Alyvia Alyn Lind is talking about trauma and low-rise jeans in the same breath — which, for a show like Wayward, makes perfect sense. The new Netflix psychological thriller, set in a sleepy 2003 town with a dark secret, follows a group of teens trapped inside an unregulated “therapeutic” boarding school called Tall Pines. Lind plays Lyla, a sharp-edged survivor trying to take the system down from the inside. “I’m so proud of it,” she says. “I keep rewatching it over and over again. It’s rare to watch work you’re proud of, but this one—I can’t stop.”
The series comes from comedian and writer Mae Martin, who also stars alongside Lind, Toni Collette, and Patrick J. Adams. “The writing is so complex,” Lind says. “Every single character has a backstory, some kind of trauma. Everyone at Tall Pines has their own reason for being there, and they’re all disturbing in different ways. It’s a show about what those experiences do to a person—and how far down they have to go before finding their way back.”
Despite the darkness, Lind says filming Wayward was “pure joy.” Between takes, she and co-star Sydney Topliffe were apparently chaos incarnate. “We were so silly,” she laughs. “We’d go from hysterical crying scenes to filming parodies of High School Musical or Die Hard. Mae would join in sometimes. I’m terrified of what Sydney’s going to post when the show comes out.”
If the show feels eerily grounded, that’s because Martin drew from a friend’s real experiences in the “troubled teen” industry. “Before we even got to set, Mae talked us through every detail,” Lind says. “They told us, ‘If you ever need to ask anything—even what your character’s zodiac sign is—just text me.’ So I did. Constantly. I don’t know how Mae’s not sick of me.”
It helps that the show nails the early-2000s aesthetic — chunky phones, Pink Floyd CDs, and the kind of jeans society now pretends never happened. “The cell-phone thing really threw me,” Lind admits. “Watching people on flip phones just does something to you. It made me realize how much that changes your energy. And the clothes—oh my god. I love low-rise jeans. The grungy tank tops, layered shirts, all of it. I felt so cool.”
Music plays a huge role too, with Third Eye Blind and Weezer blaring through cafeteria speakers. “They actually played the real songs on set,” she says proudly. “Third Eye Blind was blasting, and we were just like, ‘Let’s go!’ Lyla’s music taste is my favorite part of her. She’s so punk and messy, but still kind of poetic. It helped me find her headspace.”
It’s a familiar feeling for Lind, who’s spent much of her young career in dark, high-stakes roles—from Chucky to The Spiderwick Chronicles. “I’ve been so lucky,” she says. “I just love horror. Maybe I get these roles because I’m just more excited on those audition tapes. I can’t help it. It’s my favorite genre.”
The conversation eventually turns to Toni Collette, who plays the head of Tall Pines — a terrifying mix of charm and menace. “I freaked out when I found out she was in it,” Lind says. “She’s an icon, especially in horror. I was so nervous to meet her.” Their first scene together happened on Lind’s 17th birthday, just after midnight. “She gave me the biggest hug,” Lind recalls. “The warmest, most comforting person. We celebrated my birthday that night. She’s just… one of the girls. Which feels insane to say about Toni Collette.”
That hug stuck with her — literally. “After filming, I tried hugging someone the way Toni does in that scene,” she laughs. “It actually feels different. Someone should make that a TikTok trend — ‘The Toni Collette Hug.’”
For all the heavy material, Lind says Wayward was a life-changing experience. “Everyone on set knew how important this story was,” she says. “We all felt like we were telling something that mattered. I’d make 50 seasons of it if Netflix let me. Just to be back in that bubble, with those people.”
Watch the full interview above and then check out the trailer below.
