High school’s already tough. But when you’re dead, it’s even more complicated. Milo Manheim stars as Wally in the new Paramount+ series School Spirits. He crosses paths with Maddie, played by Peyton List, who finds herself stuck in the afterlife. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Milo about Wally and Maddie’s dynamic.
“I think at first he sort of has this inexplicable connection to her, and he tries to play it cool when he sees her for the first time,” Milo told HollywoodLife during the show’s press junket. “But I think deep down he’s really excited just to have a new person, and then when he gets to know her I think he likes her more and more. I think he just likes the person she is and, as the show goes on, they relate on a lot of things. That’s one of my favorite aspects of the show and Wally’s storyline is just how him and Maddie connect.”
Maddie isn’t just hanging out and relaxing in the afterlife. She’s investigating her own mysterious disappearance in the real world. Milo noted that Wally wants to “keep the peace” at all times and doesn’t like to see Maddie “sad and confused.” He added, “As he explores her situation I think he himself becomes really interested in what happened and confused and curious.”
Over the course of the season, the Zombies alum revealed that School Spirits will “take a deep dive into Wally’s personal life in the afterlife and in the real world… I was really super satisfied with everything that Wally got to do and who he was. There was so many connections I could make with him. Wally’s amazing. It’s so refreshing to play a character like him that’s just so happy and fun.”
The big question looming over the show is: what exactly happened to Maddie? While Milo couldn’t reveal any spoilers, he did say that “there were tears, there was laughter, there was a huge collective breath and sigh of relief” during the finale table read. “I was extremely satisfied with how the show had ended up, and I think the audience is going to be satisfied, too,” he said.
What about season 2? Milo said, “It does leave a lot more to explore in the second season if we have a second season, which I would love to have. I think it would be even better.” School Spirits premieres March 9 on Paramount+.