Peyton List and Michael Cimino Talk Girl Haunts Boy, Ghostly Encounters, and Stealing From Set
Teenage Cole befriends the spirit of a 1920s girl named Bea who is lingering in his new home, forming an unlikely yet profound bond across decades, in Girl Haunts Boy. Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado spoke with Peyton List and Michael Cimino about the ghostly rom-com.
Before she was Maddie Nears in School Spirits, Peyton List was the stubborn and funny Bea. “We filmed this before School Spirits so it was my first time [playing a ghost]. It's such a different character [with] Bea being a ghost from the 20s,” List told me. “It just felt so, so different, but I just love the consistent message of living each day like it's your last and making the most of every moment.”
Bea and Cole bond over their mutual love of music in Girl Haunts Boy as they dance and share dream musical collaborations. “‘Oysters In My Pocket’ is one of the opening songs. It’s your character’s song when you're driving to the home for the first time. I fell in love with that song from the movie,” said List about the song that soundtracked her experience on the film. “I love all the 20s, jazzy music and I feel like I got introduced to so many different artists working on this.”
Michael Cimino even gets a chance to sing original songs in the film. “Dude, it was honestly so sick to work with Cheche [Alara] and Justin [Young]. It’s not an original song that I wrote, but it is a song that I sang on,” said Cimino about singing “Still Haunted By You.” “It's an amazing song and it was so fun to combine two of my passions. That was the first time I really ever got to do that, so it was really cool.”
While their characters bonded over music, the actors bonded over “really good vegan food” and family. “I remember Michael was super welcoming. The first night I got to New Jersey where we filmed it, him and his cousins were hanging out and having dinner. I immediately felt just so comfortable with them because he was just like, ‘Yeah, we're all just hanging out, come over,’” List shared. “It was just so nice to be around family immediately and it just made me feel so safe with him right off the bat.”
“Peyton and I honestly never had a problem with hanging out. We'd always hang out after work and we'd run our lines. It was really nice,” Cimino agreed. “We always had a good friendship throughout the whole process. It was awesome.”
List and Cimino shared that their favorite scenes to film were the museum scene (“It was truly like Night at the Museum!”) and the Great Gatsby party scene. “They go to the party in Manhattan and it's a 1920s party. I just loved getting to do the dance and I'm so grateful that Bea is also not the best dancer,” said List. “That really worked in my favor.”
While List and Cimino believe in ghosts, they haven’t had any supernatural experiences themselves. “I do believe in it and I think that my energy doesn't really feel welcoming to them. They don't show themselves to me, but I believe that there's something else,” said List, with Cimino adding: “I used to totally get scared every time the AC would turn on and my door would open. To me, that was the most ghostly thing that happened, but I still believe in it.”
There are so many movies that feature accessories we’d love to take home ourselves, like Girl Haunts Boy’s cursed ring that allows Cole to see and connect with Bea. “I stole, like not stole, I asked to steal a few pieces of clothes,” shared Cimino about items he’s taken from sets he’s worked on. “I stole a necklace from Love, Victor from season one, which no one ever saw but it was on in season one, so I stole that at the end of the production.”
“At the end of Cobra Kai, I took all the gis that my character wore at the tournament and I took some of the trophies at the All Valley Karate Tournament,” revealed List. “I have like a big trophy sitting in my room. I never won a trophy for any sport growing up so it’s my pride and joy in my room.”
Girl Haunts Boy will be available on Netflix and VOD on October 10.
