Taken from the Winter 21 issue. Pre-order your copy now.

Actor Peyton List is just like you and me. Except for the fact that she’s shared the screen with the likes of Katherine Heigl and Robert Pattinson, received dating advice from Jessica Alba and, thanks to her role on Cobra Kai, she could also kick your ass. At least she hopes so, anyway. The former Disney Channel star was practically raised on film sets, and after moving to LA when she was just a teenager, List has had an impressive run of acting work ever since. After the realisation that acting was far more than just a hobby, her desire to work with and learn from the best in the business has only grown stronger.

Brooklyn-raised List talks to Wonderland from her Airbnb in Atlanta, Georgia, where she’s spent the past few months filming Season 5 of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated sequel to the hit Karate Kid films. Her most empowering and physically demanding role to date, List is joined in the series by original Karate Kid stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio – back to reprise their roles. Incredibly self-aware and bursting with ideas and opinions, List has a wonderfully engaging way about her.

She often doesn’t finish her sentences; her next thought comes rushing out before the first one has a chance to end. But she’s so in tune with the conversation that it’s not necessary, she knows everyone is on the same page. Sitting down with Wonderland, List shares her views on the ever-evolving entertainment industry and what she’s learnt along the way.

Check out the interview below…

Charlotte O’Neill: At just 23-years-old, you have an incredibly impressive and expansive work history. Tell me about your relationship with acting. How did you get started? Was it something you knew you always wanted to pursue or did you fall into it?
Peyton List: I was in middle school in New York and I wanted to pursue theatre so I was auditioning for movies, commercials, and TV shows. I ended up getting a movie that was filmed in Detroit, Michigan, and I got pulled out of sixth grade. I was so happy about it because it was so difficult for me to know how to socialise in middle school. I felt like everybody came back from elementary school and grew up and I didn’t, I still felt behind. And so acting for me was an escape where I could just be with adults all day and learn from them. I felt so at home when I was on set and I felt so safe, and it always felt like a judgment-free zone where I could feel free to just play. As a kid, everyone treats you so great on set. Everyone is so kind to you and takes you under their wing and teaches you the ropes and explains how everything works…if you want to operate a camera, you can operate a camera, if you want to sneak into the props department… they’ll just teach you anything you want to know. They were so patient and very welcoming.

CO: Season 4 of Cobra Kai is coming to Netflix. What have you been up to in-between seasons?
PL: I just did a thriller for Netflix, it’s called The Last Will, also Testament of Charles Abernathy, and then I did this movie called The Friendship Game.

CO: Your character Tory Nichols in Cobra Kai is the role that sort of shed your Disney Channel skin, and she’s pretty badass. How do you think this role has changed the trajectory of your career or future roles?
PL: Yeah, it’s something I never thought I could do. Even when I had the audition I thought it was a waste of my time because I thought I wouldn’t even get the role. The description was this ba- dass strong female who doesn’t take shit from anyone. If anyone crosses her even slightly they’re going to hear about it or going to feel it. But it’s been a very empowering role to play for me. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from the character, from just even having to do my own stunts and learn how to fight. Physically, I think, has followed mentally, which is so funny because I think about The Karate Kid a lot and how Mr Miyagi trained Daniel mentally first, and then the physical stuff kind of followed along. I just realised that a lot of mental clarity has come from the physical part of this role.

CO: What can we expect from this season of Cobra Kai?
PL: The last time we left off, my character had bro- ken into someone’s home and started a huge fight…in the fourth season we’re dealing with the aftermath of that, the repercussions, my be- haviour, and anger outbursts. We’re also trying to train for the championships for the All Valley tournament, which they originally competed in in the original Karate Kid film. My character thinks that by winning the tournament, it will make her feel whole and valid like she’s worth something. Nothing’s been handed to her and she’s had a hard life, and that’s really my big thing this season.

CO: In roles you play, is it important you can relate to your character in some ways to be able to give the best performance?
PL: I have thought a lot about that! I think you do have to have a certain side that at least understands what kind of hu- man [you’re playing]. If you’re playing a villain, you can’t really judge them too much because you have to understand their mindset. Otherwise, you’ll just be playing it from this weird judgmental place versus being the person. So yeah, I guess every- one does have that sort of side in them. Recently I’ve been hearing that people who play villains end up being the nicest. I was just doing a Comicon for Cobra Kai and all the fans were like, ‘Man, the villains are always the nicest!’ And I was like, is that true? I wonder what’s behind that. I’ve met people that play the leading hero and sometimes I’ve been so disappointed I don’t know what that is, I’m still trying to figure it out.

CO: It’s like they’re pulling things out from within that they wish they could be
PL: Sometimes I audition to play nice characters and I won’t get a callback or I won’t understand how to play nice. And then I’ll get an audition for a mean girl and I’m like, got it. I think it’s because I can also just think, ‘Oh, I remember a girl like that, I know exactly how to do this.

CO: I read that Jessica Alba once gave you dating advice when you were 15. Let’s hear it!
PL: Oh my god, I love that. This was also the only time I had ever met her. She had a magazine cover for – I think it was Nylon – and at the party, I ran into her in the bathroom and I was so excited that she was even talking to me. She didn’t know who I was and she was so humble and personable and would talk to anyone. I remember loving that. And then I was back out at the party and she came up to me and she’s like, “You know, just wait to do anything with any guy. Just wait. Just feel so confident about your body. Just feel so good about yourself before you do anyhing with anyone. Just make sure that you’re not insecure. Even if you want to wait until you’re 30-years-old. That’s my advice to you.” Oh my god, I don’t even know her so I feel bad exposing this! I was like, “Why did you choose me,” because you know, she’s looking at me giving me this advice. And, I mean, it stuck with me I listened to it Like damn, she seems to have done things right. She has a beautiful family and I guess that’s how she did things she wanted to pass it on.

CO: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Career-released or otherwise?
PL: I feel like this advice is really embarrassing, but I actually got it on Tiktok. I get a lot of advice on TikTok on my For You page. It was this girl sitting on a cliff talking about si- lencing your mind and feeling okay being alone. And I think because I’m so used to being watched when I’m alone I feel inadequate or like I’m not do- ing enough or something. She said, ‘A piece of art is still a masterpiece even when it’s in the room with the lights off.’ So cheesy! But it really spoke to me, because you don’t have to be working all the time, you need time to recoup and just be.

CO: Who in the entertainment industry are you dying to work with?
PL: There are definitely a lot of directors I’d love to work with. I would love to work with Olivia Wilde and also with the director of Ladybird, Greta Gerwig. She captures fe- male voices really well and now she’s about to direct Mar- got Robbie in the Barbie movie which is not something I was expecting. But I think those two as a duo…I don’t get why people were hating on that be- cause they’re obviously going to have such a smart take on Barbie. I think that’s a really
cool thing.

CO: And Ryan Gosling is set to star in it, a fellow Disney star back in the day.
PL: Look at that!