‘School Spirits’: Kristian Ventura Teases New Villain Following Cliffhanger and What’s Next for Simon (Exclusive)

School Spirits Season 3 has premiered, and star Kristian Ventura spoke to PopCulture.com about what’s coming next.

The first three episodes of the new season dropped on Wednesday on Paramount+.

In these episodes, we find out that Ventura’s Simon is indeed stuck in the afterlife at Split River High, but he is not dead. He can talk to all the spirits, he can even talk to Maddie, who is back in her body, but she is the only one in the real world who can see and talk to him. Much like how it was when Maddie was on the other side. So Simon has had to work with everyone to find a way out and dig even deeper into the mysteries surrounding Split River High.

One of the most surprising things to come out of Simon being in the afterlife is his dynamic with Wally. They’ve been working together, and even despite the fact that they both care for Maddie and disagree at times, Ventura says that this is only the beginning for them.

“I’d say that they bond faster than they’ll ever expect because they have to,” he explained. “You think it’s gonna be a slow burn, lone rangers fighting for the girl, trying to get through it. No. They immediately have to get along because it’s just impossible to do it without it. Wally’s gonna hate Simon, especially to prove what he can do for Maddie. And Simon has no understanding of how the spirit world works.”

“He needs Wally and Wally’s courage, too. So they need each other, and they’re gonna bond, and it’s really hilarious,” he continued. “And they actually care for each other. They may not say it, but there’s a reason why they scream, ‘Simon!’ and ‘Wally!’ It’s not because they’re scared. It’s because they’re like, ‘I hope he’s not dead.’ ‘That’s my guy.’”

Something that Simon and Wally have done together is going deeper through the veil, which seems to serve as some type of connection between the afterlife and the real world. It’s how Mr. Martin accidentally caused the bus crash that killed the school marching band, and even Wally managed to temporarily break through. Episode 3 ended on a cliffhanger that saw Simon going through the veil, despite the risks. The rope that he was holding broke, and Simon came across something that seems to be pretty sinister.

“I say we finally got our villain,” Ventura said of the episode’s final moments. “We got our villain. He’s locked in. Who the hell is this white eyes guy? He’s tall and scary.”

Meanwhile, there will be much more to look forward to as Simon continues to be stuck in the afterlife, such as the dynamics. Simon is talking to the ghosts for the first time, and he only really knows what Maddie told him. So he’s spending a lot of time with them, whether they like it or not. And there’s one particular ghost that Ventura wishes Simon had more time with.

“This was short-lived, but I did wanna highlight him and Janet,” he said. “I think that was such a nice moment. And it’s because there is something about them that just maybe it’s their intelligence. They just connect. They don’t even talk about it or formally shake hands and say, ‘What do you like to do for fun?’ They just kinda get each other. It’s a sort of effortless bond that they have through high-pressure stakes.”

“I really loved working with Jess Gabor on her scenes because she as an actress… I wish Paramount would release the outtakes because we would do it maybe six, seven times,” Ventura continued. “And she is the only actor that I worked with on the show who, seven out of seven times, it’s different. Sometimes we’re doing a Broadway show. As we do the scene, like, we’re on Dexter, and it’s so different. And she’s so alive to her impulses that every time we do it, we’re both looking at her like, ‘Whoa. Where did we go with that one?’ It was awesome. And that’s the kind of collaboration that an actor lives for is the capacity to go anywhere.”

School Spirits Season 3 has just started, so there is no telling what will happen with Simon in the afterlife and the villain that will surely create more problems than ever before at the high school. Fans will have to tune in on Wednesdays on Paramount+ to see what happens. The first three episodes of Season 3 are streaming now.