She’s survived unfortunate events, supernatural secrets and the occasional brush with the macabre. Now, Malina Pauli Weissman is trading the gothic gloom of Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events for the witchcraft, teenage romance and whirlwind magic of Disney’s Coven Academy.

Magic has always had a way of finding Malina Pauli Weissman. From the gothic oddities of A Series of Unfortunate Events to the spellbound world of Coven Academy, the actor has made somewhat of a home in the mystical. Now, she’s trading the Baudelaire family’s misfortune for a little witchcraft, mystery and teenage romance, stepping into the shoes of Briar – one of three young witches-in-training at the centre of one of Disney’s newest series, Coven Academy.

There’s an obvious familiarity to it all. Weissman grew up on screen, making her name as a child actor in Jonathan Liebesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Supergirl, opposite Melissa Benoist, before taking on roles that lean towards the strange, supernatural and slightly sinister. Coven Academy, however, offers a world where magic is less about escaping reality than figuring out who you are within it. Between spells, secrets and friendships, her character Briar is forced to learn the rules of a new universe – and, inevitably, discover which ones are worth breaking.

For Weissman, stepping into Briar’s shoes meant finding the balance between the character’s supernatural surroundings and the very human emotions beneath them. There’s friendship, romance and all the messy business of growing up, only with a little more magic thrown into the mix. And if the series’ cast dynamic is anything to go by, there was plenty of fun to be had behind the scenes, too. Alongside her screen fellows Malachi Barton, Jordan Leftwich and Ora Duplass, Weissman found herself part of a cast that’s own chemistry became a coven of sorts, minus the cauldron, of course.

Away from the witchy, cob-webbed classroom, Weissman remains curious about the darker corners of storytelling. Horror and thrillers have become a recurring thread throughout her career, a fitting match for an actor who first found herself navigating the dazzling idiosyncrasy of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Yet there’s a sense that she isn’t interested in being boxed into one particular genre; though she’s bewitched by the enchanting and peculiar, she’s just as entranced by stories that ring on comedy’s bell. Or just the outright “unhinged”, she says. After all, acting generally is about inhabiting different worlds, whether they’re built from scripts, spells or something that mirrors real life a little more.

With spooky season fast approaching, Coven Academy gives Weissman another chance to disappear into the cloak of her character and emerge somewhere entirely new. Speaking to Wonderland, she talks new beginnings, on-site antics and finding magic in every performance.

What drew you to the script for Coven Academy?

I’ve always been obsessed with the YA mystical genre, so obviously it was exciting to imagine myself in this supernatural world. I love tapping into my childhood imagination and getting to step into a world with witches and magic. But ultimately, it was Briar herself. She has this natural sarcasm and confidence, and a fearless curiosity that I immediately connected with. I felt like there was so much more to her than what you see at first.

How did you come to acting? Did you always want to be an actor? Tell us your origin story.

I went to a performing arts school when I was younger, so I was always surrounded by really creative people. Acting was the thing I kept coming back to, and I just fell in love with it.

This series follows three young witches-in-training as they embark on a new journey full of magic, mystery, romance and friendship – what surprised you most about the whole experience?

What surprised me most was how much we discovered along the way, especially with Briar. And apparently witches have exactly the same dating problems as everyone else. And just like Katherine Pierce famously said, “It’s okay to love them both. I did.”

Tell us more about your character, Briar. What did you enjoy most about playing her? Do you see much of yourself in Briar?

She’s adventurous and confident, and tends to act first and figure out the consequences afterward, which makes her really fun to play. What I enjoyed most was discovering all the different sides of her. On the surface she can be really snarky and sarcastic, but underneath that she’s emotional and caring. She’s a work in progress. I definitely see some of myself in her, especially her adventurous side and her curiosity. But she’s much more impulsive than I am.

What was it like working with director Tim Federle?

Tim is such an incredible leader. He was a true safety blanket for the whole cast. I am so lucky to have worked with him, and I hope to continue to do so. He really encouraged me to trust my instincts, and I loved his attention to detail.

What was the cast dynamic like on set? Did you and Malachi Barton, Jordan Leftwich and Ora Duplass become a little coven of your own?

We spend so much time together, so the chemistry developed really naturally. We all have pretty different personalities that come together in a great way, we genuinely became close, and I think that made the friendships on screen feel much easier because there was already so much familiarity and playfulness between us. These characters have to learn how to trust each other, support each other and choose each other, and we were doing our own version of that off camera too. We had the best time and definitely lived in our own little world for those few months.

For this series, you’re in the business of magic. Outside of playing a witch, do you feel like you have any witchy, supernatural tendencies?

I believe in ghosts and witches, and I’m fascinated by all things paranormal. I definitely believe in intuition, and I have crazy dreams that I’m convinced mean something. There are so many things we don’t completely understand.

On set, who was your most charming fellow?

Malachi and Louis [Thresher] – don’t make me choose.

And whose performance were you most pleasantly surprised by?

Oh, that’s a dangerous question. The whole cast is so talented, and at different moments each one of them really shined. But I think Louis shocked me the most, actually. We’re such good friends, but the second he locks into being Ollie, he completely transforms. He’s probably the most different from his character out of all of us.

In the last few years, you’ve dabbled in a lot of horror and thriller. What genre do you find yourself most drawn to, and what keeps you going back to them?

I’m absolutely obsessed with the process of filming horror or anything fantasy-related. I love seeing those worlds come to life. Horror and thrillers have that adrenaline, but there’s usually something really human underneath it all. I love the tension of it, but also the psychological side.

What’s the most terrifying experience that you’ve had whilst on set?

I accidentally put superglue in my eyes instead of eye drops and ended up in the emergency room. So, yeah…That was pretty terrifying.

Growing up, what were some of your favourite films (and why)?

My mom is from East Germany, so I grew up watching and loving a lot of the older East German DEFA productions, like The Singing Ringing Tree, The Story of Little Muck and The Cold Heart. There’s such a specific kind of magic to them.

Being an actor is a pretty cool job. What’s your favourite part about it all? Is there a memory from when you were younger that perhaps feels full circle now?

Honestly, my favorite part is just being on set. I love it. The adrenaline kicks in and somehow I’m never tired. There’s really nothing like watching a whole world come together around you. I feel so lucky to have worked with the people I have from such a young age. Working on A Series of Unfortunate Events was the most insane experience, and looking back on it now feels really full circle. Getting to create that show was truly once in a lifetime.

You’re no stranger to unfortunate events, having starred in A Series of Unfortunate Events. What’s the most unfortunate thing that’s happened to you, and how did you overcome it? And what did it teach you about resilience?

I’ve definitely had unfortunate things happen, but I think some of them are better left off the record. I’ve learned that most things feel much bigger while you’re in them than they do once you’re on the other side.

Of the other roles you’ve taken on, which were the most memorable or pivotal to your career?

Violet in A Series of Unfortunate Events will obviously always be incredibly important to me. I spent so many formative years playing her, and that experience shaped me in so many ways. Briar feels pivotal in a different way because I’m coming to her at a completely different point in my life and career.

What’s your dream role to play or film to be in, and how close would you say you are to making that a reality?

I actually just lost a role that I was super excited about. It was a character that really surprised me, someone complicated, maybe a little unhinged, someone I had to figure out. That’s probably what a dream role is for me.

Words – Aswan Magumbe