Joining Dancing With the Stars is a dream come true for Chandler Kinney — and all of her Pretty Little Liars costars have already shown their support.
“I called them last night right before I went to bed. They’re all so excited and they’re gonna be watching every single week. I love that,” Kinney, 24, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 4, during a joint interview with her professional partner Brandon Armstrong.
Kinney hopes her acting background will be an asset for her on DWTS, adding, “I think just doing character work will help each week. We’re going to bring different stories to life. So I think getting into the headspace and psyche of that will help a lot.”
Before being announced as a season 33 contestant on the competition reality show, Kinney rose to stardom as Willa in the Disney Channel musical film franchise Zombies. She has since delivered a scene-stealing performance as Us‘ favorite final girl Tabby on Max’s Pretty Little Liars reboots, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, alongside Bailee Madison, Maia Reficco, Zaria and Malia Pyles.
Kinney also has some experience on the dance floor after being trained at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and the Los Angeles Ballet Academy.
“I have a big passion for dance so if there’s any kind of advantage, it’s just that I love it so much,” she shared with Us. “I think it makes it so much easier when you’re running toward something you love. Otherwise, I’m gonna leave it up to the Dancing With the Stars Gods.”
Armstrong, 30, agreed with Kinney’s perspective, saying, “If you have any dance experience, you have to be somewhat excited going into a dance competition. This is completely different than anything she has ever been close to doing.”
Despite meeting shortly before the DWTS announcement, Kinney and Armstrong have already developed a fun friendship.
“I’m adopted [and] when she came to the door I was like, ‘She could be my sister,'” Armstrong quipped. “We are going to do a 23 and Me [DNA test] real quick.”
Kinney was pleasantly surprised by how quickly she bonded with Armstrong. “We actually really got on from the moment we met, which is so crazy. Literally on camera, I’m like running in and I was speaking like two octaves up,” she recalled. “I was just so excited to meet him and see his face like running in. So it’s gonna be great.”
After being a fan of DWTS, Kinney reflected on making the transition to contestant.
“I’m literally a ball of anxiety. But I would like to say that everyone brings something special to this competition. [Judges] Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough were all talking about how so much of this is sharing your story,” she said. “That’s gonna be a big challenge for me — being vulnerable in a way that is sharing me vs. what I normally do, which is sharing other characters’ stories. It’s a big shift for me.”
Dancing With the Stars season 33 premieres on ABC Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET and concurrently on Disney+. Episodes will also be available the next day on Hulu.
