Deception and Desperation: The Dark Side of Simon's Journey in School Spirits

Kristian Ventura’s Simon has always had his hands full on Paramount+’s School Spirits. As the only living character who could see Maddie (Peyton List), he took on a considerable amount of responsibility while trying to solve the mystery of her disappearance. And then, even after discovering what happened to her, he had to meet the challenge of figuring out how to reunite her spirit with her body. By the end of Season 2, he and the others pull it off, but at his expense. In the Season 2 finale, it’s revealed that now Simon is trapped behind the vale of Split River High. Complicating matters further, Simon’s predicament involves an especially intense ticking clock. Unlike Maddie, he’s alive on the other side, and being there is taking a toll on him.

With School Spirits Season 3 well underway, Ventura visited the Collider Forces studio for a long-form conversation about the show and his journey to it. He told the shocking story of how he first decided to become an actor, revealed what it was like to be in the middle of a bidding war between talent agencies, and then went into detail on adjusting to Simon’s wholly different situation in School Spirits Season 3.

Simon Doesn’t Like the Split River High Spirits

“He's always looking around at these other ghosts and thinking, ‘This is what took her from me.’”

Simon always had urgency while fighting to get Maddie back, but there’s a noticeable change of pace for him in Season 3. And a lack of boundaries. Simon is essentially barreling forward with zero concern about potential consequences. He wants out, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if it costs him or the others.

“Simon doesn't like the people he's around. There's even a line where he offends them because he says, ‘I don't belong here. I don't belong with you guys. I'm not one of you.’ And then they have to correct him. ‘Hey, none of us belong here. We are all here by accident, just like you, buddy. So, please don't hurt our feelings.’ So, I think the pace from him comes from being kind of the foreigner in this land. He's the alien. He doesn't understand them.”

Making things even worse for Simon, Ventura noted, “There's also the tension that these are the exact people that took Maddie away from him.” He continued, “Of course, he wants to save his own ass, but he's always looking around at these other ghosts and thinking, ‘This is what took her from me.’”

Simon Is Too Good at Lying

Episode 4, “The Bereftest Club,” offers up a good sense of exactly how low Simon is willing to stoop to get answers. He blatantly lies to Maddie.

During a cafeteria conversation with the other spirits, they tell Maddie that Wally (Milo Manheim) went into the “hell hole.” When she asks if Simon went too, he doesn’t skip a beat. Simon lies and tells her he didn’t. When she questions him, he doubles down and loops Wally in. Whereas Simon is unwavering, it’s abundantly clear that Wally isn’t as comfortable being dishonest with Maddie.

Given there’s a variety of ways an actor can play lying, and it’s often considered to be a rather challenging thing to do, Ventura began by explaining his approach to that kind of performance beat. “Anytime I look at a character lying, you just don't want to dumb the audience down. I mean, come on! The amount of movies that are just like, ‘No one's gonna believe you if you’re talking like that.’” He continued, “You say the line like it's the truth, character exits, and then you can allow for a moment of guilt or regret.”

Before moving on from that particular moment, Ventura also warned, “Simon is intelligent enough to be a good liar. He could be lying all the time.”

Simon Played Wally, And Wally’s Reaction Is Heartbreaking

“Simon actually is pretty deceitful.”

Not only is Simon a skilled liar, but he’s also a master manipulator. In one of the next scenes, Wally confronts Simon about what he did. Rather than agree and express remorse, Simon gets defensive and even goes as far to threaten Wally. Simon tells him, “You could have told her the truth, but you didn’t. And, to be clear, I’ll now gladly go back to tell her you lied if you don’t let me back in.” In a rather crushing tone, Wally replies, “You played me.”

“Oh my god, that moment was the equivalent of two guys playing chess, but Simon was five steps ahead, and he thought that it was a practice game. When Wally found out that he got played, that was messed up. I think that broke a lot of trust. But yeah, Simon actually is pretty deceitful.”

It’s All About Maddie for Simon

“I'm trying to get back to where she is now.”

What exactly is bringing out these qualities in Simon? Again, in Seasons 1 and 2, he acted with determination and urgency, but never to the point of manipulating others in this manner. What’s sending his desperation to get his life back soaring?

“I think as people, we’re pretty possessive over what we find good, right? And there's so few good things, because school is going to suck, work is going to suck, the drive is going to suck, but then you have someone waiting for you on the other side. Maddie is good, so whatever that is in his brain that says, ‘I have to protect this because that's really the only thing that is good in this 24-hour schedule,’ I think that's what he's going towards. For some people, that is a place, or even a type of work. For him, the only thing that's good is Maddie. So, I think his driving force is, ‘I'm trying to get back to where she is now.’”

Looking for even more from Ventura on School Spirits Season 3 through Episode 5, “Raiders of the Lost Scar,” including a breakdown of Simon’s latest encounter with White Eyes? Be sure to watch his full Collider Forces interview below: