Welcome to Actor Spotlight, a feature series examining the careers and impacts of talented performers working in film and television. The latest edition focuses on Peyton List, who stars as Tory Nichols in hit Netflix series Cobra Kai, a sequel to The Karate Kid.
Be sure to check out our previous Actor Spotlight features on stars such as Jensen Ackles, Jack Quaid and more.
At 26 years old, Peyton List has been working consistently for over a decade. She’s become very recognisable, especially to a certain generation.
For the past few years, List has been starring in Cobra Kai. A television sequel series to the 1980s Karate Kid movie franchise. List plays one of the newer characters in the “Miyagi-verse”, joining the show in season 2.
List also plays the lead role in Paramount+ teen drama School Spirits.
Going back slightly, Disney Channel viewers might recognise List from her time starring on Jessie. Even further back, Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans likely remember her as “Holly Hills”.
Meanwhile, List has also taken her talents to the big screen with various movie roles.
In a rare instance, she is one of two actors named “Peyton List” currently working in Hollywood. Her counterpart (born 1986) has appeared in Mad Men and The Flash.
Usually, the SAG-AFTRA’s Union policy is for living actors to have distinct names; their particular case went unnoticed.
In an interview with Popternative, Cobra Kai co-star Mary Mouser (Sam LaRusso) discussed working with List.
“There’s a sweetness to getting to have scenes together where we weren’t just yelling at each other and fighting. There was this excitement of, ‘Oh my God, this is what we want.
“We’re friends off-camera, so we always want to be able to just hang out and talk.” (Mary Mouser, Popternative, September 2022)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)
“Holly Hills”
While List didn’t star in the first live-action Wimpy Kid film (2010), she did appear in its two sequels.
Her character, Holly Hills, plays an important role as love interest to protagonist Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon).
These movies also marked the first time List worked with future Disney Channel co-star Karan Brar.
As a fun fact: the actor playing Holly’s father isn’t an actor at all. It’s Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.
Jessie (2011 – 2015)
Bunk’d (2015-2018, 2021)
The Swap (2016)
Hubie Halloween (2020)
“Emma Ross” (Jessie/Bunk’d)
“Ellie O’Brien” (The Swap)
“Peggy” (Hubie Halloween)
After playing Holly Hills, List landed a starring role on Disney Channel sitcom Jessie, starring Debby Ryan.
The show’s premise saw Ryan’s character, a young woman from Texas, become the live-in nanny to a wealthy couple’s four children.
However, as one might expect from a Disney show, things did not always go smoothly.
For four years, List portrayed the character Emma Ross. Ditzy, spoiled Emma was the eldest of the quartet, creating some of Jessie’s many problems. Uniquely among the others, she was also the only biological kid.
Jessie reunited List with Wimpy Kid co-star Karan Brar. This time around, the duo played siblings – with Brar starring as “Ravi”, who had been recently adopted from India.
In addition, the cast featured Kevin Chamberlin as Bertram the butler, Skai Jackson as Zuri and the late Cameron Boyce as Luke.
After Jessie ended in 2015, the franchise continued with a new show titled Bunk’d. Emma, Ravi and Zuri headed to Camp Kikiwaka in Maine. Away from the creature comforts of the city, how would the Ross kids cope?
List, along with fellow returning actors Brar and Jackson, appeared on Bunk’d for the first three seasons. After exiting as a series regular, she later guest-starred in a season 5 episode.
In-between the two shows, the young actress led the cast of a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) titled The Swap, which premiered in 2016.
List played “Ellie O’Brien”, a sophomore who inexplicably switches bodies with another student at her school. Fellow Disney star Jacob Bertrand starred as the other student, Jack Malloy.
In another instance of foreshadowing, Bertrand would later become very important in List’s career.
More on that later…
In 2020, List joined several other Disney alums by starring in Hubie Halloween. Co-written by Adam Sandler, Netflix released the mystery/horror-comedy film.
It was dedicated to the memory of List’s late co-star Cameron Boyce, who died a year earlier.
Boyce’s Grown Ups co-star/on-screen dad Adam Sandler co-wrote the movie. Meanwhile, Karan Brar took over the role intended for Boyce.
Cobra Kai (2019 – present)
“Tory Nichols”
In 2019, List began one of her highest-profile roles by joining the Cobra Kai cast in season 2. Her character, Tory Nichols, is a highly-skilled athlete from a poor family and tough upbringing.
It’s a far cry from Jessie‘s Emma Ross, that’s for sure.
A recurring character in seasons 2 and 3, Tory was largely used as an antagonist. In particular, she had fierce a rivalry with Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser).
Tory is not a villain in the traditional sense. For the most part, the likes of John Kreese (Martin Kove) and Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) manipulated her. Trust me, those are not voices you want to have in your ear…
Away from the violence, Cobra Kai has also explored Tory’s love life.
In different storylines, she’s romanced both Miguel (Xolo Mariduena) and Robby (Tanner Buchanan).
At one point, Tory, the boys and Samantha were in a “love square”, but that seems largely resolved. Presumably…
Remember Jacob Bertrand from The Swap? Well, he also has a central role in Cobra Kai, as Eli Moskowitz – though some fans might better know him as “Hawk”.
Years after meeting, List and Bertrand started dating in real-life.
Who would’ve known all the way back in 2016? Apparently not Bertrand, as he told Straw Hat Movies in July 2024:
“We met on The Swap, it was a Disney movie we did. I had a huge crush on her. She was 18 at the time, I think, and my 15-year old brain was like, ‘Well this is impossible, like this is not gonna happen, like she’s insanely attractive and I’m a little boy.” (Jacob Bertrand, Straw Hat Movies Podcast, 2024).
As for Cobra Kai, Tory and Hawk have never been romantically paired on the show.
With Tory seemingly defecting to the dark side in season 6 (part 1), what will this mean for the remaining 10 episodes?
School Spirits (2023 – present)
“Maddie Nears”
Concurrently with Cobra Kai, List also began playing the lead role on Paramount+ series School Spirits.
Her character, Maddie, is a teen girl stuck in the afterlife while investigating her own disappearance.
The eight-episode first season premiered in March and April 2023, with season 2 confirmed.
List discussed School Spirits in a May 2023 interview with Teen Vogue.
“I felt like [School Spirits] was the opposite of most Y.A. shows, where it’s like, ‘Oh, kill me. I don’t want to be here. It was [about Maddie] wanting to be alive so badly and realizing the value of her life when she was gone, and the value of her friendships and what she could have fixed.” (Peyton List, Teen Vogue, 2023)
Supporting/minor roles
Various
Before her starring roles, however, a younger List played minor characters in various projects.
Her film appearances included Spider-Man 2, Confessions of a Shopaholic and Remember Me.
During an interview with the Livin’ Large w/ Mark Dohner podcast, List revealed how her small Spider-Man 2 part was ultimately cut.
“My part got cut, so… Yeah, it was a double whammy. ‘They didn’t want you, you got cut from your first film, welcome to Hollywood, kid!’ But, it was good for me. It was good for me at six… It humbled me. That’s why I have super low self-esteem… No, I’m kidding.” (Peyton List, Livin’ Large w/Mark Dohner, 2019).
Meanwhile, List also appeared in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, 27 Dresses, Something Borrowed and The Trouble with Cal, as younger versions of main characters.
Early TV parts included episodes of Gossip Girl, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and All My Children.
Cobra Kai Season 6 (part 1) is streaming on Netflix.
Follow writer Conor O’Brien on Twitter/X
A lifelong TV and Film buff, Conor founded Courageous Nerd in 2019. He has conducted hundreds of interviews for the site, as well as written comprehensive feature articles on a variety of topics. You can find him on X: @conorrcn.
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