My alarm rang and I shot up out of bed. I’d fallen asleep, but set an alarm to make sure that I didn’t miss my interview. One of my favorite shows on Netflix is My Life With The Walter Boys, and I have been anxiously awaiting the second season. I’d read the book years ago on Wattpad and had enjoyed it.
But I loved the show. Did the book translate well? Yes. But there was something special about the TV show that I couldn’t articulate. Still can’t. It is just that type of show that can allow you to escape reality.
And then there is a part of myself that is judging myself. What do I mean? Well, as I sat down to hop onto Zoom to speak to Ashby Gentry, there were a few things I promised myself I wasn’t going to do. I wasn’t going to be monotone, and I wasn’t going to say how much I didn’t like his character of Alex.
I failed on both of those.
But it’s okay, because what I was greeted with was a sweet guy who was there to talk about his teeth and using Invisalign. Weirdly enough, it was something that I did want to talk about as my teeth bug me, and I like to learn about better ways to take care of them.
Luckily, the interviews were running a bit behind, and when that happens, I like to get them caught up. When they come on the screen, we say our hello,s and I dive right in. I don’t need to ask as much about My Life With The Walter Boys, because I could talk about it forever.
Ashby asks me what I think about the show, and I smile. I know I am supposed to be interviewing him, but I also know that when an actor asks what someone thinks of the show, it means that really care. I answer his question, and he tells me about when he first read the book.
“I’m almost nostalgic for that time period,” he says, referring to the time period when Ali wrote the book. He continues, “When I read the book, it reminded me of my early childhood. I miss it in some ways.”
And suddenly I feel old. I even find myself saying to him how bad that comment dates me and how old I feel. He smiles and says, “We’re all getting there. Time is ticking.”
I’m not even mad about it. I love dark humor, and at this moment, he’s just making me laugh. He’s trying to recover – I have resting b**** face and he can’t read my face.
“I’m just joking,” he says. But it’s all good. He gives me a little insight into something. He tells me how, when he first met Ali, she told him, “Everybody looks the way I imagine them except for you.”
He then says he responded, “No. Same to you, Ali.“
I need to dive into the Invisalign of it all. TBH, I hadn’t really noticed Ashby’s teeth during the first season, and I kinda felt bad about that. I wanted to know what it was that made him want to partner with the brand.
“Truthfully, my doctor recommended them to me for health reasons. It wasn’t a cosmetic consideration initially, but it really worked out for me because a lot of what happens to my character is physically different. Invisalign really played into that and nicely, but not in a way that’s unnatural, which is something that I like about them. It doesn’t have an artificial look. It’s still my teeth. It’s just my teeth. It was like my smile reached its potential, which is great.”
He continued, “I feel like I’m bringing the best version of myself to things, which is nice. That’s the person I am. I’m always trying to improve and trying to bring a better version of myself than I have previously. It’s all a part of this. I’m really grateful to have worked with them.”
There is a way that he’s saying it that doesn’t make me feel like he’s been coached, but more that the difference in his teeth has changed him – Ashby. It wasn’t about his character, but it was about him.
I asked, “What is it about teeth, though, that brings a better version of yourself? What about that catapulted a better version of you?”
He looks at me and responds, “I think I’m a dialectical thinker. I think of things, there’s an element of the particular in the universal. There’s an element of the universal in the particular. Basically, what I’m saying is every little thing adds up in my view. I don’t think anything doesn’t matters. It’s more than there’s nothing like I don’t care about.”
He’s hesitant for a second and then adds, “Although it seems small, I think improving your smile, it improves your feeling about yourself holistically. Not only your feeling, your literal material presentation, but also which impacts your confidence, my confidence. Any little thing I can do to make me feel better about me, I’m going to do. I think this definitely falls under that umbrella.”
“Teeth are important,” I say.
“Teeth are important, hair is important, eyebrows, fashion. These are just appearance things, but it’s also like, it’s like reading every day. Going to the museum is important. Calling your mom. Life is one thing made up of a bunch of little things. I think it’s all worth paying attention to.”
Ashby is insightful, and it’s quite hard to think that he’s just 26. This guy takes in every moment and seems to try and make sure that he’s giving you all the attention he can. He appreciates that people want his insight. And hey, he’s got a lot that he has analyzed, and he wants to share.
And here’s where I break my second promise to myself. The words come out before I can push them back in. I say, “The last season ended with a cliffhanger. I’m not going to lie to you. Alex wasn’t my favorite character. I felt like he wanted the girl for a prize against his brother, versus actually being in love at certain points. Then also, I felt like he was in love and didn’t know how to be in love. It was like there was a lot of layers there. I was like, “Let’s peel back the onion.” You played him so differently than the book. Because in the book, I was like, “He’s got a plan. He’s just moving forward.”
And then I continue, “Now, I’m like, ‘What’s your plan? What are you doing? How are we feeling?” Especially with the issues with your best friends and what you may feel there, or what Alex may feel there. What is the one thing you can say about Alex’s character development from season 1 to season 2? Are we going to like him better?”
He laughs and says, “It’s so funny. I was talking in a previous interview about this, where I said, “One of the things that surprised me was how divided people are on Alex.”
I stop dead in my tracks because I am surprised that he is surprised.
He says, “I really thought– I’ve said this before. There’s a clip of me saying this that’s viral. I did think– I watched the show, and I thought in what world could you not be Team Alex? I really did think everybody would like him. That’s so the opposite. It’s I think most people don’t like him. What I will say is I think your issue with him, it feels like he just wants Jackie as a prize, is pretty– You will get your answer to that question in season 2 very, very explicitly.”
Okay, way to make me pull myself back because I am wondering what he watched that made him think that, but also, I wonder what I missed. I want to see what he means. And if I am wrong, I will say that I am wrong.
He continues, “Also, it is a different Alex. No lie. You’re getting a new Alex. It is sad in a way because I miss old Alex sometimes. I’m like, “He’s pretty gone.” I honestly am a little worried that people will be upset because he’s so different. I think some people will be happy. Some people will be, ‘What happened to cute Alex? Where did he go?”
I’m already asking myself where he went, but writing a sticky note to pay attention to all the possibilities.
Season 2 of My Life With The Walter Boys premieres on Netflix, August 28th. Learn more about Invisalign here.
