The entire Cobra Kai ensemble shines every single season, but there’s no denying that Peyton List is a major standout as Tory in Season 4.
When we first met the character in Season 2, Tory joins Cobra Kai and develops an intense rivalry with Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser). And who can blame her? Accusing Tory of stealing her mother’s wallet wasn’t really an ideal first encounter. Things continue to escalate between the two when Tory strikes up a relationship with Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) only to spot him rekindling his romance with Sam shortly after.
While the school brawl at the end of Season 2 might have seemed to be the peak of this conflict, things only intensify in Season 3 with Sam struggling to cope with the extremely violent nature of the fight and Tory taking advantage of Sam’s state every chance she gets. Ultimately though, Sam manages to stand up to Tory in the Season 3 finale and best her during the fight in the LaRusso home. Would that incident put Tory on an even darker path? Is she so consumed by rage that she’ll never be able to find her way back?
With Cobra Kai Season 4 now available to stream on Netflix, List took the time to join us for an episode of Collider Ladies Night and we dug deep into Tory’s evolution throughout the series. But, as with all episodes of Ladies Night, we also went way back to List’s pre-Cobra Kai days to get a better sense of the steps she took in order to hone her craft to deliver this big on the hit Netflix show.
List was very young when she first began acting and recalled the conversation she had with her mother when trying to figure out if acting was just a hobby or if it was a career path she wanted to pursue.
“I remember my mom asked me, she goes, ‘You know, I just thought you could save money for college and try this out as a hobby. Do you want to do this? What do you want to do?’ And I said, ‘No, I want to do this. I want to try it out and I want to go in and I want to take this seriously.’ At about eight-years-old I told my mom that.”
After that, List’s clarity and determination was amplified by a certain audition encounter. She explained:
“I went in for a TV show and I remember a dad of a little girl came up to me and he was like, ‘You just probably want to leave because my daughter already has the part.’ And I remember that was one of the moments, I looked at him and I was like, ‘Your daughter does not have the part. I actually have the part.’ In my head! I did not say that to him! But I remember going in and it was for Cashmere Mafia, which is the same creator as Sex and the City, and so I went in and at that point was like, ‘Screw it. If this girl has the job, what do I have to lose?’ And I went in and I just really fought for it and then they said, ‘That was amazing. You’re our girl!’ And I left and I got the show that day. It was with Lucy Liu, Frances O’Connor — I play Frances O’Connor’s daughter. And that was the moment I was like, ‘I’m gonna act. I like this! And I like fighting for things. And I like proving myself!’”
List has been proving herself for quite some time now, but in addition to believing in herself, another key part of the process has been learning from those around her and it turns out, a significant positive influence stepped into her life while working on Cobra Kai Season 4.
“You know what I really remember is just actors that were kind of hard on me or really professional. You know what’s funny? Something that sticks with me that’s more recent is Thomas [Ian Griffith], who plays [Terry] Silver, coming on to Cobra Kai. He brought a whole new work ethic and a whole new energy to the set, at least for me in my scenes. I just felt like he’s definitely very prepared and very on it and super talented, and I feel like working with him has just made me want to work harder."
[Editor's note: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 4.]Another Cobra Kai co-star who made a big impression on List on and off screen was Courtney Henggeler. Henggeler’s always popped on the show courtesy of Amanda LaRusso’s energy and epic one-liners, but the character’s Season 4 storyline with Tory gives both characters the opportunity to grow in surprising and hugely meaningful ways.
Had you asked me which character could nudge Tory in a better direction after the events of Season 3, I probably would have guessed a slew of other characters before picking Amanda LaRusso. Now, after watching all of Season 4, I can’t imagine a better catalyst for Tory’s growth. During our Ladies Night chat, List spoke a bit about what it was like working with Henggeler on that material and also explained why she thinks Amanda was the ideal character to spark that change in Tory:
“I think Amanda is one of the few characters who can keep her cool physically. I mean, besides the slap I guess to Kreese. [Laughs] And also, I did break into her home and try to attack her daughter, and I think there’s something that comes out of a mamma bear in protection mode and it really is amazing that she could sort of show mercy to Tory and give her another chance and just see this broken person and this wounded girl. I think it was pretty amazing she could be the bigger person. So yeah, I think that’s one of the few people. Tory messed with her so much and she still showed grace and I think that was a pretty cool thing.”
Looking for more on List’s journey in the industry thus far and more on some of Tory’s biggest Cobra Kai Season 4 moments? You’re going to want to watch List’s episode of Collider Ladies Night at the top of this article or listen to the full conversation uncut in podcast form below: