Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with That Girl Lay Lay’s Peyton Perrine III

Peyton Perrine III is one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars.

This fall, he made his television debut in Nickelodeon’s That Girl Lay Lay.

Pop Culturalist had the chance to sit down with Peyton to chat about the project.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Peyton: I discovered my passion for acting after I was on the game show Bet on Your Baby. I would see my mom having so much fun playing characters and auditioning for different types of roles. So I was basically like, “This looks cool,” and I wanted to try it.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Peyton: After I watched Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, and everyone else in the cast on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I was like, “Wow, this is so cool. They are having so much fun.” So when my mom asked me if I wanted to try it, I was like, “Yeah!”

PC: Tell us about That Girl Lay Lay, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Peyton: That Girl Lay Lay is about a teen, Sadie, whose wish comes true after her affirmation app Lay Lay comes to life! The two of them go on all types of fun adventures.

My character is Marky. He’s the little brother of Sadie. He is basically a businessman who ropes his family into his business ideas. Sometimes it works out for him and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s always a fun time.

After I read the script, I fell in love with Marky. Sometimes Marky can be nosy, but he’s cool. I mean, he’s an entrepreneur at ten years old! He knows how to make money and he knows what to do to make money. Not many kids can do that.

PC: What was the audition process like? How did you celebrate the news that you landed the role?
Peyton: The audition process was really long. I think over a thousand kids auditioned for this role. I auditioned at least five or six times.

The casting director, Suzanne Goddard-Smythe, was really nice. Each time, she would work with me on different things in the script and sharpen my acting skills. That makes sense to me now because now that I am on the show the script changes every day and you have to be able to adapt to the changes.

Honestly, I was crying on the floor and thanking God for this! I worked so hard to get this role and I finally did it. My family and I danced around and celebrated. We got a really good dinner, watched a movie, and spent time with each other.

PC: There is great chemistry that comes off the screen between you and the rest of the cast. How were you able to build that bond?
Peyton: To be honest, the first day I didn’t feel like we had chemistry whatsoever because I was terrified! [laughs] This experience was all new to me. But over the next couple of weeks, we started to become friends. We would have lunch together or even play basketball together. I remember this one time we had a dunk contest and we were all cheering each other on. Of course, I think I had the best dunk. [laughs] We spent so much time talking with each other, walking around set with each other, and working with each other that we all became really close. It’s been really cool!

PC: What has it meant to you to join the Nickelodeon family?
Peyton: Honestly, I grew up watching Nickelodeon. I would watch The Fresh Beat Band. It’s crazy. My dad on That Girl Lay Lay used to be Shout on The Fresh Beat Band. I would watch PAW Patrol, SpongeBob, Henry Danger, and a lot of Nickelodeon shows. And to now be on Nickelodeon is a really, really big deal for me because I love it so much.

PC: This is your biggest role to date. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Peyton: What surprised me about this experience was that I thought we would be filming on location, not on the set of a sound stage. It’s pretty amazing how everything comes to life right in front of your eyes.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Favorite TV show?
Peyton: That Girl Lay Lay.

PC: Favorite movie?
Peyton: Rush Hour.

PC: Favorite book?
Peyton: The Warrior series.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Peyton: Hamilton.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Peyton: *NSYNC.

PC: Dream role?
Peyton: Playing Denzel Washington’s son or grandson.

To keep up with Peyton, follow him on Instagram. Watch That Girl Lay Lay on Nickelodeon.

Photo Credit: Nickelodeon