It took a while, but 'Pretty Little Liars'' Shay Mitchell embraces her Filipina heritage

Shay Mitchell loves 'You,' her new TV seeries.

SELF-HATRED is a common malady for people of color who grow up in a white environment.

Even someone who seems to have everything,  seemingly in control, like actress Shay Mitchell, has fallen into that trap as she admits in her Youtube channel.

Her mother is a Filipina and her father is Irish. Growing up in Canada, she felt the pressure to fit in to the extent of bleaching her hair blonde at one point in your life.

Mitchell, who just wound up a seven-year stint as Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars is keeping herself busy with projects lined up.

The 30-year-old actress is hard at work on her upcoming Lifetime series, You, and she exclusively dished all about the psychological thriller to ET.

“It’s juicy… It still has all those elements that PLL had with it being sort of a mystery, there’s a romance part to it and it’s just exciting,” Mitchell explains. “It’s definitely going to have those elements. I think it’s a little bit more mature… It deals with a lot of crazy things like PLL did, but it’s a different storyline. If you loved PLL, you’re going to absolutely love You."

RELATED: 'Pretty Little Liars' actress' tearful farewell 

Ýou is based on Caroline Kepnes’ best-selling novel of the same name, and Mitchell says following up her seven-season run on Freeform with another show based on a book is a major plus.

“I’ve had good luck with that in the past, and it’s just a show that I would be so excited to watch, whether I was on it or not,” she says. “It’s gonna stay fairly close (to the book) I'd say, the same way that we did with PLL. There’s a common thread from the book that goes into the show and I think the same is true for You.”
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It's a wrap! Shay Mitchell's tearful farewell to "Pretty Little Liars"

Shay Mitchell gives a tearful goodbye to her fans and castmates.

YOU GOT to love a woman who in the middle of baring her soul plucks off her false eyelashes.

Warning: If you watch this video have some Kleenex nearby.

After seven seasons, Shay Mitchell, a Filipina/Canadian, is saying goodbye to her character on the hit show Pretty Little Liars.

Shay Mitchell, a serious fitness devotee, is on
this month's cover of 'Self.'

Though the finale won't be shown until 2017, Pretty Little Liars officially wrapped forever. 

"Please excuse my crying because this was a very emotional moment for me," she wrote to her fans. "I wanted to be able to share this moment with all of you, who have helped me get to where I am today. I am so thankful for all of the support that you guys have given me the past seven years, and I am excited to continue this journey with all of you."

Over the last week, the cast and crew have documented their celebrations, tears, and flashback moments from the show on social media, but none were as raw and deep as Shay Mitchell’s good-bye video she posted Tuesday, November 1, after the final scene of “PLL" wrapped.

With tears rolling down her face, the brunette stunner continues: "I don't know what my life would be like without Pretty Little Liars. It has changed me, in more ways than I could attempt to count. ... The best seven years of my life have gone by the quickest."

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?" she says.
Pausing frequently to wipe away tears and catch her breath, Shay ends the message by thanking the fans."I am so thankful for all of the support that you guys have given me the past seven years, and I am excited to continue this journey with all of you.”

Watch the tearful good-bye below.

Watch the tearful good-bye below.

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