‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ Star Ashby Gentry Spills on Season 2: ‘I Think People Will Be Surprised’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Catch up with the actor and find out what you can expect from Season 2 when it drops on August 28!
In a world of coming-of-age teen dramas, messy love triangles and figuring out how to get the girl, the name Ashby Gentry is one you’re bound to recognize. The actor is undoubtedly on his way to superstardom thanks to his portrayal of the sweet but nerdy Alex Walter in the Netflix smash hit, My Life with the Walter Boys.
Based on the book of the same name by Ali Novak, My Life with the Walter Boys follows the life of teen Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), who must learn to start over after the sudden tragic loss of her family. When she moves across the country to live with the Walter family, she meets Gentry’s character, Alex, as well as his older brother Cole (Noah LaLonde), along with their eight other siblings. Alex quickly becomes one-third of a love triangle as he and his popular older brother vie for Jackie’s heart.
Season 1 of the drama series dropped on Netflix in December 2023, and it quickly became the streamer’s biggest sensation. Now, nearly two years later, the cast is gearing up to release Season 2 and you won’t want to miss it.
But when Ashby Gentry isn’t portraying the reliable, bookish brother, he’s spending time with his castmates that are like family, getting recognized from everyone he passes by on the street and sporting his Invisalign retainers, which he recently partnered with. Catch up with the My Life with the Walter Boys actor and learn more about his partnership and what you can expect from the upcoming Season 2.
Woman’s World: Tell me about your journey with Invisalign. How did you start working with them and what has the experience been like?
Ashby Gentry: Well, I first started working with them in October 2023 and my doctor recommended them to me for health reasons. It was not a cosmetic choice initially and then I was just so surprised at how seamlessly they fit into my life as an actor in particular, because I’m always on camera, and so I’m able to take them out when I need and put them back in right away. It just worked really well with my lifestyle, and I was really happy with the cosmetic-like results of it, even though that wasn’t necessarily the impulse for starting them. It was just really helpful overall.
WW: Do you find that it’s been a smooth experience using Invisalign?
Ashby Gentry: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I did all of our press for Season 1 with my aligners in and I would just take them out when I needed to. Even if I didn’t take them out, you couldn’t tell that they were there. I use them literally every day and it’s like they weren’t even there at all. Nobody ever noticed them.
WW: Let’s talk about My Life with the Walter Boys. We left Alex in Season 1 having just opened up to Jackie, and then she left for New York without telling him. What’s changed for your character since the finale and what can you tease about his journey?
Ashby Gentry: He’s undergone kind of a big heartbreak with this person he says he loved, who then kind of split. I think one person can undergo various responses to heartbreak throughout their own life. I could get heartbroken three times and have three different responses, right?
And so, I think this seems to be one of extraversion and a response that’s confidence inducing. I mean, when he steps off the bus [in the trailer], he kind of looks powerful. And the first line in the show is, “Look at you.” The change is both external and definitely internal and I think people will be surprised.
WW: Are you similar to your character, at all? If not, how did you prepare to become Alex?
Ashby Gentry: I think my character is me, even though I’m not necessarily him in every way… We’re similar. He’s like a doer and so am I—I’m not someone that likes to sit still—which is awesome to play, because you get to do a lot of stuff. If I had to play somebody who sat around and did nothing all day, that’d be really hard, because I don’t.
I think he has somewhat of an addictive personality where he likes stimulus; he’s kind of a thrill seeker and so am I. And so, I think we’re similar in that way as well. And he’s a lover at heart.
WW: Will we get to see that same romantic side of Alex in season 2 after all that happened?
Ashby Gentry: That’s a big part of someone to kill off, so it’ll be hard to not see it.
WW: Right and one would imagine being in a love triangle with your brother could be a little difficult to manage.
Ashby Gentry: Yeah, I wouldn’t advise love triangles in general, let alone with your brother.
WW: Last season we got small glimpses into other characters, but obviously the focus was on yours, Cole and Jackie. Which other character’s storyline are you most excited to see play out this season?
Ashby Gentry: I gotta go with my buddy, Corey Fogelmanis’ character, Nathan. And, spoiler alert, I have seen Season 2 and he’s so good. He does such a great job. My character changes a lot, but his character changes a lot, too. I could give a laundry list of praise for everybody, because it’s not just Alex who changes —everybody kind of grows. But I think for Corey, it will be so interesting to see what happens to him throughout the second season. His character may fly under the radar, but he goes through an equally intense transformation.
WW: If you could describe Season 2 in three words, what words would you use?
Ashby Gentry: I would say fun, familiar, and fire.
WW: Getting that Season 2 renewal back in 2023 must have been exciting after just a few days of Season 1 being out, but it’s so rare to get another season before the upcoming one even airs. What was it like to get greenlit for Season 3 before the season 2 release date was even announced?
Ashby Gentry: Firstly, Nikki [Rodriguez] and Noah [LaLonde] and the rest of the cast are like family, so it’s a relief to know that I get to spend more time with them. I mean, they’re some of my closest friends at this point. And even when we’re not shooting, we hang out all the time. We fly across the country to hang out, because I live in New York and a lot of the cast lives in LA.
But even on a deeper level, we were at the Netflix Tudum event a month ago and it was interesting to hang out with the other casts, like Outer Banks and Ginny and Georgia, and Forever, because it really did feel like we were a part of something. And the Season 3 renewal kind of solidifies that, where it feels like we’re entering staple Netflix territory, which is an honor, because Netflix is the biggest streaming platform, so to be welcomed into that fold, it feels crazy, to be completely honest. It feels actually insane in such a gratifying way.
I don’t know how to describe it. It almost feels like you have been dreaming of a vacation your whole life, and then you finally get to take it. And you’re. like, ‘Wow! I can’t believe I’m here.’ So, getting the early renewal feels like a stamp on that and above all else, I love working on this project. Getting to do that again is the greatest joy of my life. Everybody who knows me, knows I’m happiest when I’m working, so it just makes me really happy.
WW: Of course, My Life with the Walter Boys is your big breakout role and being able to begin your career on a successful Netflix series is incredible. What about the experience has been the best part of the whole journey?
Ashby Gentry: I often underestimate how big the show is. In fact, my roommate brought this up. He was on vacation in Florida and said he was talking to his aunt and she asked him about his roommates. He said that one of them was an actor and on Netflix. She asked what show and he said, “My Life with the Walter Boys.” And she was, like, “Oh my god! I Love that show.” Then he told me, “I never would have thought my aunt would know who you were.”
And that’s what I’m saying. Way more people have seen it than I think have seen it. It’s like everybody’s aunt, mom, cousin and sister knows who I am. And then the occasional frat boy will stop me and be, like “Yo, are you, Alex from Walter Boys?” So yeah, it’s crazy. I really did not expect that.
It’s really nice, because it’s sort of like running into a friend on the street everywhere I go. It’s really sweet and it’s made the world feel a lot smaller. Also, I’ve met so many people now that I otherwise wouldn’t have and it’s, like, “Wow, everybody does kind of know each other.”
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