Also having a hard time communicating: Iris Chang, who according to Coburn, is “fierce” rather than cold. “Iris does anything for herself that needs done and really does not care about anyone’s feelings whatsoever,” Safran says. “Unlike [Natalie] Vasquez [played by Anabelle Acosta], who always wants to be the best, Iris is not concerned with being the best. Iris is just concerned with being Iris.”
The final addition, Drew Perales, is the trio’s de facto leader. A retired NFL player who’s both charming and ruthlessly driven, Perales helps his friends get ahead. “He’s very much a charismatic alpha,” Coburn says. “You might even say he’s a crusader in a certain way.” Naturally, his alpha personality will lead to him clashing with Alex and Vasquez — inside the Academy and out.