Early on in her career, Lucy Hale had a guest-starring role on Pretty Little Liars from 2007 to 2011 and has appeared in romantic comedies like The Hating Game and A Nice Girl Like You. Hale has also turned to the horror genre, with one of her first roles being Jenna Campbell in Fear Island, and appeared in the 2018 Blumhouse film Truth Or Dare and the dark 2021 miniseries Ragdoll.
Hale's How I Met Your Mother role helped her land other roles, from Aria to Sherrie, a character in Stab 6 in the clever opening sequence of Aria's problematic PLL romance with Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) is a source of controversy, Hale became associated with the young adult drama character, and her career took off afterward. Hale's guest role on How I Met Your Mother has a compelling effect on the rest of the characters.
Lucy Hale Played Robin's Sister Katie
Lucy Hale played Robin Scherbatsky's (Cobie Smulders) teenage sister Katie in season 2, episode 12, "First Time In New York." Katie has never been to the city before and while Robin wants to show her the Empire State Building, Katie is preoccupied with wanting to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Kyle (Ryan Pinkston). This storyline allows Robin to show a new side of herself, as she is usually calm. This time, she's nervous, concerned, and comionate, as she thinks her sister would be making a mistake.
Katie also gives Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) the opportunity to prove that he is the most caring partner Robin has had on HIMYM because he helps Katie see that she shouldn't do something that she isn't comfortable with. Katie makes the decision not to sleep with Kyle and Robin has a newfound appreciation for Ted's role in her life. She realizes that he will always be there for her, which he continues to do for the rest of her life.
Lucy Hale's Katie Only Showed Up One Other Time
Katie only appeared one more time on the sitcom, but her second episode is also impactful. In season 9, episode 19, "Vesuvius," Katie comes back to New York for Robin and Barney Stinson's (Neil Patrick Harris) wedding, and because Robin seems too calm, Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) wonders if she is truly ready for this change. Katie doesn't have much of an arc here, but she wears a hockey jersey alongside her big sister and watches a movie called The Wedding Bride with the other characters.
It's possible to predict Robin and Barney's quick divorce, and when Hale's How I Met Your Mother character tells Lily that Robin seems fine and there is nothing wrong, this proves that Lily understands Robin better than Katie does. While Robin does go through with the marriage, her best friend is more perceptive than her younger sibling, who appears to be more focused on having a good time on a trip to New York City.