How Peyton List Is ‘Stepping Into Herself’ as She Says Goodbye to Cobra Kai — and Kicks School Spirits into High Gear

As List’s Netflix series comes to an end, the former Disney star opens up about her future plans and going off the grid with boyfriend Jacob Betrand: ‘I’m having so much fun’

Peyton List is channeling an Old Hollywood actress when she sits down for her PEOPLE photo shoot in a Brooklyn brownstone. Dressed in a timeless fitted black dress with art deco jewelry and a red lip—and unfazed when her left earring kept falling off throughout the interview—she says this phase of her life is all about confidence.

“I feel like I’m really just stepping into myself,” she says. “I feel like I know myself better than I ever have.”

At 26, List has worked the majority of her life. She began her career as a model at 5 years old, got her big acting break in the 2008 rom-com 27 Dresses as Katherine Heigl’s younger self and became a Disney Channel mainstay for seven years, starring on two hit shows, Jessie and Bunk’d.

House of Gilles dress.Celeste Sloman

For some child stars, the transition into the next phase of their career can be tough, but she celebrates her roots. “Some people only know me from Disney, and I love it all,” she says. “People are capable of so many other things.”

These days, fans may not even realize she was once a Disney darling. Karate Kid fans know her as Tory Nichols, an intense karate student on the Netflix hit Cobra Kai, which is in its final season. To lovers of the supernatural, she’s Maddie, a crime-solving high schooler stuck in the afterlife in the Paramount+ series School Spirits, which she executive produces. It returns for season 2 in 2025.

Offscreen she’s stepping back into life in New York City, where she was raised by her parents, John and Suzanne, before she relocated to Los Angeles to expand her acting career. “Growing up in New York, I feel like my mom was always testing me and teaching me to be street smart and kind of equipped us with a lot of just street knowledge,” she says. They also always had her back: “My parents protected me so much.”

Her boyfriend, Cobra Kai costar Jacob Bertrand, is expanding the city girl’s horizons. “We love traveling,” she says. “He’s really into backpacking and camping. That was a dream of mine growing up in Brooklyn. My parents were like, ‘We don’t know how to camp.’ So Jacob has really shown me the ropes.”

He’s also taught her how to be a minimalist: “I definitely travel really heavy. He’s like, ‘No, does this really need to be in the bag? Because you’re going to be carrying this for miles and miles.’ He’s been a good influence on my life, and I think I’ve been a good influence on his.”

Chloé outfit and boots.Celeste Sloman

As she looks ahead to her next chapter—and gets ready to head back to high school for season 2 of School Spirits—List cracks open the yearbook of her life for People.

Her Earliest Acting Memory: Just ‘A Kid On-Set’ of 27 Dresses 

List was inspired at an early age by the New York City cultural scene. “There were so many performers and artists on our street, and we were always going to see Broadway shows whenever we could after school,” remembers the actress, who moved from Florida at age 4.

A modeling agent spotted her twin brother, Spencer, on the Staten Island Ferry, and soon Peyton was signed too. Before long, she was auditioning for commercials and nabbing modeling gigs.

At 8 years old, List snagged her first big movie role in 27 Dresses. “I remember the director [Anne Fletcher] took me under her wing, and everyone in the crew and on-set hung out with me,” she says. “It was fun being a kid on-set because everyone wanted to teach me about their job.”

She continued to nab parts in hit films including Confessions of a Shopaholic, Something Borrowed and Remember Me with Robert Pattinson—her childhood crush thanks to his time as Twilight’s Edward Cullen. But everything changed when List landed the role of Emma Ross in Disney Channel’s Jessie, which premiered in 2011 and ran for four seasons.

House of Gilles dress.Celeste Sloman

Becoming a Disney Darling: ‘My Middle and High School’ 

Getting a Disney show at 12 years old “was the most fun experience of my life,” List says. She and her family moved to L.A. for her role on Jessie as Emma Ross, the oldest child in a wealthy family. “That was really when I felt the shift of people knowing who I am and stopping me. It was slow at first, and then all of a sudden I realized how big Disney is, because I suddenly felt like every kid my age knew who I was.”

While List and her Jessie costars Cameron Boyce, Skai Jackson and Debby Ryan thought of themselves as “normal kids,” List says, a school field trip to the White House—following a cameo on the show by Michelle Obama—made her realize how “surreal” her life was. “We ended up going to the Easter Egg Roll there, meeting the President and seeing Mrs. Obama and the family. That was one of the most surreal moments.”

Celeste Sloman

Despite being a TV star, List struggled with self-confidence. “In middle school I could have gone to my school dance, and then I got really scared and didn’t go. I was so nerdy,” List says. “My friend’s brother invited me to his prom, and I was too scared to go. I was like, ‘I don’t know anyone there.’ It always just felt weird to me.”

She leaned on her costars to get her through that tricky time. “​​Having this show that we’re all part of and playing a family on just bonded us so much,” she says. She still sees Ryan, 31, at the annual Cameron Boyce Foundation event, which the actor’s parents launched after Boyce died at age 20 from a seizure caused by his epilepsy.

Boyce “was one of my best friends, and he was like a brother to me growing up,” List says, tearing up. “Every time something big happens, I want to call him. I talk about him so much that I don’t expect to cry anymore, but it hits at different times. He was such a great person.”

Jessie led to the spinoff Bunk’d, which List signed on to star in for three seasons—taking her parents’ advice to avoid committing to a longer contract.

Celeste Sloman

It proved to be a prudent move. “As it was finishing up, it felt natural to move on and explore other characters and other stories,” she says. “It had been seven years of working with them, which is longer than most Disney stars. I was really grateful for the time, but my parents were right.”

List also credits her mom and dad with helping protect her in an industry notorious for being tough on children. “I feel really lucky that our parents were always around. Looking back and realizing that’s not everyone’s situation makes me feel absolutely terrible,” she says. “But I feel lucky that we were in this nice family environment.”

Leaving the Bubble for Cobra Kai: ‘My College Years’

Leaving that cocoon and hunting for new roles brought as much uncertainty as excitement. “It’s interesting getting rejected for so much of your life and your job; it definitely builds thick skin,” she says. “I feel like every actor is just so used to that.”

Then came a surprise introduction to the Cobra Kai world thanks to Bertrand — just a friend at the time — who had already been on the Karate Kid sequel series for one season.

“It was cool of him,” she says of the actor talking her up to the Cobra Kai creators. “He made a joke at first, though, and they were a little bit confused. They asked if I was a diva, and he was like, Oh yeah. His mom had to clarify he’s joking. That’s his sense of humor; he’s always trolling.”

The Cobra Kai creators had no idea about List’s Disney background when she auditioned. “They did say to me that if they would’ve seen me on the Disney show, they’re not sure they would’ve cast me,” she says.

List got the role — and it scared her. “I didn’t feel ready for that role of Tory, even on the final day of shooting,” List admits. “She’s such a presence, and she’s always ready to fight someone. She’s so different from me, but there are parts of myself that I found through playing her.”

Celeste Sloman

Working regularly with a black-belt sensei on-set, List discovered “a lot of” self-confidence, and young female viewers have found inspiration in List’s character too. “The creator’s daughter’s school was separating the girls to do yoga and the boys to do martial arts, and the girls fought to take martial arts as well,” she recalls. “That’s the coolest thing in the world to me.”

During Cobra Kai’s final days of shooting, List, Bertrand and their costars tried to be as “present as possible” and cherished their time together. “I got to know Billy Zabka and Ralph Macchio so much more because it was the last time. I feel like we all were just opening up so much more and just really enjoying the moment….[Ralph] gives such great advice, and he really looks out for us.”

Still, she was relieved to wrap shooting those intense fight sequences. “I usually pass out immediately,” she says. “If I even shower [afterward], that’s a good day.”

A Spirited New Chapter: ‘It’s Like Post-College’

Her current focus is season 2 of School Spirits, in which she plays a high schooler stuck in the afterlife. She teases that this season has a “much darker tone” than the first, which ended with Maddie finding out how she died and learning that another ghost, Janet, possessed her body.

The role marks a deeper range in her acting — she says she got “a master class” from her onscreen mom Maria Dizzia — and her growth behind the scenes as a producer.

House of Gilles dress.Celeste Sloman

“If I am going to lead a show, there has to be a certain level of safety and comfort,” List says, noting how much more involved she’s able to be with roles both in front of the camera and behind it. “I don’t feel comfortable unless I’m able to collaborate. If I do have the label of producer, then it’s much more collaborative, and that is really all I wanted.”

List has also found great support in her boyfriend, whom she began dating in March 2022. “Jacob is the best person,” List says. “He’s such an authentic, genuine soul, and I trust him so much. I go to him whenever I need advice.”

Her family is also as present as ever, keeping her grounded especially whenever she doubts herself, like when social media comments get in her head. “I’ll call my family because they’ll be like, ‘That person doesn’t know you, and we know you,’” says List, whose rescue dog Mo, a cockapoo, is always nearby (even at the PEOPLE shoot). “They’ll ground me and bring me back to reality.”

On social media, 21 million followers keep up with all things List — and she’s continuing to learn how to navigate that. “There’s so much power and vulnerability and putting yourself out there,” she says. “I find myself getting a little shy with social media and not wanting to share as much, but then my best friend will be like, ‘I want to see [your life], even if you just post what feels right for you.’”

This chapter of adulthood is “beautiful,” she adds. “I have such good friends and people around me. I just feel really solid. I’m at this stable spot in my life now, which is the first time in a while.”

Her vision for turning 30? “I mean, hopefully I just say thank you, more please. That’s what I say now,” she says. “I’m like, hopefully just more of this because I’m having so much fun. So thank you, more please!”