Charming. When it comes to Peyton List and Michael Cimino, we can tell you something that we know for sure. These two are charming, poised, and will make you feel like you are the most important person in the world even when there are a million other people listening on the call.
Tired and nervous because I was late, I entered the zoom to Peyton and Michael talking to each other. I always hate to interrupt anyone when they are talking, but almost always want to because I respect their privacy.
I was invited to interview the two in support of their movie, Girl Haunts Boy. The movie is about, “After the death of his father, Cole (Cimino) moves with his mother to a new house in a new town to discover he’s also sharing a room with the ghost of 17-year-old Bea (List), an adventurous, funny teenager from the 1920s trapped in present day and has been haunting the house since the 1920s under the curse of an ancient ring. The two lonely teens become fast friends and eventually fall in love – but when Cole discovers a way to undo the curse, he must decide whether to keep Bea with him or let her go.”
It’s a story that had us crying by the end, but also believing in the way that music can change you, but also communicate for you. The movie was special because of their chemistry.
And that chemistry comes across in their friendship during this interview.
Fangirlish: I’m going to start with a basic question, and I apologize for it. What drew you to the movie, and why did you want to do it?
Michael: Okay, cool. I think for me, a big draw for doing this movie was the music aspect of it and being able to combine two of my passions. That seemed really, really exciting for me. It was, honestly, such a cool experience to get to do that.
Peyton: I loved playing someone from a different period. That was what really drew me in. The first time I read the script, I cried. I ran over to my parents’ house. I just had to hug them. It was such an emotional read for me. That really drew me in.
Fangirlish: I also loved the way that the music was a part of this movie. It was a way for Cole and Bea to communicate and really get to know each other. I think it was one thing that seems to survive time. If you could pick one song, what song would you think represents their relationship the best? It does not have to be one from the movie.
Michael: Oh, okay. Wait a minute. I’m going to open up my Spotify real quick.
Peyton: I know.
Michael: I’m like, “Hmm, what’s a good one?”
Peyton: I feel like they listened to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald. I was thinking Dream a Little Dream of Me because it’s one of those things of, did this really happen? Did I really meet this person? Does she remember him?
Michael: That’s good. I think that this song is also completely PG, but there’s a song called Shoelaces by Malia. It’s so cute. A really sweet song. It’s just about just loving someone for who they are. I think that that’s something that Bea and Cole do very well. They love each other for where they’re at and who they are. Even though the accentuating circumstances are crazy, they still have this love and connection for each other.
Fangirlish: Agreed. One thing that I found interesting is I could tell that Cole and Bea loved each other, but I couldn’t figure out the moments that they fell for each other. Michael, what do you think is the moment that Cole fell for Bea? Peyton, same for you, what moment do you think that your character fell for Cole?
Michael: I think it was probably more of they were friends, but it happened so naturally. It feels like it was such a gradual thing because, obviously, Cole knew she was a ghost. There was nothing that they could do. It was a friendship and a love and a passion for one another. It had to be so gradual because it’s a crazy circumstance. It’s just a crazy circumstance. I think it was more of a gradual thing than an instant moment.
Peyton: Yes. I think Cole taking Bea to the ’20s party and taking her to the city, I think she was, from then on, just completely in love with this person. Him showing her an airplane from the view that he did in the cemetery, I think that was a moment of just the fact that he listens to her and no one’s listened to her for so long and showed her this thing, I think that was a huge moment.
Fangirlish: Peyton, I understand Bea’s anger over the auction and why she was upset that he didn’t tell her. Why do you think that she was so angry over it? Why do you think that she didn’t want to stay in this time and wanted to return to her own?
Peyton: I think because he was making the choice for her versus telling her and letting her make the decision about her life. I feel like she thought they had this relationship where they were open with each other and to hear that he made that decision on his own was just heartbreaking. Yes, I think if she could go back to her life, she would. At the end of the day, she’s trapped. She can only leave one day a year. I think if she could go back, then it’s only Cole or her entire life there.
Fangirlish: Michael, one of the moments that I loved in this movie the most was when Cole was in his room talking to his mom about The Great Gatsby. Why do you think that that book was a way to open up for him to finally express his feelings about everything that he was going through with his dad, with falling in love, and all of those things with his mom?
Michael: I think it was actually less about the book but more about what his teacher said. It was just trying to fit in and be this person that he wasn’t. I think it was just Cole finally realized there was so much grief that he has just not allowed himself to experience. It’s so much of him just being afraid to express himself because of this grief, and finally, it was just a moment to just open up.
To me, at least now, again, it’s happened two years ago, we filmed it two years ago, but as a watcher now, it feels less about the book and more so about just the message of what his teacher said, where it’s like, “Dude, you’ve read this book. You know it back and front, but you’re just saying what I want you to say.” To me, that’s like it just opened a door for him.
Fangirlish: When watching the movie, one of the first things that came into my head is, how is Cole going to explain to his kids one day that his first love was a ghost?
Michael: He probably won’t, or he’ll end up in a mental asylum, probably. They’d be like, “What happened?” Probably won’t do that.
Fangirlish: I only have two more questions. What characteristic of your character do you guys relate to the most?
Michael: Cole’s love for music, for sure. Cole’s love for music. Man, I don’t know. I guess I like the color palette of Cole’s room. It’s pretty cool. I’m not going to steal no clothes from Cole because his style is not like my style. I think his room was super sick, honestly. I would steal his bedroom if that was possible. [chuckles]
Peyton: His bedroom– I love his bedroom-
Fangirlish: At the of the movie, when she goes back, honestly, I was so confused for a second. When I saw that she returns– but when she’s back and then she’s lived her life and he’s looking through the album and he sees the life that she lived, that’s when I really started to cry because I was like, “Okay, she made the right decision. She didn’t stay trapped. She lived a life and she lived a full life.” Then when she hears him singing and all this stuff, I was bawling my eyes out. I was like, “Oh, love survives time, and they’re still connected through music.”
I didn’t expect the ending at all. To be very honest, I had to rewind it because I was like, “Wait, did I miss something a little bit? What happened?” It wasn’t a bad thing because I was so excited about the way that they still stayed connected. What do you hope that people, if anything, take away from the ending at all, and what did you take away from filming this movie?
Michael: I think it’s that time keeps moving on. Stuff happens in life, and some things are much harder than others, but leaning on community and making friends and trying to learn how to cope with these things that happen, that inevitably shape you into who you’re supposed to be, I think is the message of the film. Also, I think that it taught me that throughout this whole process too.
Peyton: Yes, I think Michael said it beautifully, just making the most of every moment and cherishing it for what it is when it’s there and living in the present and not trying to– I don’t know, just living as presently as possible.
GIRL HAUNTS BOY is available to stream on Netflix now and also available for purchase on VOD platforms in the United States, and on Prime Video in Canada also.
