キュレート | ベイリ | Schön! マガジン

bodysuit. Kilian Kerner
skirt. Self-Portrait
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom

It’s been a whirlwind two years for Nikki Rodriguez. Catapulted into the spotlight after season one of ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ held the number one spot on Netflix for over a month – and was renewed for season two just 12 days later – she’s barely had time to absorb her success. When we speak, she’s in production for season three, surrounded by Calgary’s striking landscape. “I talk about the mountains all the time, but it is my favourite place in the world,” she shares, “You just feel so peaceful and serene the second you get there.” And with the second season on the horizon, the 22-year-old actress is exactly where she needs to be – surrounded by nature.

The show follows Jackie Howard, an overachieving student whose life is upended by her family’s sudden death. Moving from New York to Colorado to live with the Walters, she falls for not one, but two Walter boys. In season two, after spending the summer in The Big Apple, she finds herself on a new path of self-discovery. “The idea of what New York was and the reality of what it is to her now are two different things,” Rodriguez comments, “She then decides to face things a little more head-on, and you see her grow and develop during the season.”

Sitting down with Schön!, Rodriguez discusses returning to the role of Jackie, teases what’s ahead in season two, and shares the roles she hopes to play next.

sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
jacket, bodysuit + skirt. Self-Portrait
sweater. Gestuz
shoes. Le Silla

I want to start by saying congratulations on the success of ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ and the upcoming release of season two. How have you been feeling in the lead-up to this release?

Thank you so much, first of all! I am so looking forward to the release of season two. I’m really proud of the second season. We worked really hard on it, and I’m just really excited for it to finally be out in the world. It’s all the feelings. I’m excited; I’m anxious; I hope people like it. You know, all of the things. 

What was it like for you to return to one of your characters for the first time? 

It was the first time I had ever returned to a character, so there was a little bit of that: “Do I still know how to play Jackie?” But as soon as I got the scripts, had our first table read, and put Jackie’s costume and wardrobe on, it really fell into place so easily. And then seeing everybody, it really just felt like going back home again. It was really nice. 

That’s such a lovely way to put it, coming back home. I want to talk about the end of season one, because it ends with Jackie very abruptly deciding to head back to New York for the summer. Why do you think, for her, that the only option in that moment was to leave? 

Well, I think in season one, the way that Jackie processes and deals with anything is to push it away and not deal with it. And, you know, it’s not the best choice to do that and run away from all your problems, but I also think it’s real in a way. It was overwhelming and so much for her. I don’t know if she just felt that maybe if she removed herself from the situation, that would fix everything. She feels like she’s the problem.

dress. Blumarine
shoes. Schutz
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar

As we move into the second season, how do you think she’s changed or grown in the time between where season one ends and season two picks up? 

I think [she’s changed] quite a bit because she goes back to New York for the first time. She spends the summer there. I think the idea of what New York was and the reality of what it is to her now are two different things. When she goes back to New York, she comes to terms with the fact that this place she wanted to get back to so desperately, maybe isn’t the place for her right now. So she then decides to face things a little more head-on, and you see her grow and develop during the season. I think it’s just about her in season one avoiding and pushing away, and season two being like, “Okay, this is where I am now. This is my situation. How do I move forward?” 

I think a lot of people can relate to avoiding their problems, so watching a character start to face them is inspiring for viewers as well.

Yeah, I’m really excited. I’m really excited for people to see Jackie’s journey this season. 

She had such a crazy journey in season one, so to see her continue to grow, especially within the Walter household, is really exciting for viewers. Jackie is a character who knows the exact path she wants to take in life. How do you relate to that in your own life? 

I guess I can relate entirely. I’ve really only ever wanted to be an actor, and I’ve been very type A and driven since I can remember, so we have that in common. A very extreme drive for life, I think. And I really relate to that. What I love about Jackie is that she is so passionate and has such big goals and dreams. That’s just really important for girls to see. 

dress, shirt + sweater. SHUSHU/TONG
shoes. Le Silla
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
jacket, bodysuit + skirt. Self-Portrait
sweater. Gestuz

What’s inspiring about her as well is that there’s no backup plan for her. She has one plan, and she’s going to do everything in her power to get there. That’s really great to have in a female lead, and the way it’s reflected in your work and the parallel to your life is really interesting.

It’s so interesting because – I say this a lot – when I first got the audition for Jackie, I thought we were so different. And I didn’t think that I was ever going to play Jackie. The longer I play Jackie, the more I’m like, “No, we are quite similar and there are all these parallels.” That’s for sure one of them, being super driven and self-disciplined.

Speaking of her being on this planned journey, how do you think the Walter family disrupts that, but for the better? 

With that being said, you know, when you’re so driven and you have your sights set on one goal, you can forget all the other important things that come along with life – all the little moments and connections and relationships and how important it is to make mistakes. Because when you strive for perfection, you don’t always get the best result. And as someone who is an extreme perfectionist, that’s a tough lesson for me to learn. And I think it’s a tough lesson for Jackie to learn, but it’s really important for her growth. Being with the Walter family is so important for her growth and teaches her lessons she wouldn’t learn if she weren’t there. 

Hearing you speak about dealing with perfectionism, is there something that helps you get out of that headspace when it becomes negative?

Personally, it’s a work in progress, I would say. I have to remind myself daily that it’s okay to not be perfect. There’s somebody who said something like, “Failing forward is better than standing still.” Learning to be okay with feeling uncomfortable in that is really difficult. But I think it’s genuinely the way we grow, get better, learn more, and become more well-rounded. So it is something I have to remind myself a lot. And it goes against every fibre of my being that’s like, “I just want to be perfect all the time. I just want to control everything. I just want to know what’s happening.” And you can’t, you just have to let go, which is so scary. But it’s the only way. 

sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
shoes. Schutz
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
bodysuit. Kilian Kerner
skirt. Self-Portrait
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom

I find looking back at what we’ve done in the past also helps us move forward. Now you’re moving into season two, I imagine you are able to look back and reflect on that as well. 

Yeah, totally. I think it goes hand in hand with life, art, and work. And even some of the best work and some of the best art comes out of mistakes – not expecting it to be a certain way and being like, “Oh, that was a total surprise.” Looking back and seeing those things is important. 

You mentioned how you found similarities between you and Jackie, the more you continue to play her. What would you say is the biggest thing you’ve learned from Jackie? 

Honestly, being okay with being a little bit messy or not so polished all the time. That’s my biggest lesson I’ve learned from Jackie because I think we’re both learning that lesson at the same time, which is really interesting. We both feel the exact same way about it. It’s exciting, for sure, because it’s all these new things, but it’s terrifying. 

I heard you read the book three times. What aspects of her character within the book were the most important for you to bring on to the screen in season two? 

Season two, I wanted to build off of what we did in season one because it was my first time going back to play the same character. I really wanted to trust that Jackie was there in the work that we did for season one. I rewatched the season, read the book again, and then I honestly just trusted that it was there. There wasn’t really anything that I was specifically thinking about in the moment. I was hoping she was there, and day one, she was, so it was a really great feeling. 

bodysuit. Kilian Kerner
skirt. Self-Portrait
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
opposite
dress. Blumarine
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar

Getting into the love triangle, you all did such an incredible job with the characters because I didn’t feel like the audience was swayed in any one direction when it came to the brothers. Without spoiling anything, do you feel that there is a shift in season two where you foster a stronger connection with one of the brothers? Or do you feel like the audience will be just as torn as we were in season one? 

I genuinely think that everyone is going to be torn this season, without spoiling anything. That’s really how I feel. Ashby [Gentry] and Noah [LaLonde] are both so great. I don’t want to spoil anything, so it’s hard to speak about that at all [laughs]. But I’m excited for the season, and I think people are going to be torn. People are going to be pretty split.

What was it like for you heading back to the very picturesque Calgary to film season two? 

It’s like going back to a second home, genuinely. We all love Calgary so much, and there are so many great things to do. I talk about the mountains all the time, but it is my favourite place in the world. I love driving out there. It just looks fake, you know? It looks unreal, and you just feel so peaceful and serene the second you get there. And it’s so fun to be around everybody. We all hang out and we have the best time. It’s the best job. It’s the best people. It’s the best place. And I feel very lucky. 

I watched an interview where it was mentioned – I bring this up because I’m a huge French fry person as well – you guys were all going around trying to find the best French fries in Calgary. Did you ever find the best, or are you still looking now? 

I’m always still looking. I don’t think I will ever have found the best and be done. But I feel like… Okay, my favourite right now is the truffle fries from the Cactus Club Cafe. They’re great. Those are my favourites right now, but you know, the work is never done [laughs].

Cactus Club fries are so good! I don’t want to say that you can’t beat them, but I feel like you’ve come pretty close.

dress. Blumarine
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
opposite
jacket, bodysuit + skirt. Self-Portrait
sweater. Gestuz

Going back to the show, I want to touch on the monumental success of season one. Now that you’re removed from the chaos of that, how do you feel looking back and reflecting on it? And does it make you feel more at ease now that you’re headed into the release of season two? 

That’s such an interesting question. Looking back, we didn’t know what was going to happen with the show. When you’re filming the first season, you don’t know if anyone’s going to watch it. And so it was an incredible surprise and feeling to watch season one take off in the way it did and watch people respond to it and really love it. I don’t know if I could really grasp everything that was happening during that time. Everything was happening all at once, and it was all very exciting, and it was a little bit of a blur. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous to have season two come out because you hope that people love it in the way that they loved the first season, and you want to do justice to the character and everybody watching. But I’m really excited because it feels like everyone’s really excited about the show. People tell me all the time – I get stopped on the street – they’re really excited about season two. 

Jackie is so different from your last role as Vero in ‘On My Block’. What are you looking for in the next character you play, and what kind of genre would you love to explore more? 

I love this question. I really wanted to be an actor who could do a ton of different things. I really wanted to be versatile and be able to do those things authentically. So there are parts of me that are Jackie, there are parts of me that are Vero – and I really love that. The next role I want to do, I want it to be so different, whatever that is. I have yet to really explore films, and I’m hoping to do something like that next. I love a couple of different things. I really love super raw, slice of life type films that are a little bit tragic [laughs]. I love those types of movies because they’re so layered and the characters are so interesting. They don’t always make the best decisions, but it’s just so real. It’s real life that I can appreciate. Or… I always say something that’s a really immersive world where I’m doing some sort of stunt choreography or fight training. That would be really fun.

sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar

‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ season two is now streaming on Netflix.

photography. Carly Sharp
fashion. Kameron Kubicki
talent. Nikki Rodriguez
casting. Emma Fleming
hair. Ted Gibson @ Exclusive Artists + TedGibson.com
make up. Allan Avendano @ A-frame Agency using Hourglass Cosmetics
production. Clara La Rosa
fashion assistant. Kendra Frankle
make up assistant. Ruby Vo
studio. House of Spoils
interview. Amber Louise

bodysuit. Kilian Kerner
skirt. Self-Portrait
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom

It’s been a whirlwind two years for Nikki Rodriguez. Catapulted into the spotlight after season one of ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ held the number one spot on Netflix for over a month – and was renewed for season two just 12 days later – she’s barely had time to absorb her success. When we speak, she’s in production for season three, surrounded by Calgary’s striking landscape. “I talk about the mountains all the time, but it is my favourite place in the world,” she shares, “You just feel so peaceful and serene the second you get there.” And with the second season on the horizon, the 22-year-old actress is exactly where she needs to be – surrounded by nature.

The show follows Jackie Howard, an overachieving student whose life is upended by her family’s sudden death. Moving from New York to Colorado to live with the Walters, she falls for not one, but two Walter boys. In season two, after spending the summer in The Big Apple, she finds herself on a new path of self-discovery. “The idea of what New York was and the reality of what it is to her now are two different things,” Rodriguez comments, “She then decides to face things a little more head-on, and you see her grow and develop during the season.”

Sitting down with Schön!, Rodriguez discusses returning to the role of Jackie, teases what’s ahead in season two, and shares the roles she hopes to play next.

sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
jacket, bodysuit + skirt. Self-Portrait
sweater. Gestuz
shoes. Le Silla

I want to start by saying congratulations on the success of ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ and the upcoming release of season two. How have you been feeling in the lead-up to this release?

Thank you so much, first of all! I am so looking forward to the release of season two. I’m really proud of the second season. We worked really hard on it, and I’m just really excited for it to finally be out in the world. It’s all the feelings. I’m excited; I’m anxious; I hope people like it. You know, all of the things. 

What was it like for you to return to one of your characters for the first time? 

It was the first time I had ever returned to a character, so there was a little bit of that: “Do I still know how to play Jackie?” But as soon as I got the scripts, had our first table read, and put Jackie’s costume and wardrobe on, it really fell into place so easily. And then seeing everybody, it really just felt like going back home again. It was really nice. 

That’s such a lovely way to put it, coming back home. I want to talk about the end of season one, because it ends with Jackie very abruptly deciding to head back to New York for the summer. Why do you think, for her, that the only option in that moment was to leave? 

Well, I think in season one, the way that Jackie processes and deals with anything is to push it away and not deal with it. And, you know, it’s not the best choice to do that and run away from all your problems, but I also think it’s real in a way. It was overwhelming and so much for her. I don’t know if she just felt that maybe if she removed herself from the situation, that would fix everything. She feels like she’s the problem.

dress. Blumarine
shoes. Schutz
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar

As we move into the second season, how do you think she’s changed or grown in the time between where season one ends and season two picks up? 

I think [she’s changed] quite a bit because she goes back to New York for the first time. She spends the summer there. I think the idea of what New York was and the reality of what it is to her now are two different things. When she goes back to New York, she comes to terms with the fact that this place she wanted to get back to so desperately, maybe isn’t the place for her right now. So she then decides to face things a little more head-on, and you see her grow and develop during the season. I think it’s just about her in season one avoiding and pushing away, and season two being like, “Okay, this is where I am now. This is my situation. How do I move forward?” 

I think a lot of people can relate to avoiding their problems, so watching a character start to face them is inspiring for viewers as well.

Yeah, I’m really excited. I’m really excited for people to see Jackie’s journey this season. 

She had such a crazy journey in season one, so to see her continue to grow, especially within the Walter household, is really exciting for viewers. Jackie is a character who knows the exact path she wants to take in life. How do you relate to that in your own life? 

I guess I can relate entirely. I’ve really only ever wanted to be an actor, and I’ve been very type A and driven since I can remember, so we have that in common. A very extreme drive for life, I think. And I really relate to that. What I love about Jackie is that she is so passionate and has such big goals and dreams. That’s just really important for girls to see. 

dress, shirt + sweater. SHUSHU/TONG
shoes. Le Silla
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
jacket, bodysuit + skirt. Self-Portrait
sweater. Gestuz

What’s inspiring about her as well is that there’s no backup plan for her. She has one plan, and she’s going to do everything in her power to get there. That’s really great to have in a female lead, and the way it’s reflected in your work and the parallel to your life is really interesting.

It’s so interesting because – I say this a lot – when I first got the audition for Jackie, I thought we were so different. And I didn’t think that I was ever going to play Jackie. The longer I play Jackie, the more I’m like, “No, we are quite similar and there are all these parallels.” That’s for sure one of them, being super driven and self-disciplined.

Speaking of her being on this planned journey, how do you think the Walter family disrupts that, but for the better? 

With that being said, you know, when you’re so driven and you have your sights set on one goal, you can forget all the other important things that come along with life – all the little moments and connections and relationships and how important it is to make mistakes. Because when you strive for perfection, you don’t always get the best result. And as someone who is an extreme perfectionist, that’s a tough lesson for me to learn. And I think it’s a tough lesson for Jackie to learn, but it’s really important for her growth. Being with the Walter family is so important for her growth and teaches her lessons she wouldn’t learn if she weren’t there. 

Hearing you speak about dealing with perfectionism, is there something that helps you get out of that headspace when it becomes negative?

Personally, it’s a work in progress, I would say. I have to remind myself daily that it’s okay to not be perfect. There’s somebody who said something like, “Failing forward is better than standing still.” Learning to be okay with feeling uncomfortable in that is really difficult. But I think it’s genuinely the way we grow, get better, learn more, and become more well-rounded. So it is something I have to remind myself a lot. And it goes against every fibre of my being that’s like, “I just want to be perfect all the time. I just want to control everything. I just want to know what’s happening.” And you can’t, you just have to let go, which is so scary. But it’s the only way. 

sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
shoes. Schutz
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar
opposite
bodysuit. Kilian Kerner
skirt. Self-Portrait
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom

I find looking back at what we’ve done in the past also helps us move forward. Now you’re moving into season two, I imagine you are able to look back and reflect on that as well. 

Yeah, totally. I think it goes hand in hand with life, art, and work. And even some of the best work and some of the best art comes out of mistakes – not expecting it to be a certain way and being like, “Oh, that was a total surprise.” Looking back and seeing those things is important. 

You mentioned how you found similarities between you and Jackie, the more you continue to play her. What would you say is the biggest thing you’ve learned from Jackie? 

Honestly, being okay with being a little bit messy or not so polished all the time. That’s my biggest lesson I’ve learned from Jackie because I think we’re both learning that lesson at the same time, which is really interesting. We both feel the exact same way about it. It’s exciting, for sure, because it’s all these new things, but it’s terrifying. 

I heard you read the book three times. What aspects of her character within the book were the most important for you to bring on to the screen in season two? 

Season two, I wanted to build off of what we did in season one because it was my first time going back to play the same character. I really wanted to trust that Jackie was there in the work that we did for season one. I rewatched the season, read the book again, and then I honestly just trusted that it was there. There wasn’t really anything that I was specifically thinking about in the moment. I was hoping she was there, and day one, she was, so it was a really great feeling. 

bodysuit. Kilian Kerner
skirt. Self-Portrait
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
opposite
dress. Blumarine
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar

Getting into the love triangle, you all did such an incredible job with the characters because I didn’t feel like the audience was swayed in any one direction when it came to the brothers. Without spoiling anything, do you feel that there is a shift in season two where you foster a stronger connection with one of the brothers? Or do you feel like the audience will be just as torn as we were in season one? 

I genuinely think that everyone is going to be torn this season, without spoiling anything. That’s really how I feel. Ashby [Gentry] and Noah [LaLonde] are both so great. I don’t want to spoil anything, so it’s hard to speak about that at all [laughs]. But I’m excited for the season, and I think people are going to be torn. People are going to be pretty split.

What was it like for you heading back to the very picturesque Calgary to film season two? 

It’s like going back to a second home, genuinely. We all love Calgary so much, and there are so many great things to do. I talk about the mountains all the time, but it is my favourite place in the world. I love driving out there. It just looks fake, you know? It looks unreal, and you just feel so peaceful and serene the second you get there. And it’s so fun to be around everybody. We all hang out and we have the best time. It’s the best job. It’s the best people. It’s the best place. And I feel very lucky. 

I watched an interview where it was mentioned – I bring this up because I’m a huge French fry person as well – you guys were all going around trying to find the best French fries in Calgary. Did you ever find the best, or are you still looking now? 

I’m always still looking. I don’t think I will ever have found the best and be done. But I feel like… Okay, my favourite right now is the truffle fries from the Cactus Club Cafe. They’re great. Those are my favourites right now, but you know, the work is never done [laughs].

Cactus Club fries are so good! I don’t want to say that you can’t beat them, but I feel like you’ve come pretty close.

dress. Blumarine
earrings + necklace. Lillian Shalom
opposite
jacket, bodysuit + skirt. Self-Portrait
sweater. Gestuz

Going back to the show, I want to touch on the monumental success of season one. Now that you’re removed from the chaos of that, how do you feel looking back and reflecting on it? And does it make you feel more at ease now that you’re headed into the release of season two? 

That’s such an interesting question. Looking back, we didn’t know what was going to happen with the show. When you’re filming the first season, you don’t know if anyone’s going to watch it. And so it was an incredible surprise and feeling to watch season one take off in the way it did and watch people respond to it and really love it. I don’t know if I could really grasp everything that was happening during that time. Everything was happening all at once, and it was all very exciting, and it was a little bit of a blur. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous to have season two come out because you hope that people love it in the way that they loved the first season, and you want to do justice to the character and everybody watching. But I’m really excited because it feels like everyone’s really excited about the show. People tell me all the time – I get stopped on the street – they’re really excited about season two. 

Jackie is so different from your last role as Vero in ‘On My Block’. What are you looking for in the next character you play, and what kind of genre would you love to explore more? 

I love this question. I really wanted to be an actor who could do a ton of different things. I really wanted to be versatile and be able to do those things authentically. So there are parts of me that are Jackie, there are parts of me that are Vero – and I really love that. The next role I want to do, I want it to be so different, whatever that is. I have yet to really explore films, and I’m hoping to do something like that next. I love a couple of different things. I really love super raw, slice of life type films that are a little bit tragic [laughs]. I love those types of movies because they’re so layered and the characters are so interesting. They don’t always make the best decisions, but it’s just so real. It’s real life that I can appreciate. Or… I always say something that’s a really immersive world where I’m doing some sort of stunt choreography or fight training. That would be really fun.

sweater, top + skirt. Diesel
necklace. Lillian Shalom
bracelets. Alexis Bittar

‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ season two is now streaming on Netflix.

photography. Carly Sharp
fashion. Kameron Kubicki
talent. Nikki Rodriguez
casting. Emma Fleming
hair. Ted Gibson @ Exclusive Artists + TedGibson.com
make up. Allan Avendano @ A-frame Agency using Hourglass Cosmetics
production. Clara La Rosa
fashion assistant. Kendra Frankle
make up assistant. Ruby Vo
studio. House of Spoils
interview. Amber Louise