Entertainment Movies Everything to Know About 'Hocus Pocus 2' Star Whitney Peak From her early beginnings in acting to the strides she's made in fashion, here's everything to know about breakout star Whitney Peak By Skyler Caruso Skyler Caruso Skyler Caruso is a Writer and Reporter of PEOPLE Digital Entertainment. She joined PEOPLE in 2021, but has eight years of experience working in digital publishing with a focus on entertainment and pop culture news. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 4, 2022 05:41PM EDT Close Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty We are bewitched to introduce you to Whitney Peak! The breakout actress stars as Becca in Hocus Pocus 2, a young girl who turns sixteen on Halloween and accidentally revives the Sanderson sisters. While audiences are sure to be charmed by Peak's character in the cult classic's spooky spinoff — alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy — the star on the rise has brewed up several other projects prior. After moving to North America, the Ugandan-Canadian actress was inspired to pursue a career in entertainment full-time, talking with PEOPLE in June 2021 about her personal background and how she was first introduced to acting. Since then, she's landed roles on hit series for mega streamers like Netflix and HBO Max. In addition, she's ventured into the fashion space having partnered with mega designers — in addition to gracing magazine covers. From her early beginnings in acting to the strides she's made in fashion, here's everything to know about Peak. 'Gossip Girl' Reboot Star Whitney Peak Says the Show's 'Huge Fandom' Can Be 'Overwhelming' She was born in Uganda Whitney Peak/Instagram Peak was born in Uganda and was raised there until she was 10 years old before moving to Canada in 2012. For the young actress, it was a "big culture shock" due to the many differences between the countries. Particularly, the educational systems were notably different for Peak. "It was definitely weird adjusting to the school curriculum," she told PEOPLE, adding, "And how much more free it was in North America." She explained, "I went to boarding school in Uganda. So I hadn't really gotten the public school experience." An aspect that took adjusting for Peak? Not having to wear a uniform, noting "it was just kind of weird." Now, Peak lives in a loft apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. She often posts pictures on her Instagram enjoying the city lifestyle. How Hocus Pocus 2 Connects to the Original Movie She didn't initially plan on becoming an actress Whitney Peak/Instagram It wasn't until Peak moved to North America that she realized acting could even be a possibility for herself. "It was kind of ingrained in me that you go to school, you get a college education, and then you do whatever job you studied for — so in my head, I was either going to be a doctor or a lawyer," she said. She noted that she didn't have much access to television growing up until her move to North America where she started "immersing [herself] in it." But in 2015, she got her big break. What started with background work on the TV series Minority Report turned into booking the role of a younger version of Lara Vega, played by Meagan Good. Her costar, Colin Lawrence, was so impressed with her talent that he connected her to his agency, Play Management. "For the longest time, acting was just this little thing that I did on the side, a little hobby," she told The New York Times. Things shifted, however, when she started acting classes. "That's when I stopped looking at it as a hobby and as something I'm actually interested in." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. She's no stranger to witch roles Dia Dipasupil/Getty The role of Becca in Hocus Pocus 2 isn't the only witch credit Peak has to her name! Prior to her casting in the Halloween cult classic, the actress played Judith Blackwood in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She stars in the Gossip Girl reboot Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max/Courtesy Everett Collection In addition to landing parts in Molly's Game, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and more, Peak nabbed a starring role in HBO Max's Gossip Girl reboot, in which she plays Zoya Lott. While the actress described her character as "very young and naive" she made sure to tell PEOPLE that "she has a really good head on her shoulders with really good intentions." Peak added, "She doesn't like to see the people around her in pain or unhappy." Kathy Najimy Explains Why Mary's Crooked Smile Is Backwards in 'Hocus Pocus 2' : 'We Can Justify It' She has created a name for herself in the fashion industry Taylor Hill/Getty Given all the fun outfits Peak gets to wear on set, it's no wonder the actress has an interest in fashion herself. In fact, she's made a name for herself off-set as well! Between being named Chanel's brand ambassador in March 2021 and having graced magazine covers like Harper's Bazaar's youth issue in June, Peak is only getting started in the sartorial scene. She attended the Met Gala in 2021 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty We told you she's taking over the sartorial scene! In 2021, Peak attended the Met Gala — donning none other than Chanel, of course! "Couldn't have been a better day getting glammed by my favourite team and wearing this beautiful hand beaded gown," she wrote on Instagram. "200+ hours of hard work by the atelier, masterminded by Virginie. it couldn't have been more of a dream."