EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Hyland Reveals Her 'Key to Any Relationship' and Why She'd 'Never' Consider Online Dating
Consider Sarah Hyland a fan of good old-fashioned dating.
"I think there's something special in forming a relationship with just talking," she told ET in a recent sit-down. "I think communication is really beautiful. It's the key to any relationship."
The 25-year-old actress is happily dating former Vampire Academy co-star Dominic Sherwood in real life, but her character in Netflix's newest film, XOXO, is another story.
"My character, Krystal, goes through a lot," Hyland said on Sunday, chatting about the film at The London Hotel in West Hollywood, California. "She's really naive and very young, and believes in true love. She's just looking for that thing that she's always wanted, so she meets a guy online and they have plans to meet up at this music festival, XOXO, and things don't go as planned for her."
Krystal's journey is one of several interconnected storylines in the ensemble film, streaming on Friday, Aug. 26 on Netflix. Graham Phillips, Ryan Hansen and Chris D'Elia are among Hyland's co-stars.
Hyland admitted that even if she were single, she would "never" consider dating on the Internet.
"Stranger Dangers are online!" she joked. "You just don't know. Catfish can happen anytime... It freaks me out. I just like talking one-on-one."
Hyland may consider her character naive, but Krystal also delivers one of the film's most memorable lines: "Part of growing up is accepting the fact that you're not going to get everyone's approval. It's a waste of your time to try."
Hyland said it's a mantra she also strives to live by in her own life.
"I have grown into myself as a woman," the Modern Family star explained. "The only person that you are really obligated to please is yourself. And if you don't love yourself, you can't love anyone else."
As for the online trolls that target Hyland and her famous gal pals, she really can't be bothered with a clap back.
"I wish it didn't exist. I wish it didn't happen to anybody, but you have to have thick skin," she said. "You have to believe in yourself and the people you surround yourself with. That's the most grounding of all. It doesn't matter what other people say, because as long as you love yourself, [who cares about] other people's opinions?"