Peyton Elizabeth Lee Reveals Andi Mack Season 3 Secrets

By: Lynn Barker

Smart and cute 14-year-old actress Peyton Elizabeth Lee checked in with Kidzworld for an upbeat and revealing talk about how the Disney Channel “Andi Mack” characters will change and grow in the new season, airing October 8^th. She’s got great advice for us on how to keep someone in the “friendzone” with kindness when they might want a more serious relationship.

Why does the popular actress love ‘80’s music and which actress does she most want to do a project with someday? What fan encounter really warmed her heart?

Kidzworld: Without giving away anything, what can you tell us about the 3^rd season premiere episode “The Boys Are Back”?

• Peyton: I feel like the Good Hair Crew (Andi Mack, Buffy Driscoll and Cyrus Goodman) and Jonah, all the characters have sort of done their own thing for the summer and our first episode is everyone getting back together which worked perfectly because it’s sort of what happened to us (the actors). We all left after season two finished then the first episode was us coming back together. There was such a fun dynamic of everyone catching up both on and off screen. It was such a fun episode to film.

Kidzworld: Give Kidzworld visitors some advice. Have you ever had someone say they liked you but you wanted to keep them in the friend zone? If so how did you handle it?

• Peyton: Oh for sure. That’s definitely something that I’ve experienced. It’s something every girl goes through. It’s especially hard when you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, especially if you want to remain friends with them. I feel like it’s all about being honest and not leading anyone on. It’s about being honest that you care about the person but not in that way.

Kidzworld: Good advice! What do you wish the showrunners would write for Andi to do that they haven’t come up with yet? Or what issue do you wish they would tackle that hasn’t been on the show yet?

• Peyton: Humm, trying to think of something but I feel like the writers are really good at giving us unique opportunities and challenges. I am just excited to continue to see Andi find her voice and learn how to use it. In the beginning she had been finding her voice. In season three we’re going to get to see her using that voice. That’s been really fun for me to work on. We incorporate social causes and things that are important to get kids exposed to. It’s not like “Here is what you should learn, kids”. You’re learning in a fun and interesting way.

Kidzworld: A fun question… do you love Andi’s clothes in the show or are they not really your personal style?

• Peyton: I think they’re definitely different from my personal style but I have so much fun in wardrobe fittings, finding out what the outfits will be because I feel that Andi has such a unique style, very eclectic and fashion forward but she uses a lot of vintage pieces. It’s so much fun to develop her style based on her personality. We have a lot of fun in wardrobe collaborating on that.

Kidzworld: What, so far, has been your most touching fan encounter?

• Peyton: One of the best fan encounters was through social media. There was a girl that told me that she used to get made fun of because she made her own clothes. She sewed her own stuff and she loved to personalize her clothes. When “Andi Mack” came on and became popular, especially because Andi is so crafty and she puts a lot of her own stuff together and her sense of style is so unique, this girl’s friends started to think she was cool because of that.
• That made her unique and everyone started to embrace her because the show had made such an impact on these kids and their ideas of what “cool” means. It’s easy to forget that so many people’s lives are affected by the show and it’s easy for (us) to forget that when we get caught up in working. When you meet those fans whose lives were impacted by the show, it puts everything in perspective.

Kidzworld: You have an older sister and younger brother. Do you share your personal ups and downs with them or are you more private?

• Peyton: I think I talk to my sister about almost everything. It’s difficult when we’re in different places like when I’m filming, she’s in California in school. I feel like that made us appreciate our relationship even further and more deeply understand how much we mean to each other. I’m very close and open with my siblings.

Kidzworld: Who do you really hope to act in a project with someday?

• Peyton: Oh, one of my favorite actresses is Jennifer Lawrence. That would be a huge dream come true because I think she is so crazy talented and the projects she chooses are so bold and unique and speak from such a unique perspective and voice.

Kidzworld: We hear you are into ‘80’s music. What bands or artists?

• Peyton: I love ‘80’s music because it’s just so fun and upbeat. They play it when we’re roller skating.

Kidzworld: Yeah, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”.

• Peyton: Yeah! Cyndi Lauper is great. We all love “Mickey” and “Footloose”. There are so many great songs and ‘80’s movies I love too. A lot of the songs come from those movies.

Kidzworld: Do you have a favorite charity or cause that you’ve worked for?

• Peyton: Not a particular favorite one but Lilan (Bowden who plays Bex) is working on getting people out to vote.  I’ve worked a little bit with that and Josh (Rush) has also. I think it’s important that the news gets out to go vote, especially young people to make sure their voices are heard. That’s definitely something I’m interested in.

Kidzworld: Good choice. Andi has grown a lot emotionally on the show. What have you learned from doing the show that has changed you?

• Peyton: Oh gosh. From the beginning of the show I’ve grown so much as a person and as an actress. On set we learn a lot of really important skills especially to be able to collaborate. That’s a really big one. You’re working with the director, the lighting people, the camera operator, whoever it is, it’s all about compromise and collaboration. I’ve been working on that and navigating that world a little bit better. I’ve learned a lot from my fellow cast members. It’s been a constant learning experience. On the set you learn how to be assertive but not aggressive. I’ve been soaking up as much of everyone’s knowledge as I can.

Kidzworld: Why will fans really get into the season three premiere episode?

• Peyton: I think fans can really appreciate our first episode and really the whole season because you are seeing our characters grow and mature into the people they were always destined to become. So see them grow as individuals but also see how their relationships grow and the dynamics between them evolve. That’s something I appreciate and take from the show and I hope fans do as well.

Be sure to watch the 3^rd Season premiere of “Andi Mack” on the Disney Channel airing October 8^th.

Tell us what you think!

Are you an “Andi Mack” fan or are you thinking about checking out the show? What issues to you wish the show would talk about? What do you do to make your unique voice heard? Start by sharing your feelings below or write them on your Kidzworld profile page!