They say everything old is new again, and that's certainly the case with the Netflix
series Cobra Kai. Decades removed from its source material, the serialized spinoff to
the classic 1984 film The Karate Kid is seriously kicking butt.
Not only do viewers get to see child actors from the original film playing themselves
as adults, with Ralph Macchio starring as Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka starring
as Johnny Lawrence — the show also features some fresh, young faces, as well. And one
in particular might look especially familiar.
"Don't let me see it coming."
"Did you see that coming?"
Cobra Kai, which began its run as a YouTube Red original series for two seasons but was
later acquired by Netflix for its third season, explores the continuing rivalry between Daniel
and Johnny from the latter's point of view.
"You made a lot of money off that illegal kick."
"You're just jealous I can get my leg up that high."
"You wanna step in the parking lot, see whose leg can go higher?"
Once the antagonist in The Karate Kid, Johnny now runs his own dojo, Cobra Kai, which mentors
young talents like Miguel Diaz and Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz. But that's not all.
Since Season 2 of Cobra Kai premiered, one teenage girl has built a reputation as a natural-born
fighter within Cobra Kai. And, if you recognize the young actress who plays the headstrong
Tory Nichols, it's for a good reason.
Tory is played by Peyton List, a Florida native whose earliest roles included playing a young
version of Katherine Heigl in 2008's 27 Dresses, as well as stints on soaps like All My Children
and As the World Turns. She even had turns in Cashmere Mafia, Confessions of a Shopaholic,
and Gossip Girl before landing recurring roles on TV shows like Disney's Jessie, CBS' Happy
Together, Hulu's Light as a Feather, and Disney's Bunk'd.
"Skills?"
"Acting."
"Jessie! I can't lie on an official document!"
List also has minor credits for Spider-Man 2, Saturday Night Live, and Remember Me.
The actress is currently filming Shriver, written and directed by Michael Maren and
starring Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, Zach Braff, and Perry Mattfeld. Those are some
pretty big names, and it seems List's star is rising in Hollywood.
Season 3 of Cobra Kai —the first season of the show under the Netflix banner — debuted
in early January 2021. It's here that we learn more about Tory Nichols, a troubled teen who
started a violent brawl with her rival Sam LaRusso, got expelled from her high school,
and was shipped off to juvenile detention. However, since she's the sole provider for
her ill mother and little brother, she gets put on probation in order to take care of
them.
In an interview with Screen Rant, List talked about how she empathizes with her character,
who has so much anger and goes through self-destructive patterns, saying:
"I think you see that with a lot of teenagers and especially [ones who've] never really
been shown any love or, you know, support, and they feel really alone. And I think it's
easy to hate in that situation, and it's much harder to see the light and to show mercy.
[...] I just hope that [Tory] finds [...] the right sensei [...] the right guidance. [...] I
see where she's coming from, and I feel, I feel for her."
"I hated everyone. I hated myself the most."
We couldn't agree more and hope that Tory's plot line takes a positive spin in the season
to come.
It isn't all about acting for List, though. Although she's been working in the industry
since she was 4, the actress has many passions beyond Hollywood. For the 2020 holiday season,
she partnered with The Cameron Boyce Foundation to bolster support for its "Give Me $5" fundraising
campaign. In a message posted to the campaign site, List said:
"The Cameron Boyce Foundation was started last year in honor of one of my closest friends
Cam, when he suddenly lost his life to epilepsy. I miss him dearly and am honored to help them
in their mission to cure epilepsy and end gun violence."
List, a former child model, is also an aspiring pop singer, having released the songs "Liar
Liar," "Dance Till We Die," and "Don't Cry," according to her PR firm, Slash Agency. She
recently dabbled in film production for her latter song's music video as well, creating
the concept and directing the video itself.
We can't wait to see what this multi-talented young woman does next!
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