Alyvia Alyn Lind stars as Leila in Netflix's Wayward. The show follows her character's journey, alongside her best friend Abbie (Sydney Topliffe), at a correctional facility called Tall Pines Academy. As one might guess, this place isn't the best, and its therapy is not the kind one would want.
The show, which also stars Toni Collette as Evelyn, was originally envisioned as a limited series. However, the series leaves so many open-ended storylines that fans are dying for a Season 2, a continuation that has not yet been confirmed. The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with Alyvia Alyn Lind (who recently starred in Chucky) to discuss that shocking finale. The actress also revealed her hopes for Season 2.
"If there's anything in the future, I want to be involved in," Lind noted, adding, "there are so many different possibilities for Leila at this point."
The actress also talked about why Leila returned to Tall Pines Academy at the end of the season, whether she believes Leila actually killed her sister, and if there is a romantic spark between Leila and Abbie. Wayward is now streaming on Netflix.
Wayward Star Alyvia Alyn Lind on Her Season 2 Hopes
"There Are So Many Different Possibilities for Leila at This Point."
- The Direct: "For Season 2 of Wayward, let's say hypothetically it happens. So in a hypothetical space here, what do you want to explore with Leila next? Where do you kind of see her going? Or, just generally, what do you want to dive deeper into with that character?"
Alyvia Alyn Lind: I mean, there are so many different possibilities for Leila at this point. I mean, maybe seeing her become Evelyn, like, maybe seeing her come into like a vicious tyrant. I'd love to see the creepy outcome of her after she leaps, because I have no idea at this point what that would look like. If it would turn her into, like a weird Stacey, kind of like, a comatose state, or if it would just be more like a Laura, where she still feels normal and still feels very sweet and calming, but has just a weird, off aura energy.
And so I don't know, I mean, that's up to Mae [Martin], and I think that whatever Mae, if Mae wants, if Mae is writing it, or [if] there's a Season 2, I think that Mae would do an amazing job at continuing the stories, but something cool, something powerful, just getting to play the character again at all would be awesome.
As for whether Lind has heard anything about the status of Season 2, the star admitted that she hasn't and that "they don't tell me anything:"
Lind: I have, again, not heard anything. They don't tell me anything... If there's anything in the future I want to be involved in, I'd love to. I think this story is so important, and I think that I would love to see where Mae sees it going. This cast and crew and everybody involved in making this project are just so incredible. So again, anything with this involves, sign me up.
Alyvia Alyn Lind Explains Leila's Final Choice in Season 1
"She's Never Really Felt That Sense of Home."
- The Direct: "Obviously, at the end, Leila decides that she's going to leave this prison escape and go back to Tall Pines. What's going through her head in that moment when she's like, 'I can't do this. I need what they have to offer?'"
Alyvia Alyn Lind: Yeah, I mean, she's never really felt that sense of home. She's never felt that sense of love and unconditional love, because her home life's been so wrecked since her sister died, and so she's also being told that the one person that she truly loves, Abbie, is also bad for her, and that she's also bad for Abbie, which is her biggest fear. She doesn't want to drag Abbie down with her. And so I think that in that moment, she's just like, I feel like I'm finally seeing the humanity in this place.
I think there's a big switch when we see Duck playing time by Pink Floyd, and she's eating pizza, and she's like, 'Wait, this place, maybe it isn't so bad. Maybe they were just trying to fix me.' And you know, I'm doing well. And so this is maybe what it'd be like if I were a good kid. And so I think in that moment, she's like, I can live here. I can do this. I don't have anywhere else to go. I'm bringing you, Abbie, down with me, so I might as well just stay and see if they can fix me. It's really sad.
- The Direct: "Where does she even return to, though? Is there still going to be a school to go back to?"
Lind: I don't even know. I mean, we just see her sitting on that bed, all sad, and you just don't even know it's coming. But maybe, maybe not. Maybe Laura's running it. Maybe Leila will run it. We don't know what's happening to Evelyn... So many unanswered questions.
Does Alyvia Alyn Lind Actually Believe Leila Killed Her Sister?
"I Don't Think That I Could Forgive Leila If She Actually Did Kill Her Sister..."
- The Direct: "When the series comes to a close, Leila is pretty confident that she is directly responsible for killing her own sister. In your own head, is that accurate?"
Alyvia Alyn Lind: No, I don't think she killed her. I've been saying this to everybody. I think that—Okay, so my favorite thing about that episode is that people can talk about it, and it's another thing that there's so many things in the show that people can talk about and have difference of opinions in but I personally, I remember when we were going through that episode, and when we were getting ready to film it, we were talking to the creatives and just being like, what does everybody think? And I came to the conclusion in my head that I don't think that I could forgive Leila if she actually did kill her sister, and I don't think that it is a forgivable thing.
And so I came to the terms that, you know, when you go through a traumatic experience like Leila did, it can make your memories of the situation extremely warped. And I think that Evelyn sees that, and she sees that that's an easy [way] to get in and manipulate her brain and [get it] twisted in the way that she wants, so that Leila feels like she needs this therapy to make her better.
And so I think that throughout the episode, there's kernels of truth in both versions that we see, but at the end of the day, I think that maybe she paused, I don't know I like, I don't know what exactly happened, but I think that what actually happened is kind of a mix of both stories and then taken by Evelyn and spun to be something that's, you know, murderous and terrifying.
Is There Any Romantic Connection Between Leila & Abbie?
"I Don't Think There's Anything Romantic at All..."
- The Direct: "Leila and Abbie's friendship is central to the show. But I do want to ask, do you feel that there is, was, or will be any romantic spark between those two, or is that very much just friendship driven?"
Alyvia Alyn Lind: Between Abbie and Layla? I don't think so personally. I mean, I think that there's so much in the show that's up for interpretation. But I think that they're just best friends.
I think that the love that you share for a best friend can sometimes even be stronger than love you share for a significant other, because it's not that there's not that feeling of like, oh, we could break up at some point—When you have like a best friend, it's like we are in this together for life, and you are a person, and I love you in a way that's so real and so strong, especially at such a young age.
You have those relationships, they feel so intense and strong, and those emotions are so real. And so no, I don't think that there's anything romantic at all, but I think it is a relationship that's strong in a way that might be stronger than anything Leila's ever felt for somebody in a romantic way.
- The Direct: "When you guys were navigating the show and your performances, was there ever any purposeful kind of thought or direction into making sure that you didn't accidentally put signs out there that maybe that was the case?"
Lind: There was not really any like decision, I don't think, in our heads to make it not seem that way. I think it's more of just like we were, me and Sydney [Toppliffe], were just best friends off set. We became such fast friends, and it was so immediate, and that connection was so real in real life. And so whatever we felt in real life, it kind of just transferred onto the screen. And if people want to think that there's something there, then sure, then they can go ahead. But I think that it's really beautiful to see our relationship between two people, that it can be that strong without having to be romantic. I think it's really wonderful.
Another Netflix series with an epic season finale is Black Rabbit, which stars Jason Bateman and Jude Law.
