Ever since his breakout role in Disney’s Zombies series, Milo Manheim has had a dedicated fanbase. Now, in School Spirits on Paramount+, he’s continuing to explore the world of lovable—and dead—jocks.
In School Spirits, Manheim plays Wally, a member of a support group for high school students who have died. The students meet periodically in the school gym, processing their feelings of grief and anger over their own deaths while the living students go about their daily lives around them.
We recently spoke to Milo about the new role. “Wally is so positive, and he’s kind hearted, and he wants to keep the peace all the time. It’s always refreshing to play a role like that. Wally was very easy to play. I always came into work feeling so good, in the best mood, and I left in a better mood. Because, you know, sometimes your character sticks with you. I’ve played roles where the character is anxious, or worrying about something, and I go home and I still feel it.”
Needless to say, some of the other support group members aren’t as cheery as Wally. “His puppydog aspect on life doesn’t work without the contrast of his—dare I say—grumpier friends in the afterlife,” Manheim says. “So I commend my fellow cast mates. They’re such incredible actors, and I feel like Wally wouldn’t have worked without them. Wally has been one of—if not the—most fun role I’ve ever played.”
School Spirits focuses on one member of the support group: Maddie (Peyton List), a student who has recently been murdered. When Maddie wakes up in the afterlife to find that her body is missing, her murder is unsolved, and she has no memory of who killed her, she enlists friends both living and dead to help her figure out what happened.
Manheim also told us about living with his cast mates, dealing with imposter syndrome, and more! You can check out the whole interview below. You can also find our other interviews with the School Spirits cast and writers on our YouTube channel.
(featured image: Lindsay Siu/Paramount+)
