Ashley Benson has been give fans life for six years now on Pretty Little Liars , but don't let a lengthy stint on one show fool you into thinking the actress doesn't have range. Benson has been working steadily on film and TV since she was 13 (including the TV movie Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal and 13 Going On 30, in which she played one of the fabulous Six Chicks. Respect.) She doesn't sit idle during her PLL breaks, either; you can catch her on the big screen this summer in the popcorn flick Pixels , where she plays a fictional video game warrior come to life to save the planet. So what else is on the actress' docket besides Season 7 of Pretty Little Liars ? The next Ashley Benson movie, plus one right after, have that all the elements that usually spell out "critical hit."
First, there's Elvis & Nixon. The movie is a fictionalized account of the very real visit that Elvis Presley made to Richard Nixon's White House in 1970. The title roles are occupied by Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey, respectively, two actors who can't walk around the block without getting awards lobbed at them. And the film is directed by Liza Johnson, an up-and-coming filmmaker with some well-received indie credits to her name. Benson plays an as-yet unnamed airline worker who's an obsessive fan of the King. Academies and critics usually love a good biopic, especially with a story as crazy and true as a popular music icon gifting a president with a Colt 45 and asking to be named a "Federal Agent At-Large." This could be a standout project for Benson's resume if it's as irreverent and interesting as it sounds. (And I die to see her in some '70s fashions.) An exact release date hasn't been announced yet, but Amazon is getting involved and supporting Elvis & Nixon as its first theatrical feature.
Benson also shares the screen with a talented bunch in the independent film Chronically Metropolitan. Her co-stars there include Chris Noth, Mary-Louise Parker and Josh Peck. The movie is a coming-of-age tale about a writer named Fenton (Shiloh Fernandez) who drops in on his family and old friends in New York City after some time away. Benson plays Fenton's ex-girlfriend Jessie, who he plans on winning back. Footage from the film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and was buzzy enough to earn a spot on Variety's Cannes "Hot List." No official date on this one either, but Benson took to Instagram to promote a Kickstarter to support Chronically Metropolitan's soundtrack with this behind-the-scenes photo.
Hopefully Pretty Little Liars will last forever. But even outside of Rosewood, Ashley Benson is still killing it professionally, and the industry is taking notice.
Image: Giphy
