Getty Jacob Bertrand and Peyton List at the premiere screening of "The Swap" in Los Angeles in 2016.
Fans of Netflix’s acclaimed new series “Cobra Kai” will recognize teenage stars Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand as Tory Nichols and Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz, two of the series’ main teenage villains (or reformed villains). Although the two characters don’t share many scenes together in “Cobra Kai,” many fans may not know that their relationship stretches back years before “Cobra Kai,” beginning when they co-starred in a movie together back in 2016.
Here’s everything you need to know.
List & Bertrand Were the Leads In a ‘Freaky Friday’-Style Movie
In 2016, when List was 18 and Bertrand was 16 (also two years before either of them would appear on “Cobra Kai”), the two starred in a Disney Channel original movie called “The Swap,” in which they portrayed high school sophomores and classmates Ellie O’Brien and Jack Malloy, respectively. Both youngsters are going through hard times, and eventually they get into an argument about who has it worse, with Ellie claiming boys have it better than girls, while Jack claims the opposite.
When they each declare that they wish they had the other’s life, their wish is granted and, after being knocked out by a magical lightning strike, they swap bodies. The full movie can be viewed on YouTube here.
List, arguably the most recognizable among the “Cobra Kai” teenage cast, rose to fame with her various appearances on Disney Channel productions, most notably that of Emma Ross on “Jessie.” She portrayed Emma for four years, from 2011 to 2015, and reprised the role on a number of other Disney Channel shows, such as “Austin & Ally” in 2012, and “Bunk’d,” from 2015-2018, which she finished shortly before she started production on “Cobra Kai.” She also directed an episode of “Bunk’d” in 2018, when she was 20. As of now (with the exception of a 2021 guest appearance on “Bunk’d”), “The Swap” is the last appearance List has made in a Disney Channel original move or TV show.
“The Swap” is not Bertrand’s first appearance on Disney either. From 2014-2017, the young actor starred as the titular character in Disney Channel’s “Kirby Buckets.” He also appeared in a a variety of other movies and TV shows, including “The Middle,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Community,” and “iCarly.”
The ‘Cobra Kai’ Co-Stars Are Good Friends in Real Life
In a 2016 Young Hollywood interview on the film, the two actors said they had a great relationship on set. “”We hung out so much,” said List. “We went out to dinner, and would hang out with the cast… We all were starting to really bond at the end of the movie.” List then added that the cast bonded even more at Canada’s Wonderland, an amusement park near Toronto, Ontario, where the movie was shot. “We even went on a ride where we got hailed on on the rollercoaster…we’re on this crazy rollercoaster and getting hail shot at our faces,” she said. “It was intense.”
The two seem to still be on good terms, with each publicly wishing the other a happy birthday on Instagram.
Both actors’ backgrounds stand in stark contrast to their battle-hardened roles on “Cobra Kai,” with both Tory and Hawk filling the role of malicious antagonist or bully during the majority of their time on the show. Season 3 saw Hawk reform himself back into an ally of his old friends, and many fans have praised his performance on the show.
As a result of Hawk’s transformation, the spiteful Tory called Hawk a “traitor,” and told him, “You better watch your back.” This was the last we saw of their characters together so far. How they will develop in future seasons of the show, both with each other, and the show at large, will soon be explored in season 4.
Be sure to catch the next season of “Cobra Kai” when it is released on Netflix Dec. 31.