Kylie Bunbury on ‘Twisted’ Relationships, Lacey’s Choices, & More

You might know Kylie Bunbury from her past roles in Prom and The Sitter, but you can currently catch her in ABC Family’s new mystery, Twisted.

Kylie plays Lacey, the beautiful and stoic high school queen bee. She also happens to be a former best friend of Danny Desai, a teen who has come back to his small town after serving time in juvie for murdering his aunt. We recently sat down with Kylie to talk about her character, the show’s complicated relationships and what fans can expect from the remainder of the season.

Danny Desai’s return to Green Grove has been anything but smooth, and we’ve already been privy to the ways the wary and fearful town is coping with his presence. Lacey’s relationship with Danny, in particular, has been one of the more tumultuous illustrations. In the series’ early episodes she struggled with a desire to know him again while wanting a healthy distance from the person who nearly wrecked her childhood.

Some fans fully supported Lacey’s decisions; others questioned her hesitancy in rebuilding a relationship with the handsome and charming juvie graduate. The latter was a fan reaction Kylie has certainly been mindful of. “That was the one thing I was scared of because Lacey obviously in the beginning is very cold – and rightfully so for me,” says Kylie. “If something like that had happened to me I know I’d be a little bit cold and apprehensive – but I know a lot of the fans were saying ‘How could you deny him? Look at his hair!’ But he murdered someone. That’s how I’m denying him.”

The intense starring and curiosity, however, were enough to chip away at that emotional wall. The couple’s connection, whether love, lust or something in between, was the foundation of a secret Shakespearean-esque romance. It’s a relationship Kylie initially describes as a bizarre one. “There’s a large part of Lacey that is exceedingly apprehensive in letting Danny back into her life given the circumstances. She doesn’t want the event that happened when she was eleven – when they all were eleven – to define her, so she kind of keeps him at arms length, but they do have a connection. It’s a romantic one and there are feelings there. They’re ones they cannot avoid.”

Despite the romantic entanglement, the issue of Regina’s murder being linked to Danny in some way still looms. He is seemingly on everyone’s suspect list, but has their close connection crossed him off Lacey’s? The answer should come as no surprise. “Yes… and then no,” Kylie teases.

This could appear as a conflict of interest, but Kylie is confident in her character’s ability to distinguish between the two. “Her relationship with Danny and her relationship with Regina are two separate things and they’re both equally important to her. I don’t think that having a romantic interest is going to change her guard for Regina. I think that Regina is important and she’s going to continue to try and figure out what happened.”

(L-R): Avan Jogia as Danny Desai, Maddie Hasson as Jo Masterson, Kylie Bunbury as Lacey Porter

As Lacey’s relationship with Danny has evolved, so has her relationship with Jo. It wasn’t an easy ride reconnecting the former best friends though. Even after the road trip there’s been reluctance in some form from both sides due in part to the “friendship” being so defined by their connection with Danny. The show has made Jo’s motivations concerning Danny and Lacey pretty clear. Lacey, on the other hand, has proven to be a much tighter lipped and emotionally reserved character.

So what’s been holding Lacey back? “I think that Lacey is sort of experiencing – she’s going through a little bit more of a selfish part in her life,” states Kylie. “She’s just not giving Jo as much of a chance and I think she’s holding in some sort of resentment towards Jo.”

Viewers will have a chance to see if those feelings have dissipated tomorrow night as Jo and Lacey get the closest they’ve been yet. Danny’s confession – that he’s been in possession of Regina’s necklace since her death – was the final ‘half-truth’ straw for the girls. Despite his desperate pleading, they both ultimately decided to walk. This decisive action appeared to be the first big step forward for the two female protagonists. Expect tomorrow’s episode to follow up on that event, giving fans of the girls’ relationship something to cheer about.

“You will see Lacey and Jo coming together for themselves,” promises Bunbury. “But the biggest thing is Danny and this case. That is the glue that holds us together and makes us realize that we need to sort of forget all these adolescent decisions that we made when we were younger. Three of us have a connection that’s indescribable and sort of is one of those forever connections.” Sound good? Don’t get comfortable yet. Bunbury teases that the rough parts are far from over. “We both hold a very special place in our hearts for each other, so I think you’re gonna see Lacey and Jo coming together and then there may be some falling apart. It’s just a continuous roller coaster.”

Due to the social circle nature of the series not every character has the opportunity to share scenes, so getting certain interactions can feel like leveling in a game. Excitingly “Poison of Interest” unlocks a couple character exchanges. In addition to Jo and Lacey spending more time together, Lacey shares some scenes with a character she hasn’t yet: Rico. “Rico and Lacey meet and they have some interesting scenes together. They kind of become comrades of sorts.”

Jamila Valezquez, Kylie Bunbury — Credit: ABC Family

While it should be nice to see two thirds of the trio reconnect, Lacey still has a whole other group of friends invested in her choices. The last time fellow in-crowder Sarita spoke about Jo and Danny, she was doling out an “us or them” ultimatum. Lacey’s popular friends are a part of her social status, which in turn is as much a part of her and some of her motivations as Rico and outsider status is to Jo’s. To lose that could mean serious changes for Lacey, in more ways than one. Lacey should be able to have it all, but Kylie notes it might not be so cut and dry.

“I believe that she can. I don’t think both parties do. I think with Sarita and the popular crowd it’s just going to take them a lot longer. They’re more close minded because Regina is their friend. And Danny was [Lacey’s] friend from the beginning. Lacey’s very confident and she’s very sure – well, not completely sure – of the decisions she makes, but all in all she’s going to do what feels right to her and not just because someone tells her to do something. So I don’t think she’s going to choose either one. It’s going to be both or whoever wants to leave her life they can do so, but she’s not gonna choose one group over the other.”

After tomorrow night, there’s only a recap episode before the official mid-season finale. So what did Kylie have to say about the last new episode of Twisted until winter? “The season finale has a lot to do with her and Jo. Some things are revealed. Mistakes are made.”

Kylie took the time to answer a collection of fan questions sent in to @ScreenSpy. Check them out below.

ScreenSpy: As you were getting scripts, were you surprised by anything the writers threw into Lacey’s development?

Kylie Bunbury: I mean, the amount of making out surprised me.

SS: How early on it started happening surprised me a little. Not gonna lie. [laughing]

KB: Yeah. [laughing] Umm… I wasn’t surprised because it was a gradual one. I think it’s one of the more honest developments in terms of realism, so I wasn’t as surprised. No – you know, there was one thing that surprised me that I wasn’t happy about just because it affects Jo so much. So that’s one thing you’ll see that I was surprised by.

SS: Will we get to see more things from Lacey and her perspective? 

KB: You do see it. You do see Lacey’s point of view a little bit more these next few episodes and that’s probably because she’s spending a little bit more time with Danny and also with Jo. A little bit more, but it’s mainly from Jo’s point of view.

SS: What was it like working with the cast and crew? What about Avan? 

KB: Wonderful. Truly and honestly, wonderful. The cast, we all get along freakishly well, and the crew, the crew’s great oh my goodness. It was a wonderful group of people to be around and to sort of build a family with. Avan is goofy and funny and makes everyone laugh. He’s just very good at his job.

SS: What part of Lacey’s storyline did you enjoy working on the most? 

KB: All of my scenes with Maddie, even though they’re sporadic throughout. There’s pieces of the Jo and Lacey relationship throughout, but all of those scenes really meant a lot to me and Maddie. Because even though we’ve taken some steps backwards they were really steps forward because we’re starting to get things out and we’re starting to be real and honest with each other and allow ourselves to get back to the point that we were once at. So I think all of the relationship stuff with Jo.

SS: Is there anything any of the other characters have explored that you’d want Lacey to explore in the future? 

KB: I would love to explore the world of a murderer. [laughing] I’m trying to think… Uh, no I’m cool with Lacey.

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