[This story contains major spoilers from Wayward.]
Wayward star Alyvia Alyn Lind knows you have unlimited questions about her new limited series that’s currently ranking atop the Netflix TV charts.
Created by Mae Martin, Wayward shines a light on the troubled teen industry through Vermont’s fictional Tall Pines Academy. The “therapeutic” school is run by Toni Collette’s cult-like leader, Evelyn Wade, who later takes a special interest in Lind’s Leila. The latter is a Canadian teenager who made the journey across the border in an effort to rescue her best friend, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe), from the clutches of this institution that her parents forced her to attend. However, Leila’s plan backfires, turning her into the latest enrollee.
Leila and Abbie were always mischievous partners in crime, but Leila’s drug use was far more serious than Abbie ever realized. The reason is due to the fact that Leila has yet to reconcile the traumatic drowning death of her older sister, Jess (Devin Cecchetto), which Evelyn picks up on in order to play her patented mind games. Leila is eventually subjected to a psychological experiment where she has to confront her potential involvement in Jess’ death, and the series ultimately depicts two different versions of the harrowing incident.
In Lind’s mind, the version in which Jess accidentally drowns on her own is the more accurate portrayal, not the Evelyn-provoked account where Leila pushes an equally inebriated Jess in a swimming pool and opts not to save her. But Leila soon buys into the mindset that she’s a murderer, something Abbie disputes based on a phone call they shared in the direct aftermath.
“At the end of the day, I personally believe she did not intentionally push her sister [into the pool],” Lind tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s very common for people who have gone through traumatic experiences to have lapses in their memory and not remember exactly what happened. So it’s a perfect opening for Evelyn to go in there and pull at the strings until it’s all unraveled.”
After Jess’ death, Leila’s mother became completely withdrawn from her maternal duties, and now that Leila is in the hands of Tall Pines Academy, she appears to have no interest in her daughter returning home anytime soon. This turn of events ends up contributing to Leila’s unexpected decision to let Abbie complete their well-planned escape alone so she can stay at Tall Pines Academy.
“I think the reasons she gave Abbie for why she’s staying are true. She wants the community, she wants the family, and I think she genuinely does believe that. But I think that was all placed into her mind by Evelyn,” Lind says. “Evelyn saw her and saw her trauma and how tough her exterior was, and behind every tough exterior is an extremely soft center. So she wanted to rip that out, and I think she manipulated her.”
Wayward popped up on Lind’s radar shortly after the heartbreaking cancellation of her three-season series, Chucky, and the original audition email described the mystery-thriller as an “eight-episode limited series.” But with so many dangling threads, there’s already a clamor amongst the viewers and the cast/crew for another season.
“We were all aware [that it was a limited series] from the start, and we were all sad about it from the start. As the cast got closer and everybody had so much fun together, we got sadder and sadder as the season progressed,” Lind shares. “But you never know. Limited series get picked up [for more seasons] all the time now, so we’re just hoping that Netflix wants to push it further. We all want more for our characters, especially me. I want to see where Leila goes. I love her so much.”
Below, during a recent spoiler conversation with THR, Lind also discusses her unique upbringing in a showbiz family that includes her sisters, Natalie and Emily Alyn Lind, as well as matriarch Barbara Alyn Woods.
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You started acting at such a young age. Do you have any memories that predate you being a working actor?
Not really. Those memories would have to be before I started acting at 3 years old. But as I got older, my mom told me stories. My older sisters were in the industry from a very young age, and my mom has been doing it her entire life. My sisters would run their lines when I was only 2 or 3, and I would overhear and listen in the background. When they were done, I would come in and say, “My turn!” I’d then do their lines perfectly from top to bottom, and this was right after I’d learned how to speak. So it’s always been in my blood, and it’s always been inevitable that I’d end up wanting to pursue a career in it. I really don’t remember a time where I wasn’t working on a set. That could sound like a nightmare to some people, but it has been such a dream come true for me.
Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila in Wayward.
Courtesy of Netflix
When we’re kids, our parents sign us up for things just to see what sticks. And then, as we get older, we start to figure out what we actually like and don’t like. But it sounds like you knew you loved acting from the moment you started running lines for fun.
Definitely. The reason I love acting so much and have such a great relationship with it after all these years is because I always had a choice. It was never a situation where my mom was being a stage mom. She always gave all three of us the opportunity to stop whenever we wanted and go back to [more traditional] school. Growing up, we had conversations all the time about it. “You got another audition. Do you want to do it? Do you still like this? Are you happy?” All three of us just never wanted to stop. We all found such a strong love for it at such a young age, and we’re all so grateful for our mom’s guidance within this industry that we love so much. I was extremely lucky. It’s very unheard of to find the profession you want to pursue for the rest of your life at just 3 years old.
When you watch your mom and sisters act, do you notice any mannerisms that all of you share?
It’s funny you ask that. I was literally watching Wayward with my family the other day, and I noticed for the first time that when I cry on screen, I look really, really similar to my oldest sister, Natalie [Alyn Lind]. I also make certain expressions or smirks or faces that remind me exactly of Emily [Alyn Lind]. I think I’m a perfect mix of both of their faces and expressions. So it’s both weird and interesting to watch myself on screen and be like, “Wait, there’s Emily. Wait, there’s Natalie.” But from growing up together and running lines with each other and just being there for one another during every project, I think that we’ve all adapted a few of each other’s little tricks. So we do have similarities, but we also have such different acting styles. We are all so distinct, even though we all had the same acting coach in my mother.
Did Wayward emerge right as Chucky ended?
Chucky ended, and then Wayward came up. It was such an interesting time because we were obviously all so sad about Chucky being canceled. So I got the audition, and I was so grateful when I booked it. I then got to dive into the history of the [troubled teen industry], and it was a really exciting transition. Chucky was very campy and crazy and unrealistic in a lot of ways because it was a killer doll show. So getting to dive into something that’s real and terrifying in a more grounded way was really awesome.
Do you think the door is fully closed on Chucky? I know there was loose talk of trying to revive it in some form.
Oh my gosh, I have no clue. [Creator] Don Mancini holds the power. But whenever there is a revival, if there is one, I am so there. I’m down. Sign me up. I love that crew and that cast so much, and we had the most incredible time filming. I definitely would love to be involved and avenge the Terror Trio. I want them to have a better ending and not be stuck in dolls for the rest of their lives.
Chucky, Spiderwick Chronicles and Wayward all shot in and/or around Toronto?
Yeah, it’s not crazy to think that I’m a Toronto-based actor at this point because I film everything in Toronto. I’m half-Canadian, which is awesome. My dad’s side of the family is Canadian, and I have dual citizenship. So I love filming in Toronto so much.
Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila in Wayward.
Courtesy of Netflix
Wayward is being billed as a limited series, but the ending leaves so many plates spinning that it seems ripe for a second season. Did you always know you were shooting a limited series?
Yeah, it was known from the start. When I got the audition in my inbox, it said, “eight-episode limited series.” So we were all aware from the start, and we were all sad. As the cast got closer and everybody had so much fun together, we got sadder and sadder as the season progressed. But you never know. Limited series get picked up [for more seasons] all the time now, so we’re just hoping that Netflix wants to push it further. Obviously, everybody involved in the show loves it so much, and we’re so proud of the outcome. We all want more for our characters, especially me. I want to see where Leila goes. I love her so much.
There’s a recent saying that the limited series is the new pilot, so anything is possible.
It would be a dream to do another season and explore these characters even further. If it ends up happening, I would be so excited and so on board. But if it doesn’t happen, then the place the characters ended up in is where they’re going to stay. Leila’s ending is so sad to me. I’m so protective over her, and I want her to get as far away as possible from that school. But she has to figure that out for herself. Unfortunately, I can’t protect my characters that much.
Her sister Jess’ death is a mystery throughout the season, and we’re given two different versions of the story. One was accidental, and the other was more intentional. Leila eventually thinks she killed her sister on purpose, but Abbie argues that’s not true because of a phone call they shared the day after it happened. Who do you think is right?
Oh my gosh, I love this question so much. While filming the episode, everybody had their different speculations. I had a conversation with Brian Davids Mae [Martin] about it. I then had a conversation with that episode’s director [John Fawcett] just to figure out what is true in Leila’s head. At the end of the day, I personally believe that she did not intentionally push her sister [into the pool]. It’s very common for people who have gone through traumatic experiences to have lapses in their memory and not remember exactly what happened. So it’s a perfect opening for Evelyn to go in there and pull at the strings until it’s all unraveled.
So, truly, deep down, I believe that she did not kill her, but I also love that the episode has so many different versions of what happened. It creates a conversation. I’ve already been on socials to look through people’s posts about whether or not they think she killed her, and it’s so fun to see that everybody else has a different opinion. I’ve watched the show with many of my friends and family, and all of them have different opinions. So it’s really fun to see what people think because it really is up for interpretation. Whatever you want to think is what it can be.
Devin Cecchetto as Jess and Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila in Wayward.
Courtesy of Netflix
We established earlier that being a sister is a major part of your life, so did you have a tough time filming that tragic backstory involving Leila’s sister?
That entire episode is so heavy. It was the episode I was the most excited to film while also being the most terrified to film. I really wanted to get it right, and show why Leila is the way she is. That episode is such a huge transitional moment for her. We filmed the pool sequence all night from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. It was emotionally and physically exhausting, and terrifying. But those days are the most rewarding. So I’m really happy with the outcome, and I hope everybody else loves it, too.
Leila’s flashbacks took place while in the Mirror Room. Once she’s free, the camera lingers on her as she eats pizza and listens to Duck play Pink Floyd’s “Time.” She was listening to that song in the first episode too. What’s really on her mind there? Is it genuine enjoyment to set up her big choice to stay at Tall Pines in the finale? Or was she just trying to gain Duck’s trust like her and Abbie planned? It seemed genuine to me.
That scene is another one of the big turning points that we see for Leila. It’s the first time that she truly sees humanity in this place. To that point, it’s been so rough and mean and aggressive and scary. Suddenly, she’s sitting there eating pizza, and this guy that she’s been terrified of the whole time is now playing her favorite song on the guitar. And for the first time, she thinks, “Maybe this place isn’t as bad as I thought it was. Maybe they were really just trying to fix me, and now that I’m getting better, it’s not as scary anymore.” It’s such a terrifying cycle of manipulation. But you can really see it in her face: “This could be my life. I could do this every day. I could sit here and eat pizza and listen to Pink Floyd every day.” So It’s a big transitional period for her to see that maybe this place isn’t as bad as she thought that it was.
Then she has a phone call with her mom, and she couldn’t have been less interested in Leila potentially coming home. So do you believe the explanation she gave Abbie as to why she’s staying? Or did Evelyn manipulate this outcome?
I think both can be true. I think that the reasons she gave Abbie for why she’s staying are true. She wants the community, she wants the family, and I think she genuinely does believe that. But I think that was all placed into her mind by Evelyn. Evelyn saw her and saw her trauma and how tough her exterior was, and behind every tough exterior is an extremely soft center. So she wanted to rip that out, and I think she manipulated her.
She knew about how absent Leila’s mom has been since Jess’ death. So it was a perfect opportunity for her to take over that role. “I will be this mother figure for you. I will be this figure that will love you unconditionally, which is something that you’ve never had in your life. I will show you the ropes, and I will find you a family.”
She does it in the same way that she does it to Laura [Sarah Gadon]. It’s really interesting how many similarities there are between Laura and Evelyn’s relationship and Leila and Evelyn’s relationship. So I think that everything that she’s saying to Abbie at the end of the show is true, but all of those things have been placed in her head by Evelyn.
Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila and Toni Collette as Evelyn Wade in Wayward.
Courtesy of Netflix
What did you pay attention to most with Toni Collette? Was it her acting style, or was it more about the way she carries herself on set?
I learned so much from her and her energy on set. Just watching her is a masterclass. I watched her switch back and forth between her Australian accent and American accent, and it was so insane that it should be studied. She’s just such a powerhouse. I want to be her. I was such a superfan before we started filming, so I was terrified. But then getting to know her and being on set with her as much as I was, it was an honor to study her. She plays her character so insanely well, and getting to see her bring Evelyn to life up close was incredible.
Lastly, I have to follow up on something your sister Emily and I talked about during Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. You’re friends with Mckenna Grace, and Emily played her friend of sorts in that movie. Was it pretty bizarre for you to watch given your connection to both?
It was so much fun! When I heard that Emily got the role in the new Ghostbusters, I was so excited because I knew Mckenna, but I didn’t know how close their storyline would be to each other. And when I learned that it was basically just going to be the two of them together the entire movie, I was so excited. I think it was also exciting for Emily because Mckenna is a familiar face. I’ve known Mckenna since I was four or five. We’ve both been in the industry that long together. So getting to see Mckenna at the premieres and watching them work together was so much fun, and it was never weird at all. I’m so glad that they had that experience together.
Emily did say that you wondered why you didn’t get to go out for it.
I remember being like, “I should have gotten this audition. I want to work with Mckenna. I love her so much. That would’ve been so much fun.” I was more just jealous that I didn’t get to work with Mckenna because we would’ve had such a blast on set. But Emily has such a ghostly energy. So the casting decision after seeing the movie makes so much sense. They were right on point.
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Wayward is currently streaming on Netflix.
