2009–2015: Early work and Pretty Little Liars '' at
Paleyfest in 2014 Mitchell began acting in 2009, making
cameo appearances on the Canadian teen drama series
Degrassi: The Next Generation and the
police drama series
Rookie Blue. Also in 2009, she appeared in the music video for "
Hold My Hand" by Jamaican rapper
Sean Paul. Mitchell was cast as
Emily Fields in the
Freeform series
Pretty Little Liars, an adaptation of the
book series of the same name. She initially auditioned for the character
Spencer Hastings, for which she was rejected and the part was instead given to
Troian Bellisario; thereafter she tried for Emily Fields and was cast in the role. On portraying Fields, she wrote: "I think for me, it's one of the best characters that I may ever play because of the [impact] she had on so many different people. So I'm very fortunate I was able to be the one to bring Emily to life."
Pretty Little Liars opened to positive reviews, and obtained a
cult following. Mitchell garnered widespread recognition and praise for her performance, with many lauding the characterization she applied to the role. In 2014, she was named the "Sexiest Women Alive" by
Esquire magazine, and in 2015, she was included on the
Maxim Hot 100 list. In 2010, Mitchell appeared in a four-episode arc on the
Disney XD series
Aaron Stone, as Irina Webber. In 2011, she signed a contract with
Procter & Gamble to be the spokesperson for the
Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo line. In the same year, Mitchell created a
YouTube channel, where she is best known for her lifestyle-type videos. In this period, Mitchell frequently took on fewer roles to focus on
Pretty Little Liars; these were mostly roles in
short films. In 2015, Mitchell co-authored the young adult novel
Bliss with Michaela Blaney,
2016–present: You, Dollface, film roles and other ventures In 2016, Mitchell made her
feature film debut with the
musical drama film
Dreamland, starring as Nicole, which premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival. That same year, she headlined the
comedy film ''
Mother's Day'', where she played Tina. The film was a moderate commercial success, and marked Mitchell's film breakthrough, though it was panned by critics. in 2018|left In 2018, Mitchell was cast in the former
Lifetime television
thriller series
You, in the role of Peach Salinger, a wealthy and powerful socialite, which she played in the shows'
first season. The series premiered in September 2018, and received critical acclaim. It earned spots in several critic
year-end lists, and the performances of the ensemble cast, including Mitchell, were praised; it is her highest-rated work. Also in 2018, Mitchell founded the production company Amore & Vita Inc. and signed a contract with
Warner Bros. Television. She was subsequently cast in the
ABC television pilot
The Heiresses, adapted from the book of the same name, which was in production until 2018, when it was announced that the show was cancelled. Mitchell also launched her travel brand, BÉIS in 2018. The same year, the
horror film
The Possession of Hannah Grace was released, where Mitchell was seen as Megan Reed, a "troubled ex-cop who takes the graveyard shift in a morgue". The project was filmed years prior, and she stated that it has been one of her more difficult roles to play. She stated in an interview with
Collider: "I was playing a character who was dealing with major anxiety, and to be honest with you, before this role, I hadn't really encountered anxiety in my personal life. Getting this role and being in Boston and shooting it, right after coming off of
PLL, to then leading this film, there was a lot of pressure. ... I had so many panic attacks, in those first three weeks of shooting, and it was only a four-week shoot. I feel like I was truly feeling what I think that character must have been going through." Since November 2019, Mitchell has portrayed Stella Cole in the
Hulu comedy series
Dollface, the best friend to Jules Wiley (
Kat Dennings). The character initially drew comparisons to Mitchell's Peach Salinger on
You, though she stated on the role that "Aesthetically, you can see a similarity but when you get to know Stella, she's really a wild spirit and a complete 180 from Peach. It was fun to go from that to this."
Dollface is her first leading comedy role, where she provided the voice of the titular protagonist, Alexandra Trese. Since 2022, she executive produces the crime drama series
The Cleaning Lady. The launch was met with significant backlash both online and in traditional media, and sparked conversations about the ethics of marketing skin care products to toddlers. ==Personal life==