Ashley Benson Speaks on Pretty Little Liars Character, Fashion

Pretty Little Liars spoiler alert: Hanna is alive!

When we last left this ABC Family drama, the character played by Ashley Benson was run down by a car. But as multiple clips and spoilers have revealed, Hanna survives the crash and will be in a hospital bed when Pretty Little Liars returns on January 3.

Earlier this week, TV Fanatic participated in a conference call with Benson, who spoke on similarities to Hanna, along with fashion tastes and more. Excerpts follow.

On Hanna's worst qualities: She's very self-conscious and tends to easily snap back into the mode of being the most popular girl in school, though that's happening less and less these days. We're seeing the more fun, laid back Hanna and that will continue next year.

On the show resonating with viewers: We're very lucky that readers of the book series love the show as much as they do. There's just so much suspense, mystery and fun... and the four girls are so different, but each one is very relatable to teenagers. They deal with real issues. Most viewers feel they can connect with at least one of the characters.

On similarities to Hanna: I know what it's like to be left out and picked on growing up. That happened to be in elementary school. They've also incorporated a lot of my personality into her. Hanna has become really sarcastic. And we both love shopping, of course.

On dealing with sudden popularity: Near the end of the summer, we were a trending topic on Twitter, which just shocked us... I'm shy, so it's weird for me when people know who I am. But we have really supportive fans and I love to interact with them on Twitter.

On Hanna's fashion sense: She can be edgy at times, but she also tries out everything. It's just so much fun for me. This year, we'll be incorporating more black, which is a personal favorite of mine.

What's her dream role? Lucille Ball. I'm obsessed with her. I Love Lucy was my mom and my dad's favorite show and I've watched it for as long as I can recall.