TV Jots

Actor Talks All Things Noel Kahn

Hit rookie ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars has definitely struck a chord with viewers. Based on the young adult set of novels by author Sara Shepard, the teen-oriented drama focuses on four high school students as they attempt to determine who is harassing them electronically following the alleged death of their best friend.

The show continues to perform better than well in the ratings after half a season, no doubt in part because of the four attractive stars: Troian Bellisario (Spencer), Ashley Benson (Hanna), Lucy Hale (Aria), and Shay Mitchell (Emily). Although the male members of the cast don’t get anywhere near as much coverage as the leading ladies, they play a sizable role in the action as the mystery of the all-knowing persecutor referred to simply as “A” unfolds.

Brant Daugherty portrays bad boy Noel Kahn, a fellow Rosewood High student whose attitude takes a turn for the creepy and worse when he discovers a huge secret Aria has been hiding. The 26-year-old actor recently devoted a bit of his time to answering questions about his role on the show and where he thinks it’s heading. Read on for the good stuff, some of which may be spoiler-y if you haven’t been keeping up with the series this winter.

On “A” and how Noel fits into that situation: I honestly have no idea who ["A"] is. I’ve been watching and following [the show] with the fans, trying to figure it all out. And God knows they don’t tell me anything about that, but I’m right there with everyone. As far as how Noel fits into that, you’ve got to look at his motives and the situation he was put in. He may not necessarily be working maliciously as “A,” but he’s still got a bone to pick, and he’s still trying to figure things out for himself. Ultimately, at the end there, at the end of Episode 13 ["Know Your Frenemies"], he becomes a victim himself, which adds another interesting twist to it, I think.

On the evolution of his character Noel Kahn: Well, we’ve already seen a pretty dramatic turn in how we view Noel and the sides of him that we’re seeing. In the future, I think, we’re just kind of see how he’s going to relate to these four girls and what interaction he’s going to have. As far as specifics, I’m afraid I can’t delve too much into that. But he is a character in Rosewood, and we’re going to see a bit of him around town and everything. It’s mainly just how he relates to these four girls, and when they’re ready for him, he’ll be around.

On what’s most enjoyable about playing Noel: It has to be his duality. When I was first on the show during the last ten episodes, Noel was this great stand-up guy. They would talk about how perfect he is and he’s got a great life, and all these great things happening for him. Then just suddenly, he just flips completely, and then you’re never really sure what to make of him after that. Is he lying? Is he telling the truth? Who is he lying to? Why is he lying? I think when I sat down and talked to Marlene [King] and Oliver [Goldstick], the executive producers, about this transition, they were so excited to see how this played out, and I was right there with them. I couldn’t wait to show this side of the character.

On Noel taking advantage of Aria and Ezra’s relationship by trying to coerce the teacher into giving him a better grade: I wouldn’t say that he’s taking advantage of it. I think that he’s lashing out a little bit. I think maybe “trying to get back at Ezra” would be a better term. I feel like he thinks Ezra has taken advantage of Aria more than Noel is taking advantage of Ezra or Aria. Aria’s asked him not to do anything, so he’s struggling with how he’s going to handle the situation and ultimately try to get a dig in at Ezra the only way he knows how — intellectually, through his work.

On the reaction of fans to Noel’s transition from sweet guy trying to win over Aria to bad guy: You can always tell where the fans allegiances lie by how they react to the situation. Some of them are just furious and hate me and can’t believe this dark turn I’ve taken and the way that I’m hurting their poor, dear Ezra. Some of them love it, on the opposite end. Some of them are kind of rooting me on, and they’re like, “Yes! Get him! Get him!” So, it’s been interesting to see the kind of double nature of the fans that way. [It's] great, honestly, because coming in, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever win anyone away from Ezra. But I got a couple of them, and I’m happy with that.

On what makes viewers watch Pretty Little Liars: In a short answer, it has to be the four pretty little liars themselves. I think they so accurately depict sort of America right now for these young girls with their struggles and the lies that they have to tell and the secrets they keep. Especially hitting things like eating disorders in the last couple episodes and hitting things like coming out to your parents, the gay teenager. These things really resonate with the youth in the world today, and I think it’s exploring storylines like that that keep us coming back every week.

On how he was cast as Noel: That was quite a process actually. I had to fight for that one. I auditioned for the pilot to play Ezra. I was too young for that. Then, I auditioned again a couple of months later to play Toby, which was a fun audition. I had a blast with that one, I’m sure you could imagine. Toby’s quite a character. They liked me and wanted to keep seeing me and find me a fit on the show. And then Noel came up, and Noel and I just clicked. We get each other. I auditioned for the part and just a couple of days later, I was on set with the cast and the crew.

Lucky, lucky dude. Tune in to Pretty Little Liars Mondays on ABC Family at 8pm ET.