'Tomorrow People' Interview: Peyton List on Cara's Dark Human History

Check out our brand new interview with Tomorrow People star Peyton List!

The 27-year-old actress plays Cara, a member of the Tomorrow People with an extra special gift that makes her an ace at telepathy.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Peyton List

In tonight’s episode “Girl Interrupted,” Stephen (Robbie Amell) reluctantly attends a party and is startled when he hears that one of his classmates is in trouble. Desperate to help, he turns to John (Luke Mitchell) and Cara (List), but they make it clear that they do not help humans.

Stephen secretly tries to enlist Cara’s help, which brings up her own feelings about her traumatic past. JJJ caught up with Peyton about what we can expect!

The Tomorrow People airs TONIGHT @ 9PM on The CW!

Click inside to read our interview with Peyton List…

JustJaredJr.com Interview – Peyton List

JustJaredJr: We learn a lot about Cara’s dark past in tonight’s episode. How much did you know about her going into the pilot?

Peyton List: I didn’t know anything. That’s one of the joys of TV, right? But it’s actually been an interesting sort of journey with that and our entire series. We shot things down the line and then we’re like, “Oh my God, I wish I knew this.” What’s really amazing is that the whole cast was just talking about it. When we were watching episode two, knowing what we know now, is that everything works. The powers that be that knew all this information cut it together so it’s as if we knew the entire time. So our bases are covered there (laughs). But it’s definitely and interesting thing for an actor going, “Oh, OK. Well, that changes things.” I knew in the pilot that she was very strong in her beliefs and very confident in the decisions she makes, and that was probably for a reason. With the writers of the show, they’ve told us that we might see something that’s played in earlier episodes and brought in later down the line. It’s sort of this reciprocal thing they have happening. It’s exciting.

JJJ: Do you think Cara’s human life affected how she feels about the human race now, as part of the Tomorrow People?

PL: Absolutely. I think with anybody, your experiences in your life will affect how you feel down the line. I think she is in a very dark place in this episode mentally because of the time of year and because of what has happened to her. So much so that maybe a lot of her decisions she’s making are very emotional, and maybe not quite as rational as she is most of the time. But she’s had some very bad things happen to her. In a way to protect herself, she takes a very hard line. And that’s where are characters have clashes and differences of opinion. And a lot of the characters’ actions on the show are deliberate. They are going to do what they think is the right thing to do. Everybody has an opinion and has to, given the world we live in, act on it. Or it’s all over. We do have these flashbacks and it’s interesting because we see a different side of Stephen this week. We see that he has matured into the role that he has right now, where he’s in ULTRA and then he also has this secret life with the Tomorrow People. He has to sort of rise to the occasion of making calls and decisions based on what he believes in. And that’s something we really haven’t seen much of him in the past. He’s still finding his way and stumbling through. Now he’s had a little bit of time to sink in and that’s what gives us the drama.

JJJ: Cara has a lot more faith in Stephen than John. Why do you think that is?

PL: Well I think there’s a couple of reasons for it. John has his own history and he’s seen a lot, even a lot more than Cara has when it comes to ULTRA and how bad things can get. I don’t think that makes him cynical. It just makes him a bit more cautious and I think he doesn’t have the connection with Stephen that Cara does. Whereas, when you’re a bit closer to someone, you’re a bit more forgiving of things. You have more faith in them because you can feel how much their heart is in it. John doesn’t have that with Stephen, so he makes all his decisions very rationally where he believes something is right, and then Stephen believes something is right. It’s just going to be a stand-off. Stephen doesn’t know John’s past and what John knows, so there’s never going to be true understanding between them.

JJJ: Do you think John is jealous because of Cara and Stephen’s bond, or is it also because Stephen has stronger powers than him?

PL: I think it’s all of it. John is the leader and it’s been kind of “his word goes” where he’s the most powerful when it comes to his abilities. And then Stephen comes along and he can stop time. He’s the son of the strongest Tomorrow Person that’s ever been and he will inherit that sort of strength. I think John needs him and John wants them all to survive, so he needs him as an ally, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I think there are a bunch of things that play into it, and then you add the connection between Stephen and Cara on top of it. I think John is sorting through a lot, so our love triangle is appropriately complicated.

JJJ: We will we get to see more about the history of John and Cara’s relationship and how they came together?

PL: We will. We continue using the flashback storytelling. It’s something that’s one of my favorites. We do fill in. And in this episode, we go back five years, but we don’t necessarily go back to that time. We can go back 10, 15 years and fill in the blanks in a way that’s appropriate with the story that goes along with what’s happening in the present. I hope people really like that because I certainly do.