Lucy Hale: Pretty little Bench girl

If there’s anyone who recently had more fun in the Philippines, it’s got to be Lucy Hale, star of the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars, and now the newest Bench girl. You can see her on all Bench store windows and a giant billboard on EDSA Magallanes.

Hale was in town for three days as a special guest of Ben Chan. She flew in with manager Strand Conover and celebrity hairstylist, Scott Cunha, who has also styled the likes of Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie, Emma Roberts and Diane Kruger.

But even before she arrived in Manila, Lucy expressed her excitement to come to the Philippines in a Ustream video she recorded with Pretty Little Liars co-star, Ian Harding. 

It was her first time in Asia, confessed the 22-year-old star, who flew in via Hong Kong from Los Angeles.

During her three days here, Lucy toured and shopped at several Bench-owned stores (including Aldo), sampled Filipino, Chinese and Thai food, enjoyed fresh mango shake, and tasted ube for the first time. She bought Ilog Maria lotion from the Echostore, plus pearls and trinkets in Greenhills, along with makeup artist Chechel Joson.

Lucy Hale on saying “yes” to Bench: “I love the international aspect of it and when I saw the clothes, it became a no-brainer.”

She marveled at her giant billboard and tweeted, “This is crazy!” after seeing her likeness on a massive Bench window.

On her first night, she popped in at the Secret Fresh x Bench T-shirt launch at Greenbelt 5, where Bench endorsers Georgina Wilson and Karylle were also spotted.

On Friday night, Ben Chan hosted an intimate dinner at home where Lucy met Bench friends and family: Lucy Torres Gomez and daughter Juliana, Rajo Laurel, Liz Uy, Divine Lee, Victor Basa, Isabelle Daza, Paula Taylor, and Raymond Gutierrez.

She was also introduced to American Idol’s David Archuleta who’s been filming a TV series for TV5. (Incidentally, Bench just confirmed the addition of David Archuleta as its newest endorser.)

On Saturday afternoon, Lucy got to meet and greet her fans in a special event at SMX where I got to sit down with her for a brief interview.

Lucy was excited to see her mega billboard on Edsa-Magallanes

I carefully selected my outfit for the day knowing the petite actress and I are the same height (we are both 5’2”). I was excited to meet the star of the TV series I’ve been following up-to-date for the last two seasons. Based on her tweets and her Ustream videos, I had a feeling it would be a breeze to interview her.

My friend Kevin and I arrived an hour early for our 4 p.m. time slot and killed the time sipping Haagen-Dazs milkshakes at nearby SM Mall of Asia. At 4 p.m. we were back at SMX just in time for to meet the young star in a private room. At the scene were familiar faces such as Bench’s Lawrence Cua and Jojo Liamzon, photographer Patrick Uy, makeup artist Chechel Joson, and reporter Gretchen Fullido. Also present were her manager Strand and hairstylist Scott.

Lucy wore a Bench T-shirt and jeans matched with Aldo shoes and accessories to the interview.

PHILIPPINE STAR: Ben Chan called you the sweetest, most down-to-earth celebrity he’s ever met. Can you tell us why you started calling him Daddy Warbucks?

LUCY HALE: He’s given me a lot of things; he’s been so kind to me. We had lunch at Peking Garden and one of his friends was wearing this gorgeous bracelet that I liked and he tracked it down and gave it to me at a dinner he hosted for me.

What made you say yes to Bench when they asked you to be an endorser?

I love the whole international aspect of it, and it was overseas and then I saw the clothes and then it was a no-brainer because they’re so affordable and yet they’re really cute.

I saw you went shopping with Scott at Bench the other day. What did you guys get?

“This is CRAZY!” Lucy Hale tweeted upon seeing her Bench window.

You mean, what did I not get? I got swimsuits, underwear, bras, jeans, shirts, hats, skirts, and this jumper thing. And Scott got all the men’s underwear, every single pair — maybe 20 pairs of underwear (laughs). He seriously needs to be the next endorser for Bench Body.

Your beauty is much appreciated in the Philippines because you’re a brunette and petite. What fashion and beauty tips can you give to a petite girl?

I know for me, I can’t wear certain lengths because of proportions, like I can’t wear over-the-knee boots cause I want to appear taller. So I guess it’s all about finding what works for your body but at the same time — and it all sounds contradictory — but don’t be afraid to take risks, don’t be afraid to try new things. That’s sort of like my motto.

What’s the real score between you and Ian Harding and who is your closest friend on the show?

Ian in real life is a goofball, he’s extremely sweet and a dear, dear friend and we are definitely just friends. He’s one of the people I’m closest to and like the most genuine person you’ll ever meet. He’s such a nice guy…. My closest friend is Keegan Allen, who plays Toby on the show. His body is ridiculous, too. He can do Bench Body, I should tell Ben!

Bench family shooting in Los Angeles: Lito Balbona, Noel Manapat, Ben Chan, Lucy Hale, Miguel Pastor and Dale dela Cruz