Steven Prusakowski
Depending on who you are you probably know Peyton List for something different. You may know her from role on Netflix’s Cobra Kai playing the tough-as-nails Tory Nichols. Or, for the younger crowd, like my daughters, from her work as Emma Ross on Disney’s children’s shows like Bunk’d and Jesse. She may only be in her mid-twenties, but List’s fans span generations.
Her fanbase is surely expanding again thanks to a starring role in a show that you need to be watching this summer, Paramount+’s School Spirits. On the genre-bending series, List plays Maddie, a spirit investigating who is behind her own disappearance. The series is part coming-of-age, part mystery, and part supernatural drama.
During our conversation we discussed her work on School Spirits, but the conversation also expanded to her TV viewing experience where I learned the surprising shows that make her cry, what series she would wish to have one more season, what series she would like to live in, and much more. List’s charm was on full display as she responded to a very Peyton-centric question that pit her most popular roles against each other. It is a question she labeled, “the best question ever.”
While her most recent work leans heavily toward drama, List’s career is filled with comedic performances. It is a genre she is still very much drawn too. Which is why one of Peyton’s answers had me thinking, ‘I think you should leave.’ No, not leave the interview – to the outrageous Netflix comedy series, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. It is the show Peyton gives the show the honor of being the one which makes her laugh most. When asked if she would ever want to perform on the show, she enthusiastically expressed she “would LOVE to be on that.” We support the cause and hope Tim Robinson is taking notes, ready to bring Peyton aboard the season four cast. We’d love to see it.
Currently, as Maddie on School Spirits she has fans searching for clues and sharing theories online behind the truth of her character’s disappearance. While we cover a lot about the series, List kept her answers spoiler-free. And, for fans of Tory Nichols, there is plenty of Cobra Kai talk too! Below are some highlights from our conversation.
Peyton on how being a TV junkie kickstarted her career:
“I was definitely a TV junkie as a kid. I feel like before streaming, there was just something so fun about catching something – I was kind of addicted to that feeling of catching something being on. I remember that’s kind of why I got into acting because I just watched so much TV and my mom said, ‘Stop watching it and go be on it.’ And I was like, ‘How do I do that? That’s a great idea. But how do I do that?’ And then she started taking me to auditions, because I watched so much TV right.”
“I definitely have to learn a lot on the spot, especially starting off on Disney on multi-cam sitcoms. That was just such a different style. I had done a couple movies before and a small part on a show as someone’s kid. But I was not prepared for the multi-cam sitcom world. That was just a whole change of pace.”
On the difference between on how Maddie is written compared to many teen roles:
“I liked how much she how much Maddie cared about her life, and how much she wanted to get back to it. I just feel like that at age there’s so much nihilism and not wanting to be there. A lot of the parts that I feel like I would audition for were just like, ‘I hate my life. I hate this world. I hate everything about it.’ You know? I thought this is a hot take teenage girl who cares about her mom and cares about her family and is really stepping up. I was like, ‘Man, Maddie’s a way better person than I was as a teenager. This is kind of something that I wouldn’t mind playing. Like, wow!’ I’m honored to get to play such a cool person. I just liked the person that that she is, but I didn’t think they would cast me as her.”
On being left in the dark about the School Spirits mystery:
“They gave me the first two episodes and I just trusted Megan and Nate our creators and writers enough that I just didn’t need to know what else happened. I feel like Maddie didn’t know what happened and she was very confused, trying to figure out so I just thought, ‘All right.’ A lot of the other actors were harassing me about the ending. They were like, ‘Give us the ending, you have to know. How would you take the show without knowing the ending?’ And I was like, ‘I just kind of met with them and I liked them a lot. I hoped for the best.’ Looking back, I don’t know if I would do again. But I enjoyed that process so much.”
On who she would prefer to hand out with Tory or Maddie:
“I feel like I would like to hang out with both of them at the same time because I think they’d balance each other out. I think Tory would be tough to hang out with. I think I would choose Maddie over Tory because Maddie is a little more of a nerd and just likes going to the Comic Cons and likes horror cons and that sort of things. So I think she would bring into that whole world. But I feel like Tori, her only girlfriend really was Aisha and I just don’t feel like I’ve seen have a lot of girlfriends. I feel like it’d be tough. I’d have to be patient with her.” (This was followed up with a question about these characters fighting with a little twisted.)
Our sincere gratitude to Peyton for hanging out on the TV Topics couch. We had a wonderful time speaking and would love to have her back again when season two rolls around. A special thanks for her patience and generosity with her time as she spoke with my daughters and their friends who briefly hijacked our conversation to conduct an interview of their own. Peyton made their day. Along the way, I was pleased to learn she is not only a gifted actress, but also a fan of our TV Topics interviews too. And to think, we thought we could not like her more than we already did.
Check out all of her captivating work on School Spirits streaming on Paramount+ as well as on Netflix’s Cobra Kai and many other shows – she’s been in a lot! Listen to the full uncut conversation below.
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