‘School Spirits’ Star Ci Hang Ma Talks Quinn’s Journey in Season 3 (Exclusive)

The first three episodes of School Spirits Season 3 are streaming now, and star Ci Hang Ma spoke to PopCulture.com about Quinn’s journey and surprising backstory.

Ma joined the Paramount+ mystery drama during the second season.

Major spoilers for Season 3 of School Spirits beyond this point!

Quinn died in a bus accident on the return from a competition with the high school’s marching band, but their story was getting questioned in these first few episodes. One of the spirits that Xavier is able to talk to at the hospital died in the accident, but after finding out there was no Quinn in the band, many wondered if they were telling the truth.

Everyone did some digging around, and they couldn’t even find Quinn in the yearbook. So, after getting hounded by everyone about what happened and who they really are, Quinn ultimately gave in and told the truth. This coming after they saw Maddie getting fake blood thrown on her during picture day and deciding to just go through with the picture anyway.

Quinn revealed that their real name was Jacqueline, and they made sure to be sick on picture day three years straight, otherwise they’d be wearing a “frilly dress” their mom got them. Their mom never got who they were. Quinn said when Rhonda pulled them out of the band, they took the chance to go by something else. They decided on Quinn because “Quinn is not a she or a he, and it just fit.”

Ma said the storyline is like “actor fulfillment.” They continued, “I kind of went on a similar journey as myself in my own life. So to be able to express that through a character has been really good for me as a person. But I’m so glad that Quinn also gets a chance to express themselves, because they enter Season 2 very much caring what other people think of them, as is what happens when you don’t fully express yourself. And it is more what other people think of you than what you actually think. So I feel really happy for Quinn that they get to express themselves finally.”

When it was discovered that there was no one named Quinn in the marching band and that their photo wasn’t even in the yearbook, it was hard to predict where the storyline was going to go. But it was even better than expected, especially since fans still didn’t know too much about them. And for Ma, being able to do this kind of storyline in a safe space and really express themselves, well, that’s every actor’s dream.

Fans have been learning a lot about the characters as the series goes on, even more so this season, and there is no telling what else will be in store. The first three episodes of School Spirits Season 3 are streaming now, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays.