Peyton Elizabeth Lee & Noah Lomax Tease Sam’s ‘Struggles’ With Royal Life & More In Disney+ Movie
Disney+’s new movie ‘Secret Society of Second-Born Royals’ debuts Sept. 25. HL spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Noah Lomax about Sam and Mike’s friendship, Sam’s superpowers, and more.
A new generation of Disney heroes has arrived. The new Disney+ movie Secret Society of Second-Born Royals follows Sam, a teenage royal rebel who is second in line to the throne in Illyria. Just as Sam’s disinterest in royal life reaches an all-time high, she discovers she has superpowers and joins a secret society of second-born royals with similar abilities. HollywoodLife talked EXCLUSIVELY with Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Noah Lomax, who play best friends Sam and Mike, about what to expect in the new movie.
Peyton revealed that Sam “sort of struggles at the beginning of the film because she feels like not only second-born but she’s second-best, and I think that’s sort of thematically universal, whether or not you’re a second-born or a princess or a superhero, everyone can relate to this idea of not feeling like you’re good enough. Sam has all of those pressures that we all face in addition to the pressures put on her by her country. She is royalty, so an entire country’s eyes are on her to set the right precedent, to be a good role model, and she sort of struggles with finding who she is with all that added pressure.”
The actress noted that Sam “buckles” under the pressure until she begins “initiation into this secret society of second-born royals where she meets other young royals like her and sort of realizes that she’s not alone in the way she’s feeling and in her experience. She finds where she belongs with the help of them and how she can really create her own legacy that she can be proud of, that her family can be proud of, and that her country can be proud of.”
As for Mike, he is Sam’s best friend who is not a second-born royal. “They’re in a little garage band together and basically I kind of feel like Mike is her healthy distraction from the stresses of the royal life that they may bring and kind of keeps her grounded in a way,” Noah explained. “He’s really loyal to her, and he’s there for her when she needs it most.”
When Sam begins initiation into the secret society, it does take her away from her normal life. Sam’s attempt at balancing her normal life and her secret life is one of the “conflicts” she and Mike have.
Each member of the secret society has a superpower, and Peyton revealed why she loves Sam’s superpower. “Sam discovers that she has super senses, which is this power that heightens all of her senses. It makes her extra sensitive to sounds, smells, and feelings. It was actually really interesting to dive into how to represent that power because it’s not super visual or physical. It’s all very internal,” Peyton said. “I think the superpowers are super representative of what’s unique about all of us, our differences. They’re not a weakness but a strength and that if we channel them toward the right goal they’re what make us special and important.” Secret Society of Second-Born Royals premieres Sept. 25 on Disney+.