationship was “wildly inappropriate,” Ian stands by his character, adding, “I love Ezra and as an actor, you have to advocate for this person, no matter who they are.” He also said that he hoped that the fact that Aria and Ezra—spoiler alert!—get married in the end helps make the relationship “a little less icky.” As for Lucy, she’s with Ezria 100%. “I stand behind their love story forever,” she said.
Looking back, it helps, Ian said, that Aria had a lot of agency in their relationship. “There was never a moment where my character was trying to somehow leverage the power he had,” he said, noting that most Ezria scenes (at least pre-time jump) were “practically domestic.” This is in direct contrast to how student-teacher relationships on teen shows have traditionally been depicted—see Riverdale, Gossip Girl, Dawson’s Creek, etc.—where sex is the main plot point, not the relationship.
So, yes, it’s creepy that we all watched and rooted for an adult man dating his teenage student (Ezria might be unpopular now, but it was one of the biggest fandoms of the show). But, like Ian, we can take comfort in the fact that the show emphasized Ezra and Aria’s “meaningful connection” outside of their student-teacher relationship. And if that doesn’t work, remember, the show isn’t a roadmap for how to live your life, it’s fiction! “I don’t deeply regret it, because it’s fiction,” Ian said. “But I also realize that it did bring up a lot of harder conversations about what is actually considered abuse and what is considered love.”
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