In Her Campus’ series Next Question, we rapid-fire interview emerging Gen Z talent about what it’s like to rule over the internet. This month, actor Ashby Gentry is in the hot seat to answer our burning questions.
Ashby Gentry and his My Life With The Walter Boys character, Alex Walter, have one thing in common: they both fall really hard for the person they like. If you’re a Team Cole die-hard, Gentry’s kindness, humor, and great music taste might have you switching sides before Season 2 airs. “Alex exemplifies love as a verb, not just as a noun. He puts his love into action. Love him or hate him, he’s the textbook right answer,” Gentry says in an exclusive interview with Her Campus.
The Team Alex or Team Cole debate has made itself prominent on social media. Currently, #AlexWalter has over 669 million views on TikTok and #AlexAndJackie currently has over 72 million. This level of interaction with My Life With The Walter Boys is not what Gentry anticipated at all. “I honestly expected to have a very small role in My Life With The Walter Boys. I had no idea there was a love triangle, and that it would be No. 1 in the world,” Gentry says. “My expectations were pretty nonexistent. I was just grateful to be a part of something.”
But thanks to some advice from his on-screen mom, Suits alum Sarah Rafferty, Gentry was able to fully embrace the role of Alex without losing sight of himself by “taking better care of myself while we were filming.” He adds, “She really stressed that, and how important it is to make space for yourself … while you’re doing these kinds of things.”
The tension between Gentry’s Alex and his on-screen brother Cole (played by Noah LaLonde) comes from their interest in Jackie (played by Nikki Rodriguez). Gentry believes this tension would have continued if Jackie made a different choice at the end of Season 1. “Alex knows [Jackie] loves Cole. The plot of the show is that Alex watches Jackie have this chemistry with Cole knowing that she really loves him,” Gentry says. “Alex watches them and he’s very aware that there’s something there, and that’s upsetting for him. So I do think that tension would continue.”
The burning question still lingers: Will Jackie return to Colorado? Gentry thinks if she does return, the dynamic between her and Alex will be very different. “Knowing Alex, I can’t imagine he’d want to talk to her. I could see him avoiding her because that’s in his character to do so,” he says. “He can be passive-aggressive, so I can’t imagine he would just be cool with her. And I’d imagine he’s pretty wounded because [this is] the second time this has happened to him with the same guy.”
Whether you’re Team Alex or Team Cole, My Life With The Walter Boys Season 2 is bound to be a hit — especially with Gentry as a leading man.
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
You attended Boston University. What’s one of your favorite spots in the city?
Union Square donuts. It’s my go-to spot in Boston.
I often see you posting the music you’re listening to on your Instagram stories. What are three songs that keep you going?
“When the Ship Comes In” by Bob Dylan, “New Slang” by the Shins, and “Away From Home” by Drake.
What’s one of your favorite memories from the set of My Life With The Walter Boys?
This is not an on-set memory, but after the show wrapped, we all went on a trip to Vancouver. One night, we found this brick of ice cream in the freezer. We found some Eggo waffles and Noah, Corey [Fogelmanis], and I just stayed up for an hour making these waffle ice cream sandwiches with this brick of ice cream. I’ll never forget that night.
If you had to pick one thing that you and Alex Walter have in common, what would it be?
We both fall really hard. It sucks and it hurts. I think ultimately, we show affection in different ways, but the amount of affection — the intensity of it — is very much the same.
Is there a Walter Boys group chat? If so, what do you guys talk about?
It’s called Pickle Rick Owens. I can’t remember why we named it that, but I think it was because I kept joking about Rick Owens’ fluorescent light bulb hats. I was going to wear one to the [My Life With The Walter Boys] premiere and then somebody brought up Pickle Rick. We photoshopped that onto Pickle Rick and that became the group chat. We talk about filming and what we’re doing that weekend. [Or] it’ll be memes we’ll just send each other.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to pursue acting?
I heard this from Elsie Fisher: “There’s no such thing as an aspiring actor. It’s just actors. So don’t worry about getting to some place, just worry about doing the job and do it well.”
As a former theater kid, what’s one of your favorite plays/musicals?
I love Samuel D. Hunter’s plays. I also love this play called The Harvest. I hope they do a movie of it, and [if so], I want to be in the movie.
What is your guilty pleasure TV show?
OG Degrassi.