There's one big moment that School Spirits star Kristian Ventura is excited to explore in a potential Season 3 if the show is renewed.
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for School Spirits Season 2, Episode 8.
The big finale saw Ventura's Simon trapped in the afterlife and Maddie back in the land of the living—a literal reversal of how the show has been up until this point.
With Simon in the afterlife, that means he'll get to spend time with a whole new crew of people. Which, in turn, will almost certainly lead to Maddie's best friend, and hopeful future lover, meeting Milo Manheim's Wally Clark, who has his own eye and connection with Maddie.
Kristian Ventura sat down with The Direct's Russ Milheim to talk all about Simon's new castmates in a potential Season 3 and how he'd personally want to be challenged as an actor by those new episodes.
Kristian Ventura Teases Simon Meeting Wally In School Spirits Season 3
"It Would Be Really Interesting to Give a Handshake to Wally."
- The Direct: "Which of those characters are you most excited to see Simon's dynamic play out with?
Kristian Ventura: I think Simon will, being a smart guy, is going to understand Ronda's sort of, he'll understand whatever that thing she's got going on. I don't know if he'll be able to have so many laughs with Charlie, because Charlie just made peace with death. Everything is just a game. It's just funny. He just has a good time. It would be really interesting to give a handshake to Wally. Oh, you took my best friend away from me. Nice to meet you finally. You know, I wonder what that would be like.
The actor went on to explain how there might be an unexpected connection and dynamic between Simon and Wally if they are to ever meet:
Ventura: But here's my theory on love, is that it's kind of, it's weird to say, a lot of people don't like to, but when two people love the same person, there's a high likelihood that they'll be friends. And of course, there's that animal part that says, I don't like you taking what's mine, but we love a person because they kind of complete us.
And if Maddie completes me, and Maddie completes Wally, then I don't think Simon and Wally are gonna be these catastrophic rivals. I think there's a bit of like effortless understanding there, like Soul matching, like we are connected by our partners. We're not the same. I might like mac and cheese. He might like mashed potatoes, but we kind of get each other because we love the same person. It's a tough argument to make, but that's what I think.
- The Direct: "But will Wally even be there next season? That's a question too. His door opens there in that last moment. I can't imagine they're just gonna be like, Alright, bye, Wally, like that."
Kristian Ventura: It was a good, ambiguous ending for him. What I can say is Milo [Manheim] loves this show, and he loves Wally. I think he's addicted to Wally. I can't imagine the show going on without him.
- The Direct: "I hope especially to see Simon and [Wally] interact. I think that would be very, very interesting. And I think it has built up to this point, so you kind of have to pay that off, given the situation that was just established. It would feel a little weird not to touch that."
Kristian Ventura: You see, the third season is the full circle. It's like Maddie is back, but they need to understand what's going on with Mr. Martin. You're right, that the writers did a really good job. We have 16 episodes so far, two seasons. They have a really good job at bringing this to just a good ending. And I don't know how long the show will run. All I know is they know what they're doing. They don't tell us, but they're gonna come full circle.
- The Direct: "Have you already made peace with Spencer, Rainbow, and Kiara about spending less time together next season? Have you guys had your, like, Alright, goodbye, see you maybe at the end of next season [moment]?"
Kristian Ventura: Dang, I'm gonna miss them. I'm gonna miss them a lot. Honestly, if Simon is stuck in the underworld, it's gonna be a new show for me as an actor because I'm walking in knowing who my scene partner is for all these years. I've never really done a scene with Rhonda or Charlie or Wally. I know who they are in real life, but actually not a lot.
Out of the 100 days we spend shooting, I hang out with them, maybe 10 days really. So it's going to be a whole different show. But I am so curious how he's going to get along with these guys. Because it got bigger. That Rat Pack is now Yuri, and we got Quinn, and I just have feeling he'd really love Don. I don't know. I just think like, but anyway, yeah, I have not made peace. It's going to be a funeral.
How Kristian Ventura Wants to Be Challenged In School Spirits Season 3
"I Really Like Doing Scenes With... People I Can't Predict."
- The Direct: "For you as an actor, how do you want to be challenged by these new hypothetical episodes [In Season 3]?
Kristian Ventura: At face value. It's more stunts. I love the stunts. They're so fun to do... I really like doing scenes with, I guess, people I can't predict. And there's something about Mr. Martin, his acting, Josh Zuckerman, where he's sort of this guy that I want to work with, and now I get to do that.
I'm gonna be honest, when I stream the show, just when Paramount sends it over, I have my laptop playing his scenes over and over again, and I'm standing in my room with the lights on, saying his lines out loud. I'm so fascinated by this guy. And I try to cheat it before we film. I look at Mr. Martin's lines, and I try to find it on my own and how I would do it. And then I watch the show, and he just does it so much better. I'm like, dang, what is he able to find as an actor and I can't. [He's] so underratedly Great.
I think what I want to do is be challenged by the unpredictability of another actor, that if he throws something my way, I want to be able to be present enough to throw it back at him. I love working with talented actors like Peyton [List] and I just, I guess I just kind of want to keep going and work with Mr. Martin and have more scenes with him...
But, you know, I told you in a recent interview about Janet as a figure who's misunderstood and kind of underratedly very generous, like, she just gave up her future. And you know, I would love for Simon and Janet to better suit each other in the situations that they've fallen into. They would make great buddies, that's for sure. You know, she's wicked smart.
School Spirits Season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.
