An Interview With Amanda Schull ('One Tree Hill' and 'Pretty Little Liars')

From singers and dancers to actors and directors, most of these men and women know from the time they are very young that they want to be involved in the entertainment industry in some capacity. They will spend years developing their craft and while some will go on to become huge media stars, most will go through the ranks of their chosen path and achieve their dreams.

And then there are those who succeed in one craft, dive into a completely different area and find success once again...

Amanda Schull spent most of her life dancing from one role to the next as a ballerina. After spending years as a member of the corps de ballet with the San Francisco Ballet, Amanda retired and pursued a career in the acting world. She quickly landed role after role in some of television's hottest drama series and is well on her way to becoming a household name.

I had the chance to speak with this incredibly sweet actress about her days as a prima ballerina, switching career paths, playing crazy Katie on One Tree Hill and Meredith in ABC Family's popular drama Pretty Little Liars...

Q: Before you pursued a career in acting, you were a prominent ballerina, what made you decide to change paths?

Amanda: "I did a film a number of years ago called Center Stage, it was a dance movie, and when I booked that film, I had just been given my apprenticeship with the San Francisco ballet, so it wasn't the best time for me to pursue acting then. I always just kept it (acting) in my back pocket to save it for later. After doing 7 years with the company, I decided it was time to move down here (Los Angeles)."

Q: What was your favorite ballet role?

Amanda: "Alexei Ratmansky, who at the time was about to be the director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, came and choreographed a piece called 'Carnaval des Animaux,' and all of the parts were going up one by one and my name came up -- I was only in the chorus and got cast in a principal part as the elephant. This choreographer was just a genius and he turned it into a comedy; it was so fun to work on it from scratch."

Q: You went from ballet to One Tree Hill, tell us about your role on the show...

Amanda: "I started out as sweet Sarah, the deceased wife of Clay, who would see Sarah in his time of need and guide him through a rough patch. The episodes went over well and the writers called me into their office and told me they appreciated what I brought to the role and wanted to bring me back, but they obviously couldn't have a ghost hanging around the rest of the season. They wrote the role of Katie, who looks like Sarah and has a couple of screws loose. She realizes she has to have Clay, so she researches him and realizes she looks like Sarah, so she dyes her hair and pursues him quite wholeheartedly."

Q: On One Tree Hill, you played crazy Katie, was it challenging playing a role so completely different from any other role you've played?

Amanda: "Oh, I loved it! When else would I have the opportunity to do something like that? That's one of my favorite parts about acting, I get to be people that I, Amanda, even on my most angry days, would never get to pull off some of the things that Katie got to pull off. To be able to step into this other life is quite enjoyable."

Q: Will we see you back on One Tree Hill?

Amanda: "I've done one episode so far this season and I'm going back, but I have no idea when or in what capacity."

Q: On Pretty Little Liars, you play Meredith, "the other woman" -- what can we expect from your character when the show returns?

Amanda: "Meredith's story is very prominent in the books and I'm not trying to keep any secrets, but I'm not sure how much they're going to pursue that storyline."

Q: Did you think Pretty Little Liars was going to be such a huge success?

Amanda: "I knew it had a lot of heat behind it. This time last year, I had dinner with Lucy (Hale) and she told me she had just finished filming this pilot and told me a little bit about it. She didn't really say much else about it and I had sort of forgotten she had done it when it was coming to air and then I started hearing some hype about it and my three teenage nieces already knew about the books before it was even on the air, I had a feeling."

Q: You've done a lot of guest starring roles, which set and/or cast has been the most fun?

Amanda: "I've spent the most time at One Tree Hill, and I think it has to have something to do with the fact that they film in Wilmington -- there's just that Southern hospitality to the people there, a sort of graciousness. From the drivers to wardrobe, to the hair and makeup, they are all really lovely people over there. I've been really lucky, I haven't had a bad experience yet. Being a guest star can be kind of daunting, it's like high school and you're the new kid -- stepping onto the set can be intimidating."

Q: Do you use Twitter or Facebook to keep in touch with your fans?

Amanda: "I use Facebook, Twitter is a little beyond my realm. I'm very much a granny when it comes to that kind of thing. I love to act, I love to do the homework and I love to be on set, but I don't love to go to clubs and I don't love to be photographed." [Visit Amanda's Facebook page]

Q: Are there any television shows you would love to guest star on?

Amanda: "There are so many! What's funny it that the shows I love the most I don't want to spoil, I don't want to be on them and know what they're like. I'm such a fan of Parenthood and Modern Family. Glee would be too exciting an opportunity to pass up -- I'd have to stand in line with every other person in Hollywood to get a role on the show."

Q: Anything to say to the fans?

Amanda: "Coming from a dancer's perspective and making the leap to acting, I know just from what I've heard in emails and posts, people have stuck it out and waited for me and gosh that's flattering."