Tory From Cobra Kai Looks Familiar. Here's Why

Jan 12 2021

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They say everything old is new again, and that's certainly the case with the Netflix series Cobra Kai. Decades removed from its source material, the serialized spinoff to the classic 1984 film The Karate Kid is seriously kicking butt. Not only do viewers get to see child actors from the original film playing themselves as adults, with Ralph Macchio starring as Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka starring as Johnny Lawrence — the show also features some fresh, young faces, as well. And one in particular might look especially familiar. Cobra Kai, which began its run as a YouTube Red original series for two seasons but was later acquired by Netflix for its third season, explores the continuing rivalry between Daniel and Johnny from the latter's point of view. Once the antagonist in The Karate Kid, Johnny now runs his own dojo, Cobra Kai, which mentors young talents like Miguel Diaz and Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz. But that's not all. Since Season 2 of Cobra Kai premiered, one teenage girl has built a reputation as a natural-born fighter within Cobra Kai. And, if you recognize the young actress who plays the headstrong Tory Nichols, it's for a good reason. Tory is played by Peyton List, a Florida native whose earliest roles included playing a young version of Katherine Heigl in 2008's 27 Dresses, as well as stints on soaps like All My Children and As the World Turns. She even had turns in Cashmere Mafia, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and Gossip Girl before landing recurring roles on TV shows like Disney's Jessie, CBS' Happy Together, Hulu's Light as a Feather, and Disney's Bunk'd. List also has minor credits for Spider-Man 2, Saturday Night Live, and Remember Me. The actress is currently filming Shriver, written and directed by Michael Maren and starring Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, Zach Braff, and Perry Mattfeld. Those are some pretty big names, and it seems List's star is rising in Hollywood. Season 3 of Cobra Kai —the first season of the show under the Netflix banner — debuted in early January 2021. It's here that we learn more about Tory Nichols, a troubled teen who started a violent brawl with her rival Sam LaRusso, got expelled from her high school, and was shipped off to juvenile detention. However, since she's the sole provider for her ill mother and little brother, she gets put on probation in order to take care of them. In an interview with Screen Rant, List talked about how she empathizes with her character, who has so much anger and goes through self-destructive patterns, saying: "I think you see that with a lot of teenagers and especially [ones who've] never really been shown any love or, you know, support, and they feel really alone. And I think it's easy to hate in that situation, and it's much harder to see the light and to show mercy. [...] I just hope that [Tory] finds [...] the right sensei [...] the right guidance. [...] I see where she's coming from, and I feel, I feel for her." We couldn't agree more and hope that Tory's plot line takes a positive spin in the season to come. It isn't all about acting for List, though. Although she's been working in the industry since she was 4, the actress has many passions beyond Hollywood. For the 2020 holiday season, she partnered with The Cameron Boyce Foundation to bolster support for its "Give Me $5" fundraising campaign. In a message posted to the campaign site, List said: "The Cameron Boyce Foundation was started last year in honor of one of my closest friends Cam, when he suddenly lost his life to epilepsy. I miss him dearly and am honored to help them in their mission to cure epilepsy and end gun violence." List, a former child model, is also an aspiring pop singer, having released the songs "Liar Liar," "Dance Till We Die," and "Don't Cry," according to her PR firm, Slash Agency. She recently dabbled in film production for her latter song's music video as well, creating the concept and directing the video itself. We can't wait to see what this multi-talented young woman does next! #CobraKai #Tory