Jennifer Tilly and Josh Zuckerman on Power, Secrets, and Shaking Up School Spirits Season 3

When School Spirits returns for its third season, the balance of power at Split River High begins to fracture and it’s no longer clear who’s in control. Joining the cast this season is Jennifer Tilly, stepping into the unsettling role of Dr. Hunter-Price, while Josh Zuckerman’s Mr. Martin continues to loom large as a keeper of secrets in a world built on uncertainty.  We sit down with Jennifer Tilly and Josh Zuckerman as they speak on what it means to enter an already volatile universe, how power operates through information, and why Season 3 pushes the story into darker territory.

TEM (The Extra Mile) : I mean Jennifer, you’re joining School Spirits this season. I want to know what drew you into this world and Josh, what was it like welcoming a new character into like already such a tense story?

Jennifer: Well, when they called up and they asked if I wanted to play a recurring role on School Spirits I was so happy because I love the show. It’s a huge cult show. The writing is fantastic. The actors are amazing and I got the script and I love the character of Dr. Hunter Price. I mean she’s just really bitchy and narcissistic and pushy and she’s kind of a power mad female. The thing is and she’s a bad mom. Everyone wants to play a bad mom. She doesn’t like kids at all, not even her own. But then I didn’t, I only got that one script. I didn’t know where her character was going but just reading it, I thought there’s something very sinister about this lady and it turns out I was right as it progresses. I mean just really her behavior here is reprehensible and bad things happen. So she’s the catalyst for a lot of horrific things happening at the school. People have to wait and see.

Josh:  And we were so thrilled to have Jennifer. I mean I don’t remember exactly how I found out but we have a text thread going between you know the School Spirits cast and we were all so excited when we found out that she was joining the cast and she brings an incredible energy to the whole, I mean to the cast but also to the show itself and it’s really a gift that we have her there. And you can tell from the first episode of season three that she brings a dynamic that fits in the world but makes it so much more delicious. You know because you just kind of love to hate her. And yeah so we’re just thrilled.

 Jennifer: Everybody was so nice and I’m telling you I was intimidated entering this group because I’d seen the show. The actors are all so amazing and I was kind of even at the first read-through I was like oh because I don’t come in until two thirds of the way through. I was like don’t drop the ball Jennifer. Don’t drop the ball. I was just impressed with how good everybody was.

Josh: That’s funny. I mean I feel like I felt that way in the read-through of episode one and season one. I was reading I was like wow I’m the adult and I haven’t even come on you know I don’t have any lines yet and I go well no they’re gonna think who’s this guy. But yeah no they’re all so good. It’s just it’s a joy.

TEM: Who do you think has kind of more power in this world? The people with answers or the people who decides when to share them?

Josh: Yeah I mean if you have the secrets and you’re not willing to share them I mean then you have you know that you have the power. Whether people even know that you have it I mean because you because you can make decisions with more information other people can’t make. And and it Mr. Martin kind of does that throughout the first two seasons. And and then the third season everybody’s kind of let loose to figure things out on their own.

Jennifer: And there’s lots of secrets on this show and lots of power mad people also. Some of which you haven’t met yet but you will.

Josh:  Yeah yeah and you know Dr. Hunter Price has secrets as well. She does she has she has a lot of secrets.

Jennifer: That’s the great thing about a well-written character. For example Josh’s character he was saying in the third season when he got the script he was like I did what? I did what? You know the layers unfold and it’s so wonderful as an actor to explore that.

 Josh: Yeah yeah it’s really fun and it creates for such a collaborative environment because when you learn things and you know and that that even maybe the writers didn’t know about the you know they’re inventing things and tying things together. Then you then you have to work together to figure out okay well how do we make this work with what we already have and how do we make it different and and and yet part you know honoring what came before it. It’s and and the you know the the showrunners Megan,  Nate, Trenrod and and and the Oliver Goldstein. I mean everybody’s working together and they’re so collaborative and they’re so open ideas and it’s just lovely to have that kind of communication. It’s a great set to work on.
 
TEM: So I just want to know was there ever a moment in career where you had to go the extra mile? What does the extra mile mean to you?

Josh:  You’re looking at it. No I mean I think as a you know freelance as an actor you you kind of have to have a little bit of a you know moxie to push yourself out there and you know I had a teacher once who said that that actors are kind of like crazy you have to be kind of a little crazy to step in front of a camera or to step in front of an audience say hey watch me let’s do this and so it’s almost like every day as an actor that you’re putting yourself out there you’re you’re it’s I mean that is an extra mile in relation to a lot of other professions I think in some ways.

Jennifer: When I did Bullets Over Broadway they were not promoting me at all because they wanted Diane Weiss to be in the supporting actor category so I took out all my own ads and variety and I put the Miramax logo in the corner to make it look like they were taking out the ads and they went on all the talk shows and I said can you please say I have Oscar buzz around my performance so that’s what’s the extra mile that I went and then I ended up getting nominated. I was a surprise nominee because I was so persistent and pushy so I was very proud of that.

School Spirits Season 3 premieres January 28 exclusively on Paramount+.