Peyton Wich is an Actor who is best known for playing the character of Troy, a bully, in Netflix's series titled "Stranger Things" series. Peyton will also appear in the forthcoming inspirational film titled "Same Kind of Different as Me, " and he starred in "Impact Ear."
A versatile actor who has been training since age nine, Peyton also played the lead role in "The Hole" which is a short film that has an insightful message about the impact of bullying.
In his downtime, Peyton likes hanging out with his friends, going on roller coasters, playing video games, camping, drawing, storytelling, and riding bikes.
He recently discussed his life and career in an exclusive Interview.
Roles
Blasting News (BN): You started acting young so what inspired you to pursue this art form?
Peyton Wich (PW): I always liked movies, and I enjoyed having movie night virtually every weekend with my parents. I had tried many other activities, but nothing got me excited. So, when I was nine, I told my parents I wanted to be an actor out of the blue! I started taking acting classes which eventually led to me getting an agent. It wasn’t easy though; I went through many auditions without a call back much less a booking. I stuck to it, and I am glad I did because I truly love what I am doing!
BN: How did you initially start landing gigs and what roles have you played to date?
PW: Once I got an agent, I auditioned for about a year before my first booking. I don’t even want to count how many auditions I did before my first role!
Anyway, my first role was in a movie called “Impact Earth” as Nick Harrison which is yet to be released in the US. After “Impact Earth” I was fortunate to get a small role in a movie called “Same Kind of Different as Me” as Young Bobby.
This film is supposed to hit theaters in October finally. It is a great story. I then followed that up with a couple of short films. It was after those shorts that I booked my role on “Stranger Things”!
Since “Stranger Things” I have worked on several projects which are, “Mr. Mercedes” playing Danny Wilcox, a Lifetime movie called “River Runs Red” as Ethan, and “The Darkest Minds” as a Hot-Headed Kid.
I am about to start another short film working with some great up and coming filmmakers. The short is called “Stick-Up, , ” and I play the lead role of Billy. There are a few other projects that I am being considered for and I hope to stay as busy I have been!
BN: One of your characters, Troy, is a bully, so ow do you get into his mindset and why is he the way he is?
PW: Troy was a hard character to play. All of the kids were so nice and amazing to work with not to mention we cut up… a lot. So, that being said, it was extremely difficult to be mean to these awesome people. I just had to mentally prepare for it.
In terms of why Troy is the way he is, I don’t have a definitive answer, but if I had to guess, he is probably like most bullies.
He is most likely insecure with himself and lets it all out on the kids. Also in episode four, he mentions how his father thinks Will is in “fairyland”, so his dad is probably not the best influence. On the other hand, in episode seven, his mother thinks he is just a little angel, so only time will tell why he is so mean.
BN: You’ve also played the lead on “The Hole” which concerns the subject of bullying so what was it like to go from Troy to that?
PW: I actually played that role before Troy. Anyway, Nathan, the bully in “The Hole”, was just your average bully. Sure, he tried to chase this kid down and hurt him, but that is nothing compared to Troy. When I first got on set of “Stranger Things” I only had the scripts for episodes one and three.
Because of that, I went into the role of Troy thinking I was just a school bully, almost like Nathan, but I was soon told otherwise!
Within ten minutes of being on set, Gaten (who plays Dustin) walked up to me and introduced himself, he then went on to tell me I had to wet my pants and hold a knife to his neck! So, Troy was really a step up from Nathan. The big difference between the two characters is that Nathan, towards the end, has realized that what he has done was wrong, reaching almost a turning point. I’m not sure Troy has reached that turning point yet.
Within ten minutes of being on set, Gaten (who plays Dustin) walked up to me and introduced himself, he then went on to tell me I had to wet my pants and hold a knife to his neck!
So, Troy was really a step up from Nathan. The big difference between the two characters is that Nathan, towards the end, has realized that what he has done was wrong, reaching almost a turning point. I’m not sure Troy has reached that turning point yet.
BN: What sort of character would be your absolute “dream role” if you could choose any kind?
PW: I’ve always been a fan of Spiderman. I would love to play that character not only because he has all of the cool characteristics of a superhero, but he also has human aspects to him. He has comedy, drama, and having to deal with his Aunt May who just wants to bake him cookies while he’s trying to save the world! So hopefully Tom Holland gets tired of playing him soon so I can have a chance!
I really enjoy characters that have more than one side to them.
Entertainment
BN: You also write and draw, so what kinds of art and stories have you created?
PW: I like to draw anything that looks co and don’t usually free-draw, but if I see a picture I like I will attempt to copy it. In terms of writing, I have not written much, I have started to write a screenplay, but I still have a lot more work to do on it, so that’s all I want to say about that.
BN: What have you found to be the most rewarding things about working in the entertainment industry?
PW: I have been fortunate to meet so many talented and nice people who love what they do just like me. This business can be crazy, but most of us just want to practice our craft.
We do get to attend some cool events, but I am happiest when I am on set working.
It is fun to get the opportunity to become someone new for every role I play. Lastly, there is no better feeling than meeting people who are not in the industry that really enjoy your work. That is why we all do it, to entertain!
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To learn more about Peyton Wich, visit his IMDB, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
