Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry. Getty Images(3)
Nikki Rodriguez’s chemistry with costars Noah LaLonde and Ashby Gentry on My Life With the Walter Boys comes from a strong friendship offscreen.
“It’s crazy how well the three of us get along,” Rodriguez, 21, told Us Weekly exclusively. “We are genuinely like best friends.”
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Rodriguez — who landed a role on the Netflix coming-of-age drama after a stint on the streamer’s hit show On My Block — was selected as a “Rising Star” in the latest edition of Us. Crowned “The Drama Queen,” Rodriguez has captivated audiences as Jackie, the center of a love triangle on Walter Boys. But in real life, Rodriguez says that her relationship with LaLonde (who plays Cole) and Gentry (who plays Alex) is drama-free.
“Ashby and Noah can talk for hours, literally,” she told Us. “So it’s usually just me, sitting with them in silence, which is probably hilarious to watch from an outside perspective, but it’s a dynamic that works really well. I’m grateful for them.”
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The show follows Rodriguez as Jackie, a teenage New Yorker who moves in with family friends in rural Colorado after a tragedy leaves her orphaned. As she adjusts to her new lifestyle, she finds herself developing feelings for estranged brothers Cole and Alex Walter, leading to a complicated love triangle.
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Rodriguez attended the Golden Globes with LaLonde, 26, earlier this year, and the actress cited the awards show as the biggest “pinch-me” moment so far in her career.
“It’s very surreal to be in a room full of people whose work you admire,” she said. “It was also one of the first things I put on my vision board a couple of years ago, so it was a very cool full-circle moment for me.”
Chris Large/2023 Netflix
Also on Rodriguez’s vision board: an intense, thought-provoking project and a role opposite two major movie stars.
“I’d love to do a raw, slice-of-life type of movie,” the actress shared. “I also really like intense, thought-provoking stories, the ones that make you think about them for a long time. Something like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. As far as a dream costar, I think Florence Pugh does incredible work, and I’d love to do an action film with Pedro Pascal.”
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For now, Rodriguez has her sights set on more of My Life with the Walter Boys, which was renewed for a second season in December 2023.
“I hope Jackie takes some time for herself [in season 2] and refocuses on her long-term goals,” Rodriguez told Us. “She kind of ran away from her problems in season 1, and I’m excited to see her deal with what happens next.”
My Life with the Walter Boys is streaming on Netflix.
Us Weekly
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