Very few things make me afraid, but everything makes me nervous. When I am passionate about something, I have a tendency to fumble my words and end up acting like a twelve-year-old meeting a celebrity for the first time. I get excited, and I make a fool out of myself. Interviewing Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry, and Nikki Rodriguez from My Life With The Walter Boys – it is always a good time to speak to these three.
When I sat down to interview that cast of, the first mistake that I made was rewatching the series before my interview. Why? Because so much of this season I spent actually angry at the characters. And it so happened that it was episode six, and I was mad at Cole for the crap he pulled and Alex for not being there.
Yes, I blame Alex for the dance going bad, too. Why? Because he stayed away when he knew that Jackie wanted him there. That threw her off, too. It wasn’t the time for Alex to try and prove that he was over Jackie.
Feeling emotions over characters isn’t a bad thing. It actually is a sign that the storylines and the actors are making a big different to those watching.
But if we’re talking beyond the roles, I will be honest, I don’t pay too much attention to their personal life. I don’t care about who is dating whom, behind-the-scenes relationships/friendships, and more. I care about the roles that Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry, and Nikki Rodriguez play. It’s those roles that make an impact on the viewer.
The discourse online is a lot about relationships and who should be together and who shouldn’t. What I fell down a rabbit hole over was the Team Alex or Team Cole. I was thankful that the fighting hadn’t gotten as extreme as The Summer I Turned Pretty, but it is a lot of discourse nonetheless.
I asked, “With all the discourse online that happens, especially with a show like yours and the resurgence of YA properties and adaptations, how do you stay away from that and really just focus on your characters?”
To be honest with you, I blanked on all of their names at that moment because of nerves, so I said anyone could answer. As I said, I get nervous.
Noah seems almost protective of Nikki and Ashby, looking at them and then looking ahead. He leaned forward and said, “I think it’s inevitable with the involvement of these types of audiences. We’re kids. We have a lot of people in our lives that are really invested, both that we know and that we don’t know, so I think pretending like we have zero involvement in knowing what people are saying just would be false. We see a version of it.”
He then continued, “I think for the long periods of time of which we’re not working, it’s fun to see such a passionate group of people invested in what we’re doing. Then I think, for me, when we get back on set, like we are now, it’s you try to temper it and you try to focus on the work because you get to be one of the only people privileged enough to know what happens next, so you rest on that side of things and trust that it’ll be there when you’re done.”
If I was them, I would retreat to their set. It’s picturesque and ideal. Their set seems to be the best place to be. Out in the middle of nowhere, giving them the space to concentrate specifically on their stories and their characters. It gives them space to be themselves.
I said, “You guys have a beautiful set to work on. I would forget everything just being out there.”
“Exactly,” Nikki responded. She didn’t speak much, but I found that to be okay. She was and has always been nice, quiet, and straight forward.
Noah then chimed in, “Totally helps. It’s really, a lot of times, the first few days, we’ll be driving out to where we film, and we’ll lose service on the way there. It’s the ultimate meditation – it’s great.”
Ashby then made me laugh, “I’ll throw my phone out the window. It’s awesome.”
That can get quite expensive, but I appreciate Ashby and his way of making everyone laugh and smile.
I received a message at this point in the conversation that I have one minute left, so I asked for just the number of their favorite episode, without context. I love to know what the artist thinks about their art.
And yes, television shows are an art.
“6,” Ashby says.
“9,” Nikki follows up with.
“I’m going to say 10,” Noah answers, “Let me just add, I did say 10, so you had to finish, by the way.”
I don’t think they will have anyone not wanting to finish thw show, so no worries there. If anything we’ll all watch a few times.
Time is up and I say my goodbyes. Until next season, when I obsess again.
The second season of My Life With The Walter Boys is streaming now on Netflix.
