knowing everything about her. For a brief period of time, when Alison comes back as "Courtney", the two have a romantic relationship; Emily is heartbroken when Alison reveals it was all a lie. Unbeknownst to the other girls, Emily attempted to save Alison from the DiLaurentis' burning Poconos house. She feels tremendous guilt over her actions, especially so after Alison once again returns as "A". However, eventually Emily begins to hate Alison; Jordan's death at Alison's hands sends Emily into a spiral of rage and deep depression. Following Jordan's death, Emily swears revenge on Alison and remarks that she would not mind killing Alison. Emily's closest friends are the other Liars, and during the periods when they are not associating with one another, Emily is very lonely. She is quite popular at school, but feels as though she's not close with anyone. She is constantly searching for a "best friend" to take Alison's place. Though she is well-liked by the other Liars, they are often annoyed by how sensitive she is and her devotion to Alison, especially Spencer. Emily's insistence that Alison is alive often causes problems for them as a group. Her relationship with her family is strained, predominantly due to her bisexuality and "A" related events. She ended up severing ties with her family at the end of the series. Character on screen Casting Shay Mitchell was cast in the role of Emily Fields in a regular capacity in December 2009. Mitchell had initially auditioned for the role of Spencer and then tried for Emily. Background In the television adaption, Emily's personality is almost the same as her book counterpart. She is the jock of the group and swims competitively at school. In the show, she is of Irish/Scottish, Korean and Filipino descent. She has long dark hair and brown eyes, and dresses fashionably. In addition, she is a lesbian, and has not been shown to be superstitious. She eventually takes off the friendship bracelet Alison gave to her in an attempt to let go of her feelings for Alison. Season 1 Emily was a former student at Rosewood High School in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, a star and a non-competitive swimmer. A year prior to the start of the series, Emily had been best friends with Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), a cruel popular girl who went missing one day. At the beginning of the school year, Emily befriends a