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When Peyton Elizabeth Lee was on hiatus from Disney+‘s hit series Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., executive producer Melvin Mar had an idea as to what the star’s next project should be. Mar immediately brought Lee the script for Prom Pact, which was executive produced by Modern Family lead Julie Bowen. “As soon as I read it, I loved it. I was super excited about the character and the story, and I wanted to dive into the script. I told Melvin I would make it, and I even signed on as a producer,” the 18-year-old exclusively tells GRAZIA USA.

The movie, which was released on Disney Channel on March 30 and is now streaming on Disney+, focuses on Mandy Yang (played by Lee) who is obsessed with getting in Harvard. But when she finds out she’s been deferred, she is set on getting off the waitlist, leading her to befriend jock Graham Lansing (Blake Draper), whose father is a powerful senator and Harvard alum.

“At the beginning of the movie, all she cares about is getting into Harvard, but she then starts to fall in love with Graham. Throughout the course of the story, she starts to see that life is about more than just getting to the next thing,” the brunette beauty, who appears opposite Milo Manheim (Ben Plunkett), shares. “It’s a fun story. Everyone can relate to it, especially in that landmark in your life when you’re transitioning from high school to college or whatever you’re doing next in life.”

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Lee admits she and her character have “a lot of similarities” since she can relate to her academic drive. “I’ve been working for a long time, and school has always remained very central in my life — and I am in college right now, actually. That desire to achieve in an academic setting and sometimes losing perspective on the world is a feeling I understand very well. I was excited to portray her because she’s very representative of a facet of who I am.”

It didn’t hurt that the actress, who began acting at 10 years old and became a household name after appearing as Andi Mack, got to work alongside Manheim, whom she has known for a long time. “We are both in the Disney family, but Prom Pact was the first time we got to know each other really well, and we became close very quickly. Our other costar Blake is also incredible. The three of us are like family. Getting to develop those relationships off-screen was essential.”

“The most fun part about Prom Pact was that I was working with such great people. Life is too short to work with people that you don’t like or aren’t good people. I’ve been lucky enough to surround myself with incredibly talented, kind and supportive people,” she states.

Disney/Kharen Hill

In the flick, the characters are surrounded by over-the-top ’80s-themed Promposals — something Lee is fond of since her mom is the biggest John Hughes‘ fan. “There’s nothing more I love than a good rom-com,” she gushes. “It was really special to be able to bring the spirit of those films into the world we live in today.”

“The film shows you can work hard and go to parties, you can pursue academic success and also fall in love, you can have a boyfriend and best friend — you can have it all if you stay true to yourself and invest your energy and time wisely,” she notes. “You don’t have to choose one thing and isolate it from the rest of the experience. That’s an important reminder to have.”

Lee joined Disney Channel in 2017 when she played the titular character in Andi Mack and is now following in the footsteps of the stars who came before her, including Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and Miley Cyrus.

“It means everything to me. I say this very genuinely — there’s no better company than Disney. I think they cultivate an environment that is so conducive to growing a three-dimensional, well-rounded human being. They took care of me when I was younger and made sure I had room to be a kid. On top of that, it’s such a vast platform that has a lot of content. It’s cool to be just a small part of that legacy. Disney has such a special place in most people’s lives, and it’s fundamental to so many people’s upbringings.”

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From a young age, Lee always dreamt about becoming a professional actress. “I’ve loved the idea of connecting with people and storytelling,” she recalls. “It’s so crazy that now I get to do this. I’m so grateful.”

After going through 10 to 11 auditions for Andi Mack, she finally got the role, and the rest is history. “It taught me everything. It really stood for all the things that I want to do with my career in terms of representation and authentic storytelling. I owe everything to that show,” she says, adding that it’s the “greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

“It changed my life in a million different ways and was such a huge part of me getting to do what I love,” she gushes of the coming-of-age story about a girl that is just trying to fit in. “It was the first time that someone really took a chance on me, and it was incredible to see the way that show affected people.”

Lee, who looked up to Gomez growing up, is also elated she is able to relate to young girls who watch her at home. “There’s nothing more powerful than seeing someone you connect with, and I think movies and television are such a powerful way of doing that,” she says. “Hopefully these characters have an effect on people and people say, ‘I’m not alone’ or that person is like me or my friend or my neighbor. It promotes this community of empathy, which is so important.”

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“It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of it all, but when someone tells me about the character having an impact on their lives, I feel this weight of responsibility. It’s incredibly inspiring. I take being a role model very seriously. I feel honored.”

Though she’s been in the spotlight from a young age, the Disney star is surrounded by people that lift her up, making it easy for her to be confident in her own skin. “My family is everything to me; they are my support system. Having a family that was constantly reminding me of who I am is special. They embrace me for who I am at any given moment,” she notes.

As for what’s next, Lee is “open” to whatever comes her way. “Producing Prom Pact was very exciting for me, and my biggest dream is to continue to act because I love it more than anything, but I also want to develop my understanding of preproduction and post-production,” she shares. “Disney is always going to have a special place in my heart and in my career, and ideally, I will always be working with them. I would love to do other things and build my career in different directions and experience telling different kinds of stories, too, but Disney is always part of my life because they’ve given me so much. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come.”

Prom Pact is now streaming on Disney+.