‘School Spirits’ Star Kristian Ventura on Simon and Maddie in Season 3

The Season 2 finale of School Spirits may have left fans rattled, but no one was more shocked by the twist than Kristian Ventura himself.

Ventura stars on the Paramount+ teen drama-horror series as Maddie’s [Peyton List] loyal best friend Simon Elroy, who — following the stunning cliffhanger — finds himself suddenly trapped in the spirit world of Split River High for reasons nobody can explain. Talk about your worst nightmare.

“God, after the cliffhanger of Season 2, I thought, ‘Did someone murder Simon? Did his body get snatched? What happened?'” the actor tells The Nerds of Color over Zoom. “I was pretty concerned, because I didn’t know what it meant. The rules of the afterlife are still being explained to us.”

Shortly after the Season 3 premiere, The Nerds of Color had the chance to chat with Ventura about the wild twists that are in store for Simon this season, whether he’s team Simon or Wally, what it was like working with horror legend Jennifer Tilly, and much more. Check out the full interview below!

WARNING: This interview contains spoilers.

The Nerds of Color: In the age of streaming, it’s never a guarantee to get multiple seasons. How are you feeling about having three seasons so far?

Ventura: As an actor, it’s a dog-eat-dog world. You don’t know what’s gonna happen next. You can develop a kind of resistance bonding with casts because the heartbreak of saying goodbye to them, it just hurts a lot, because you get really comfortable with them. [School Spirits] was a lot of our first gigs. We haven’t changed one bit. These guys are good people. With the comfort of [multiple] seasons, [we] grew as collaborators.

Did filming this season feel different for you, given that you’re in the spirit world instead now?

Yeah, I felt like I booked a whole new job. It was completely different. I never thought I’d be in a scene with Mr. Martin. I’d say the biggest difference is the physical demands of this season. I would have never thought that I would be in a harness tied to the ceiling or falling down the stairs. Simon’s gotten roughed up and punched before, but I’ve never drowned in a tank of 80,000 gallons of water. It’s such a crazy season, and no one could have predicted it. I’m so glad they went the supernatural, action-packed route.

Simon and Maddie’s friendship is one of the most central parts of the show — there’s fans who ship them and also fans who want them to just stay best friends. What are your thoughts on their dynamic?

It can go happily either way, because I think we fall in love with people for different reasons. Their love is like a need. It’s like, “I can’t do life without you. I will forget how a refrigerator works if you’re gone.” They can’t do anything without each other. They need each other. So whatever that love is… it could live in romance, it could live in friendship. To me, it doesn’t compete with Wally, because what he offers to Maddie is, he just makes her life better and more fun and full of flowers. So, where do I stand? I’ll say this: Maddie and Simon don’t ever need to decide to love each other. There is no world where they can possibly live life without the other person. That kind of love, it just trumps all.

Do you have a favorite scene you filmed with Milo Manheim (Wally) this season?

I’m laughing already, because Milo is hilarious. He’s just such a funny guy. He’s insane. He runs up to the set and high-fives all the crew members, and I’m like, “Bro, this is a serious-ass scene.” But he’s just such an innocent, golden retriever kind of guy. I’d say my favorite scene with him is when they put us in the studio and said, “We’re gonna have to put you guys’ earplugs on your ears, or you’ll freaking go deaf.” They blew this wind, [Milo’s] going crazy, there’s leaves falling around and debris, and I’m in the thick of it. Never in a million years did I think I’d be in an underground church with Wally. It was just insane. I love the craziness that they go through. It’s so much more fun than a simple hallway scene, you know?

Are there any other unexpected dynamics between Simon and other characters you’re excited for fans to see this season?

I’d say [fans] could be a little bit surprised at how many chances Simon gives to the villain. It takes a desperate guy like Simon to be able to actually go and have lunch with him. So, I’d say that we’ll be pretty surprised at how far they get together by the end.

Simon is digging into Split River High’s secrets this season. Without giving away major spoilers, what can you tease about his Season 3 arc?

The advantage of having Simon in the underworld is his objective eyes. Everyone has a personal vendetta against Mr. Martin. They hate what he did to them for so long. But then you have someone like Simon, who is able to say, “Guys, I think Mr. Martin’s the key.” Being an alien to that world [means] that he is able to see [things] clearly. He’s impatient and he’s desperate, but he’s able to say, “I think we need to go into that hole no matter what other people say or how dangerous it is.” There’s something about him not being 100 years old and his fresh set of naive eyes that allows for pretty courageous scenes.

Jennifer Tilly joined the cast this season as Dr. Hunter-Price. I don’t know whether you two have any scenes together later on, but did you interact on set at all?

She’s so cute. There was this time we were doing TikToks in the hallway promoting the show, and she went over to us and was like, “Christian, can I be in a TikTok?” And I said, “Yeah, go on, go be in the TikTok.” Perhaps there is a scene [between Simon and Dr. Hunter-Price]. I got to watch her a lot and see how she performs. She’s just so crazy, and I’m blown away. She’s really rare.

Lastly, what’s the wildest fan theory you’ve come across?

Okay, there’s two. The most recent one was that I shaved my head and got a buzz cut because [Simon] died. I was like, “What? Come on.” We have eight or nine months until production could possibly pick back up. There’s time to grow my hair, guys. I just wanted to do it. They pay attention to the actors, and they’re like, “I think this influences the plot!” And I’m like, “No, no, it doesn’t!” The other fan theory I heard was that the reason why Simon can speak to Maddie is because he himself is dying with a disease or has a brain tumor, and is therefore medically in the middle between life and death all the time.