While everyone continues to gush over The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow – and rightfully so – it’s important that we not overlook another DC TV show that consistently knocks it out of the park but doesn’t feature superheroes. I am, of course, referring to iZombie. Heck, if you need further evidence aside from tuning in to any given episode, give our five-star review a look.
One aspect that has certainly given season 3 a big boost is that of the increased role of Peyton Charles, played by the talented actress Aly Michalka. Having a diverse filmography under her belt, it’s no wonder that she’s able to switch from being Liv Moore’s best friend to a tough as nails assistant district attorney on a dime.
I recently had the privilege of catching up with Aly at Motor City Comic Con, and was able to gain some keen insight into the ever-evolving character of Peyton as well as finding out which other DC TV show she’d love to pay a visit. Read on to see what she had to say!
WGTC: This season, you were fortunate enough to be promoted to a series regular. Have you not only enjoyed the frequency of more work, but also being able to explore the character of Peyton in ways not possible in the first two seasons as being more of a guest star?
Aly Michalka: Yeah, definitely. I think being given larger storylines obviously helps me as an actor when preparing for an upcoming season. It’s also nice to be in the loop when it comes to knowing that Liv is a zombie, so it’s nice not being an outsider that’s not aware of the secret. I’m just grateful to be on the show and be a part of it in any way I can, but it’s always nice to be given an opportunity to appear more frequently, and that’s definitely happened this season.
WGTC: Continuing on that note, it’s not just that you’ve been promoted, but Peyton is gaining more of an importance on the show. Recently, there was the followup to the dominatrix murderer. It’s kind of allowed the show to take a Law & Order turn. Would you like to talk about how Peyton is more of a vital cog now?
AM: Yeah, they’ve definitely made her involved in more of the cases when it comes to the crimes that Liv and Babineaux are trying to solve, so she’s definitely involved in that storyline a lot more. We also see Peyton get a higher up position in the series and without giving you a major spoiler, you see that she actually ends up walking away from being an assistant district attorney. So, she ends up getting a better job because of hard work that she’s done with these cases.
WGTC: Peyton’s gone through a lot of character development this season; she’s become a bit more no-nonsense lately. Do you think her personal life has contributed to that? Not only was she burned by Ravi, but now there’s the situation with Blaine. What do you think about the evolution of Peyton and that no-nonsense nature she’s now having?
AM: Yeah, that’s a great point. I think she’s definitely come to a place where she doesn’t wanna put up with anybody’s bullshit. I think she does realize that she’s gotten burned by not only by Ravi, but also by Blaine, and that really, at the end of the day, Liv is the only one that hasn’t managed to let her down other than not telling her the secret at the very beginning. I think she realizes that her priorities need to shift and that she needs to focus on her friendship with Liv. You’ll start to see more of that towards the end of the season. I think she’s getting frustrated by being jerked around by both of these guys.
WGTC: What kind of brains do you want to see Liv eat eventually?
AM: I would love to see her eat the brain of a standup comic, that would be great. It would be great if she ate the brain of a Kiwi because she [Rose McIver] is a New Zealander and she would obviously nail that. One of our favorite brains that are on this season is a Dungeons & Dragons master, which is pretty amazing, and I think that’s one of our favorites as a cast.
WGTC: Recently, we saw Rahul [Kohli] do a guest shot on Supergirl, which works because this is a Vertigo comic, so it’s a separate universe. If you could do a guest shot on another DC TV show, which one would you like and is there a character in mind that you wish you could play?
AM: Honestly, I would say Arrow. I think it would be cool. Obviously, he’s the one that’s into archery, but it would be cool to see a female version of him that does the same thing that’s almost like his nemesis or something.
That concludes our interview with Aly Michalka, but you can catch her on iZombie, which airs on Tuesday nights on The CW.
