Emily Alyn Lind navigates a difficult journey in her latest role as Cadence in the Amazon Prime Video Thriller We Were Liars, as she tries to piece together the events of a fateful summer, during which she suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost her memory.

Based on the novel by E. Lockhart which became a BookTok sensation, for which Lind also narrated the audiobook version, it’s a show bubbling with secrets and betrayal, packed with lavish lifestyles funded by generational wealth and beautiful coastlines. Here, the Gossip Girl and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire star, talks to us about stepping into her character’s shoes.

Secrets, betrayal and wealth – I’m so in for this new series, ‘We Were Liars’! Why do you think audiences love stories about very wealthy people stumbling through life so much?

Because it’s entertaining. They have everything and still manage to ruin it. It’s impressive, like honestly, your kitchen has two islands and you’re still miserable?!

Well, your character Cadence is really the anchor of the show. She’s dealing with confronting some hard truths in finding out what happened to her. What drew you to the role, and how did you connect with her? I know you also narrated the audiobook version too.

She’s unreliable, which felt honest. She’s not some perfectly put-together “strong female lead” type, which, no offense, kind of bores me. She’s messy, kind of hollow, doesn’t always say the right thing. I like it when girls get to be like that on screen. Guys get to do it all the time.

Left Full look **Louis Vuitton**
Right Full look **Zadig&Voltaire**

When you’re finding the essence of a character, are there things you use to help, such as scent or music playlists?

Sometimes I’ll play music that fits the mood, but I’m mostly rewatching movies. Margaret was one I kept coming back to. I also read a lot and just try to soak up things from other actors. Honestly, an hour listening to David Morse was music to my ears. I was also on a Lars von Trier kick, so bugging him about that was fun.

Left Full look **Zadig&Voltaire**
Right Full look **Miu&Miu**

Do we get to know Cadence through her fashion style too?

Yeah, in a way. I’ve never worn that much colour, so just putting those outfits on already felt like stepping into someone else. But honestly, it was the shoes that stuck with me. She wears the same pair both summers, and I weirdly got attached to them. Watching the dirt build up kind of helped me track where she was, and where I was, too. I know it sounds pretentious and actorly, but… it’s always the shoes.

There are so many fans of the book and it was a Booktok hit, so did you feel any pressure in bringing Cadence to life, and how did you stay true to the book while also enriching the character or adding to her – did you read the prequel to the book, ‘Family of Liars’, in order to become even more familiar with the story too?

The biggest thing for me was just realising that, oh, I’m actually doing this. It took a second to settle into that. There was almost a year between my first audition and getting the role, so by the time it happened, I figured… if it took that long, maybe they didn’t make a mistake on me. But I’ll leave that to the BookTokers to shred me apart, if necessary. And yeah, I read the prequel. It helped me understand how deep the cracks in this family go. It’s not just one generation, it’s the whole foundation.

Where did you shoot and how was the cast vibe?

We shot in Nova Scotia, and it really was a character in this series itself, those houses, that coastline. The “vibes” were sorta built into the bones.

So, are you a beach babe or a city girl?

Lumberjack!

Would you love a second season for the show? There are so many layers to be explored to really make the adult characters nuanced and delve deeper into the mother’s lives and add another generation to the story?

I’d love to, if the story naturally goes there. There’s definitely more to explore.