Milo talks with People about School Spirits!

PEOPLE – The students of Split River High School may not always get along on School Spirits, but they come together offscreen

“We have such an enthusiastic, positive cast,” Milo Manheim, who plays Wally Clark, tells PEOPLE. “I could go on and on about every person in the cast and give a monologue about what’s so great about them. Everybody has a kind heart and everybody’s got a good soul. Generally, Nick [Pugliese] is keeping the party going. He’s always keeping the vibes up.”

Manheim, 23, says he considers Rainbow Wedell one of his best friends and calls Spencer Macpherson “my frat bro.”

“I love going out with Spencer,” the actor says. “He’s like a brother to me, and we just have a great time. We play pool until sunup.”

And of course, the show’s stars have a group chat.

“It was recently changed from ‘School Spirits’ to ‘New School’ when we added our new characters. And it is alive and well,” Manheim says. “If you were to read the text, it’s kind of an embarrassing love fest of all of us just expressing our gratitude over and over again. So grateful the universe aligned to give us such an amazing cast and crew.”

Season 2 sees Maddie (Peyton List) exploring how Janet (Jess Gabor) came to inhabit her body and whether or not she can get it back. As Maddie comes to terms with her situation, she also opens up to the idea of being with Wally.

“He is falling for her day by day, harder and harder,” Manheim says. “And I think it just adds to the torment that Maddie goes through because the deeper she falls for Wally and the deeper he falls for her, the harder all of this is.”

Manheim credits Maddie with helping reinvigorate Wally as he waits to cross over. “He was pretty complacent in the afterlife and living a simple life with his friends,” the Zombies star says. “It’s almost like her arrival 40 years later restarts him and gets him thinking again. Now he’s starting to question everything. He’s new to thinking this deeply.”

Manheim says he doesn’t “necessarily identify with being a jock” like Wally, but that he and his character “are very similar” in other ways.
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Milo has a new photoshoot and interview with Our Era! Check out the photos in the gallery and read the interview below.

OUR ERA – Milo Manheim, the effervescent actor widely known for his roles in the Zombies franchise, School Spirits, and soon, Little Shop of Horrors, is a whirlwind of creative energy. He juggles a multitude of projects – film, television, and theatre – with a seemingly boundless enthusiasm. “My life does not feel real,” he confesses, a charming mix of disbelief and pure excitement bubbling in his voice. As he navigates these diverse artistic landscapes, Manheim remains grounded, deeply appreciative of the opportunities he’s given, and utterly passionate about his craft.

I caught up with Manheim just as his newest role in Little Shop of Horrors was announced. He spoke about the almost serendipitous way this dream role materialized, a chance encounter with Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of the revival, leading to this incredible opportunity. “It just happened so magically,” he marvels, a hint of childlike wonder in his tone. You can almost picture his 13-year-old self, the theatre-obsessed kid who used to make his family sit through his living-room performances, doing cartwheels of joy. While he’s still in the beginning stages of preparation, Manheim is already deeply immersed in the quirky, carnivorous world of Little Shop, listening to the iconic score on repeat, revisiting the delightfully campy movie, and anticipating the unique challenge of the show’s intricate, often tongue-twisting lyrics. “It’s a jam-packed show,” he explains, his energy rising as he talks about the production, “very high energy and the music is just so infectious.” He mentions a particular fondness for “Feed Me,” recalling the visceral impact it had on him when he saw a previous production of the show. “That song just stuck with me,” he says, “it’s so raw and powerful.”

Manheim’s journey, however, hasn’t been a straightforward, perfectly paved path. He spoke candidly about the inherent differences between stage and film acting, acknowledging the valuable lessons he’s learned in each medium. “I started with theater. I love theater. It’s my passion. I moved to film. And, you know, film is completely different, and it took me a long time to figure out those differences, and I’m still figuring them out,” he admitted. His early experiences in theatre were all about performing for the immediate gratification of the audience, feeling that live connection and the energy exchange. But stepping into film required an entirely different approach—where scenes are repeated multiple times in front of a crew, demanding him to make each take feel fresh. “I think I needed the time away first because I also think when I was younger, I was performing for the audience,” he reflected. “And I think that stepping into film where you do a scene like 20 times, there’s like 100 people watching you, and you have to make it new every time, you really gotta find a way to do it for yourself.”

Returning to the stage for American Idiot after years of working primarily in film and television allowed him to beautifully integrate these two seemingly disparate approaches. “Going back to theater now, like five years later, I could perform for me and my cast, and then anything that we got back from the audience was just like a cherry on top. And I think that I needed to go through that as an actor first,” he shared. The experience reinforced his equal love for both mediums, which he likened to playing two different sports. “But now I have equal love for theater and the film world, but they’re completely different. I consider them different sports, but I hope to play both of them for the rest of my life, right?” His return to the stage was a powerful demonstration of his artistic growth and adaptability—he learned to perform with an internal focus honed by his film work while still embracing the dynamism and immediacy of live theatre.

He spoke warmly of his American Idiot experience, emphasizing the profound and unexpected connections he forged within the Deaf community. He described the invaluable experience of learning American Sign Language, not just as a skill, but as a way to connect with a vibrant and expressive culture.
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PLAYBILL – A new pair of star-crossed lovers is heading to Skid Row.

The hit Off-Broadway revival of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors will welcome Elizabeth Gillies (13: The Musical, Victorious, Dynasty) and Milo Manheim (Zombies film franchise, Deaf West’s American Idiot, School Spirits) as, respectively, Audrey and Seymour beginning February 25 at the Westside Theatre. Gillies will be making her first return to the New York stage in over 16 years, while Manheim will be making his New York musical debut.

That day Broadway favorite Jeremy Kushnier (Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar) will also begin performances as Dr. Orin Scrivello.

As previously reported, Sherie Rene Scott and Nicholas Christopher will play their final performances as Audrey and Seymour February 23. The Off-Broadway company also currently features Reg Rogers (Merrily We Roll Along) as Mushnik, Major Attaway as The Voice of Audrey II, Tiffany Renee Thompson as Ronnette, Daria Pilar Redus as Crystal, and Morgan Ashley Bryant as Chiffon, as well as Camryn Hampton, Michael Iannucci, Weston Chandler Long, Jeff Sears, Melissa Victor, Noel MacNeal, Johnny Newcomb, Jonothon Lyons, Christine Wanda, and Savannah Lee Birdsong. Teddy Yudain covers the role of Dr. Orin Scrivello through February 23.

Previous players in the roles of Seymour and Audrey Off-Broadway have included Jonathan Groff, Tammy Blanchard, Jeremy Jordan, Lena Hall, Maude Apatow, Gideon Glick, Rob McClure, Skylar Astin, Conrad Ricamora, Matt Doyle, Darren Criss, Evan Rachel Wood, Corbin Bleu, Constance Wu, Sarah Hyland, Andrew Barth Feldman, and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon, who became first drag queen to play Audrey in a major production of the musical.

Milo Manheim has been cast in Center Theatre Group/Deaf West Theatre production of Green Day and Michael Mayer’s American Idiot!

Broadway World – Center Theatre Group is joining Deaf West Theatre to launch a new production of global rock superstars Green Day’s rock opera, American Idiot. The show will run from October 2 to November 10, 2024, re-opening the Mark Taper Forum, as the first offering of Center Theatre Group’s One CTG. One LA. Season, which was previously announced by Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director/CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker. The press opening for American Idiot is Wednesday, October 9.

With this production, CTG Artistic Director Snehal Desai will be making his CTG directorial debut. Jennifer Weber (Broadway: & Juliet, KPOP) is the choreographer; Colin Analco (Deaf West: Fidelio) is the ASL choreographer.

American Idiot is produced in collaboration with the Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre, headed by Artistic Director DJ Kurs, and features an ensemble of both Deaf and hearing actors, performing simultaneously in American Sign Language and Spoken English. CTG and Deaf West have a long history of bold and exciting collaborations, including Pippin, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, and Big River—which went on to have an acclaimed run on Broadway followed by a National
Tour.

American Idiot features music by Green Day; lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong; and book by Billie Joe Armstrong & Michael Mayer.

The cast includes Steven-Adam Agdeppa (TV: Parallel, CTG: A Christmas Story); L.J. Benet (TV: Dog with a Blog); Will Branner (Broadway: Back to the Future: The Musical, National Tour: Mean Girls); Jerusha Cavazos (Broadway: The Prom); Lark Detweiler (TV: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist); Daniel Durant (Broadway: Spring Awakening, Film: CODA, TV: Dancing with the Stars, Deaf West: Fidelio); Kaia T. Fitzgerald; Landen Gonzales; Tyler Hardwick (Broadway: Once on This Island, Motown The Musical, National Tour: Company); Otis Jones IV (Deaf West: Fidelio); Milo Manheim (Film: Disney’s Zombies, TV: School Spirits, Dancing with the Stars); Josué Martinez; Giovanni Maucere (Deaf West: Fidelio); James Olivas (CTG: The Secret Garden); Mason Alexander Park (West End: Cabaret); Monika Peña; Mars Storm Rucker (Broadway: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, A Strange Loop); Mia Sempertegui; Angel Theory (TV: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, The Walking Dead); and Ali Fumiko Whitney (Film: Find Me Falling, AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead).

The set is by Takeshi Kata (Broadway: Water for Elephants); costumes by Lena Sands; lighting by Karyn Lawrence; sound by Cricket S. Myers (Broadway & CTG: Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo); projections by David Murakami; Wig, Hair, and Make-up Design by Shelia Dorn; music is supervised and conducted by David O (Broadway: Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night), music arrangements and orchestrations by Tom Kitt; casting by Beth Lipari; CSA, and the Production Stage Manager is David S. Franklin. Lindsay Allbaugh is the Associate Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group, and Jeff Perri is the Managing Director of Deaf West.

DEADLINE – There’s more Zombies coming to Disney Channel.

The fourth film has received the green light, currently under the working title Zombies 4, Ayo Davis, President of Disney Branded Television, announced Saturday during Disney’s 2024 Television Critics Association winter press tour.

Not only that, but the franchise is expanding with Zombies: The Re-Animated Series — the first ever animated series for this franchise. That’ll debut on Disney Channel and Disney+ this summer.

Production on Zombies 4 is set to begin in New Zealand in March. Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim are reprising their roles as Addison and Zed, Seabrook’s star-crossed zombie/cheerleader couple. They will also executive produce.

Chandler Kinney and Kylee Russell will also return as werewolf Willa and loveable zombie Eliza, respectively.

Zombies 4 follows Zed and Addison as they embark on a road trip the summer after their first year of college. As adventures unfold, they unexpectedly discover the warring worlds of Sunnyside and Shadyside and come into contact with two new groups of monsters.

Newcomers to the cast include Freya Skye and Disney Channel star Malachi Barton, who will play new characters Nova and Victor, mysterious supernatural strangers whom Zed and Addison encounter during their summer travels.

No word yet on when the film will debut.

Paul Hoen will return to direct the fourth installment. The movie was written by David Light, Joseph Raso, and Josh Cagan. In addition to Manheim and Donnelly, the film’s executive producers include Hoen, Light, Raso, Jane Fleming and Mark Ordesky. Mahita P. Simpson is a co-executive producer on the film, which is a production of Bloor Street Productions.

Zombies is one of Disney Branded Televisions most successful franchise, having amassed a collective 253M hours watching across linear and streaming since their respective debuts. The music from the films is also a big hit, and Disney says it has managed over 2.7B streams across YouTube Music, Disney Channel YouTube and Disney Music Vevo.

DAMAN – Dive into Milo Manheim’s world as he reflects on working with Eli Roth, transitioning between genres and his aspirations beyond acting

Born and raised in Venice, Los Angeles, Milo Manheim delved into the world of acting since he was only six years old. School programs soon turned to musicals and eventually TV series and movies, most notably “Zombies” and its two sequels. In this online-exclusive interview with DAMAN, the American actor recounts his acting journey and talks about what lies ahead…

DAMAN: Hi Milo, awesome to have you with us. Let’s start from the beginning: What initially drew you to acting and how did you start your journey?
Milo Manheim: I’m an only child and my mom [Golden Globe awardwinning actress Camryn Manheim] is a single mom; so, growing up, I spent a lot of time on the set of her show. I loved watching the magic get made and quickly fell in love with that environment. I knew I wanted to be in the industry … I just didn’t know my place. Once I started theater, it became clear to me that acting was my passion.

DA: You’ve been quite busy throughout late 2023 with movies like “Thanksgiving” and “Journey to Bethlehem” as well as “School Spirits” on Netflix. How do you manage working on so many different projects? And how do you pick and choose roles or genres?
MM: I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to do such different roles. I love acting because of the people I meet and the new places I get to explore. And 2023 was definitely a year of new experiences. I’m grateful I got to explore various genres this year and it’s my goal to always be trying new things in the acting world. Part of the fun is figuring out how to approach each role.

DA: How do you handle the challenges of acting in so many different roles in such a short timeframe?
MM: I think having more time to prepare always helps, but there is an excitement to only having a set amount of time to figure out your character. I’d rather think about it as exciting than stressful. It’s easy to feel safe when your cast and crew are welcoming which, luckily, has always been my experience.

DA: Are there any specific character types or genres that you prefer?
MM: I love comedy at heart. But my main goal is to continue to play a wide variety of characters. I think at this point in my life, I’m curious to do some more dramatic, more transformative acting. But I’ll always find my way back to comedy.

DA: Apart from acting, are you interested in exploring other fields in the biz? Maybe directing or producing…
MM: Absolutely. I’m a producer on a project right now and I’m learning so many new things. I’m a very curious person and want to learn about all aspects of film making. Hopefully in the future I can continue to work behind the camera as well as in front of it.

DA: Let’s talk about working with Eli Roth for “Thanksgiving.” What was he like as a director and how did his style affect the way you acted?
MM: Eli is the best. He keeps it real with you. He gave me big brother energy. No matter how I felt coming into set that day, I always felt safe with Eli looking out for us. Also, I think people would be surprised to know that the vibe of a horror set is not scary at all; it was genuinely one of the funniest shoots I’ve been on.
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PEOPLE – Milo Manheim is being intentional with himself this year.

A self-defined “people pleaser,” the 22-year-old actor tells PEOPLE exclusively in a new interview that he is making choices that keep him happy in 2024.

“I think that in this job where things happen so quickly, it’s really important to check in and be like ‘What am I super excited about and what should I do more of?’,” he says. “Everyone is just trying to create the best career for themselves.”

Manheim got his break with Disney when he was cast as Zed in the 2018 Disney Channel original movie Zombies.

The actor — who went on to reprise his role in Zombies 2 and Zombies 3, and star in Prom Pact — is “very grateful” to have launched his career with Disney.

“It’s a really happy environment and I’ve had a great time with them,” he says. “They’ve offered me opportunities to travel the world, meet incredible people, sing and dance, and I’m very grateful to them for providing such a unique, exciting start to my career.”

Manheim spent 2023 taking on roles in movies and shows outside of Disney, including the film Journey to Bethlehem, the Netflix series School Spirits, which has been renewed for a second season, and the horror movie Thanksgiving, which also stars Patrick Dempsey and Addison Rae. “I learned so much this past year,” he says. “Each project offered something completely new and different and gave me a better understanding of myself. Collecting experiences and relationships has been amazing… I was just embracing everything with open arms.”

As he continues to grow up — “I’m a 6’3” guy… I can’t play a high schooler forever,” he says — the Zombies star is ready for whatever transition lies ahead.

“I love Disney, and I will never be ashamed of being a Disney kid. I’ll always be proud of that. I also know how capable I am as an actor,” he says. “Making a smooth transition is something you have to feel out as you move through it. I’m always going to be authentic and genuine. I’m a very silly person and will always carry that with me.”

Regardless of where his journey takes him, Manheim knows he is on the right path. “I always wanted to act and perform,” the former Dancing with the Stars contestant says. “I always had a little voice in my head that said, ‘You can do this. You’re good at it,’ and I find that with each project, I have a better understanding of myself. If I hadn’t booked Zombies, I don’t know if I would be here, but I’m so happy that I found this love and this passion.”
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Amazing news!

Paramount+ has renewed its teen drama “School Spirits” for a second season.

The series stars Peyton List as Maddie Nears, a teen girl stuck in the afterlife investigating her own mysterious disappearance. Maddie goes on a crime-solving journey as she adjusts to high school purgatory, but the closer she gets to discovering the truth, the more secrets and lies she uncovers.

The cast also includes Kristian Ventura as Simon Elroy, Milo Manheim as Wally Clark, Spencer MacPherson as Xavier Baxter, Kiara Pichardo as Nicole Herrera, Sarah Yarkin as Rhonda, Nick Pugliese as Charley and Rainbow Wedell as Claire Zomer.

Season 1 was favorably reviewed, scoring an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety‘s chief TV critic Daniel D’Addario wrote that “without losing sight of the sorrow of Maddie’s story, ‘School Spirits’ manages to be surprisingly sparky and fun — proof positive that there are new stories to tell about the institution no one would ever want to be stuck in for their entire afterlife.”

Hailing from Awesomeness Studios, “School Spirits” was created by Nate Trinrud and Megan Trinrud, who wrote the pilot, while Oliver Goldstick serves as showrunner. All three executive produce the series, and Max Winkler directed and executive produced the first two episodes. List also produces.

“’School Spirits’ has captivated audiences with its gripping storyline, engaging characters and the enigmatic world of high school life, and we are thrilled to bring a second season to this loyal fan base across Paramount+,” said Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin, executive vice presidents and co-heads at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness live-action series and films. “Maddie’s quest to unravel the truth behind her mysterious disappearance has resonated with viewers, and we can’t wait to continue this thrilling journey with them.”

“’School Spirits’ developed such a passionate and engaged fan base over the course of its first season, marking one of our most popular new young adult series to date,” said Domenic DiMeglio, chief marketing officer and head of data at Paramount Streaming. “The creative minds behind the series — showrunner Oliver Goldstick and creators Nate Trinrud & Megan Trinrud — and the extremely talented cast brought audiences a fresh take on high school — both in the present and in the after-life — and we can’t wait to see what happens next at Split River High.”

Variety