Rewrite
coat. Dsquared2
shirt. Linder Sport
trousers, cummerbund, + brooch rhinestone necklace. Dolce & Gabbana
shoes. Jimmy Choo
pearl necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
It‘s been an eventful two years for Ashby Gentry. When he sits down to speak with Schön!, it’s four days before the second season of his hit TV show, ‘My Life With The Walter Boys” drops. Gentry once again slips into the role of Alex Walter. This time, Alex is much more confident. Gentry is in New York and eagerly awaits the release. The second season, in his words, “Oh shit. Here we go again. Well, maybe not.”
A Netflix sensation, ‘My Life With The Walter Boys’ revolves around Jackie, an ambitious young girl from New York who has to leave her privileged life behind after her parents pass away in a tragic accident. She moves to a small town to live with her guardian, Kate, and her family. She learns lessons about love, hope and friendship. And, naturally, also falls in love with two brothers, Alex and Cole. The show took off a matter of days after its release in early December of 2023, and all its actors gained major social media recognition. Even before the release of the second season, the hit show had already been confirmed for a third season.
Gentry sits down with Schön! to talk about the second season, how his character Alex has evolved since season one, how his co-stars inspire him and more.
Ashby, it’s so good to talk to you again. I think this is the first time I’m reconnecting with someone I interviewed before.
There are a couple of journalists we’ve talked to before when we do our larger press tours, but so far, you’re likewise my first repeat offender. [Laughs]
Let’s talk about the second season of ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’. What can we expect from the second season?
The first eight minutes have been released, and so there are some big changes in all of the characters. There are certainly big changes for Alex, and as you can kind of see in those first eight minutes, they all clearly have a lot to discuss with each other. You witness that unfold as the season progresses, and they sort of deal with this new life that they all have together.
When we rewind to the first season that aired two years ago, it ends with Jackie leaving. The last scene is her being seen on the plane. What will happen between her and Alex in the second season?
We see that she comes back. Catherine goes to get her from New York, brings her back to Colorado. Where we leave off is she sees Cole, she sees Alex, and then they all go their separate ways, and the rest happens on August 28. I think it’s really about dealing with the fallout of everything that happened between them and continuing her story of finding her way through this new world that she’s been forced to encounter because of what happened with her parents.
Is there something that you did differently to prepare for the second season while filming compared to season one?
I think the second season was just generally a lot more physical. So much of the preparation for it was about physical changes. Working for me was a very physical process in season two. I just noticed that’s how I sort of connected with the character — through understanding his physicality, his movement. That was surprising, because in season o,ne I think the way that I understood Alex was through his imagination and through his fantasies and desires. It was very much an image-based understanding, whereas this year was much more of a physical, instinctual understanding. I think that just emerges naturally out of the material, but also from his progression and his change as a character and his arc. I think the way that I have to play him, the way that I understand him, matures simultaneously.
full look. Valentino
opposite
jacket + trousers. AKNVAS
boots. Isabel Marant
Alex is also way more confident in the second season. How was it like for you to kind of shift his narrative into him being more confident?
It was easier, because I think I naturally reside in that place. It took some work to create more of a shy-like persona in the first season. I’m just not a shy guy; I have never really been a shy guy, so that took a little bit of effort, but it was fun too. It’s fun to be confident, and it’s fun to play the parts of yourself that are colloquially frowned upon by society and by the expectation of the big other. It was nice to get permission to have fun in that way.
Is there something new that you learned about yourself while playing Alex in the second season?
There’s always sort of a subconscious drift in my own life towards the life of the character I’m playing. I definitely went out a lot more in season two, and I’m sure it annoyed people on set a little bit. I think I took on that confident, almost cocky, persona a little bit, and that probably rubbed some people the wrong way. When I play this part, I learned how much I don’t know about myself because Alex is very much discovering who he is; he’s still a kid, and it really illuminates how much about my own life I do not have together and am completely in the dark on, and it’s just fine.
Is there anything that you can tell us about how Jackie’s and Alex’s story evolves in the next season?
They both get answers from the other they’re owed. A lot of Jackie’s relationship with Alex in season one was a big question; she was never quite sure if he was into her, or if she was just getting back at his brother, and she never really got the clarity that she needed on that. Likewise, Alex obviously has questions. Why did you leave? I think both of them in season two get the answers that they’re owed to each other.
The release of the first season massively impacted your career and also your personal life. If you look back on the last two years, how did ‘My Life With The Walter Boys’ impact you personally and also professionally?
I think in both ways, it made the world feel a lot smaller. There are things that I have access to now that I didn’t necessarily ever think I would, and people that I have access to that I didn’t think I would. It makes the world not seem as big. For example, we went to this Netflix event, and we were with the ‘Stranger Things’ cast, Adam Sandler, Daniel Craig, Jenna Ortega, Lady Gaga — all these people that seemed so far away a few years ago — and you’re literally in the same room with them, talking to them. It just makes everything not seem as big as it once did. In the same way, even in my own city, New York — every day people come up to me and talk to me about the show as if we know each other. It makes everything feel a lot smaller because we’re having this dialogue as if we’re friends. That’s really beneficial, and it’s enjoyable.
Travelling so much too, every city feels like every other city’s backyard. I’m sure, as a European, you relate to this, where London and France don’t necessarily seem like different countries — it just feels like a difference in the same place. That’s how LA and Calgary and Phoenix and New York all feel to me. It all feels like one big town, which is interesting.
polo shirt, tee + shorts. Linder Sport
boxers + socks. Falke
loafers. Valentino
necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
belt. Isabel Marant
opposite
knitwear. ZANKOV
trousers + belt. Isabel Marant
necklaces. Lizzie Fortunado
Have you ever watched any of the edits on TikTok?
I am forced to; there’s no escape from them. If I didn’t want to, they would still come up on my ‘For You’ page. [Laughs] I do see them.
What are your thoughts on them?
Yes, some of them are quite artistic. I have a healthy respect for them. It’s quite labour-intensive.
People are so talented. They put so much work into it. It’s incredible. The show has already been renewed for the third season. That’s amazing!
Yeah, it really is. We’re very lucky. The third season is great so far. I’m excited for people to see that. They said they will release it in 2026!
Fingers crossed. You worked with Nikki and Noah again. Do you have maybe three favourite memories from shooting the second season?
Yeah, I do. We all know Nikki as the fearless leader. We got a car, so we do a lot of driving with them. I remember we went to Pete’s drive-in one day, and it’s this drive-in like [the fast food chain] Sonic. It’s a burger restaurant in Calgary, and we sat in the car and just hung out and ate burgers, milkshakes, and fries. That was really fun. We go to nature a lot, so we went to Jamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary, which was awesome. They raise wolf dogs there. It was really cool.
Every night, we would meet at Nikki’s apartment. We would order food from Cloud Non, which is a restaurant in Calgary. We actually just took the whole cast there last night. We would order food and just hang out and watch ‘90210’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, all the shows that our parents watched. We hang out a lot, so I have tons of memories with them. They’re my closest friends at this point.
They all seem amazing! In the two years since the last season, are there any other acting roles that you took on, and also, are there any new ones you would like to explore?
There are certainly roles I want to explore. I did an independent movie with a group of actors in Boston, and that was really fun. I workshopped a play in San Diego at a theatre called The Old Globe, which was also really fun. I think, as for something I would like to do, I honestly feel like I should do an action movie, because I’m still so young and I’m in really good shape. I feel like before my body gets weary, I need to do all these action roles while I’m still young and limber. That’s kind of what I think is in my future, hopefully.
full look. Valentino
opposite
shirt. AKNVAS
I just remembered we also talked about the movie ‘Mooch’ that you were working on back then. How was that experience like?
It was great. It was very much a New York actor movie. It was all these New York theatre actors who went to Boston and made this movie, and the director, Jeff Ryan, did this whole promotion for it. It was really special; it was very much an endearing project. I still see a lot of those guys, and a big group of them have watched ‘Walter Boys,’ and they’re like, “Wow, Ashby, look what happened.” And I’m like, “Yeah, I know.”
What is something that you want the fans to take away from the second season?
I think they need to take away that the story is very much not finished at the end of season two, and I don’t think that’s a hard sell. I think it’s pretty obvious. Also, fans may think they know — it’s so funny watching people try to predict what’s going to happen in season two. They’ll say things like: “Oh, well, so-and-so said this, so that must mean that this, this, and this.” And it’s so funny, because so often they are just so wrong. They have no clue what’s going to happen, and that’s really gratifying. I guess at the end of season two, I would like to remind them of that — that they have no idea what’s going to happen in season three, and they just need to stay tuned to find out.
Do you have any favourite places that you went to while filming, and why?
A lot of my filming was on the rodeo grounds. We had a lot of cool sets this year, and we filmed in a town in Calgary called High River, which is a very common town for movies. A lot of Germans come to High River because Germans love the show ‘Heartland’, and ‘Heartland’ films in High River. That town is really cute, and every time we go there, it’s really fun. I love High River.
knitwear. ZANKOV
trousers + belt. Isabel Marant
necklaces. Lizzie Fortunado
opposite
coat. Dsquared2
shirt. Linder Sport
trousers, cummerbund, + brooch rhinestone
necklace. Dolce & Gabbana
shoes. Jimmy Choo
pearl necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
Is there anything that you think fans might not know about you?
A lot of fans would be surprised by my personality. I think people typically are — they’ll even say that online. I’m starting to get these accusations, or not accusations, but people are starting to say: “He’s the definition of hate the character, love the actor.” And part of me is like: “Why do you hate the character?” The other part of me is very flattered by me as an actor. It seems like people notice a distinction between me and my personality and the personality of the character I play on [My Life With] ‘The Walter Boys’. I think if a lot of people hung out with me, they’d be surprised to know that I’m not very similar to Alex at all. I’ve said before that I feel like I identify more with Cole, personality-wise, which I don’t think is a good thing, but people seem to love that, so I don’t know. I think it’s good.
Have you learned anything new from Nikki [Rodriguez] and Noah [LaLonde] this season?
They’re so good at balancing life in a way that I’m not. They’re very good at that, and there’s so much more. They have a much healthier mindset than I do. I think they’re very optimistic, and they never sell themselves short; they never count themselves out. They really believe in themselves. I could stand to mimic that a little bit more, especially Nikki. Nikki’s always telling us to aim higher. She’s always like: “Don’t sell yourself short.” It’s what she said a lot of the time. And Noah — it’s never over for him. He’s always like: “Oh, it’s gonna be fine. This will happen.” That will happen in big ways, whether it’s getting a reservation at a restaurant or people watching season two. He’s always optimistic. He never doubts himself. I could stand to learn quite a bit from them.
In the end, you are the people that you surround yourself with. We need a lot of positivity, a lot of people who lift you up and support you.
You are an average of the five people you spend the most time with.
Did you learn anything new about yourself? Have you learned any new ways of maintaining your mental health and staying grounded as an actor in the last two years?
Absolutely. A lot of what I did in season two was that I learned how to balance vanity with creativity in a way that’s a lot more conducive to playing a character, and also just learned how to take care of myself to service the production. That’s been a big learning curve for me from season two. On top of that, how to deal with being perceived publicly — because we weren’t at first, and now we are — and how much to allow that to influence the choices I make on set and off. All of that stuff has been totally new for me, and I do think I’ve learned a great deal about that. I made progress, and I’m happy about that.
My last question is, if you could describe the second season in three sentences, what would they be?
It would probably be: “Oh shit. Here we go again. Well, maybe not.” [Laughs]
polo shirt, tee + shorts. Linder Sport
boxers. Falke
necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
belt. Isabel Marant
opposite
jacket + trousers. AKNVAS
tank top. DSquared2
boots. Isabel Marant
My Life With The Walter Boys Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
photography. Tazaca
fashion. Nicholas MacKinnon
talent. Ashby Gentry
casting. Emma Fleming
grooming. Alex Keating @ Forward Artists
retouch + coloring. Vatalii Fidyk
production. Clara La Rosa
interview. Maja Bebber
in HTML format, including tags, to make it appealing and easy to read for Japanese-speaking readers aged 20 to 40 interested in fashion. Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), translating all text, including headings, into Japanese. Retain any existing
tags from
coat. Dsquared2
shirt. Linder Sport
trousers, cummerbund, + brooch rhinestone necklace. Dolce & Gabbana
shoes. Jimmy Choo
pearl necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
It‘s been an eventful two years for Ashby Gentry. When he sits down to speak with Schön!, it’s four days before the second season of his hit TV show, ‘My Life With The Walter Boys” drops. Gentry once again slips into the role of Alex Walter. This time, Alex is much more confident. Gentry is in New York and eagerly awaits the release. The second season, in his words, “Oh shit. Here we go again. Well, maybe not.”
A Netflix sensation, ‘My Life With The Walter Boys’ revolves around Jackie, an ambitious young girl from New York who has to leave her privileged life behind after her parents pass away in a tragic accident. She moves to a small town to live with her guardian, Kate, and her family. She learns lessons about love, hope and friendship. And, naturally, also falls in love with two brothers, Alex and Cole. The show took off a matter of days after its release in early December of 2023, and all its actors gained major social media recognition. Even before the release of the second season, the hit show had already been confirmed for a third season.
Gentry sits down with Schön! to talk about the second season, how his character Alex has evolved since season one, how his co-stars inspire him and more.
Ashby, it’s so good to talk to you again. I think this is the first time I’m reconnecting with someone I interviewed before.
There are a couple of journalists we’ve talked to before when we do our larger press tours, but so far, you’re likewise my first repeat offender. [Laughs]
Let’s talk about the second season of ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’. What can we expect from the second season?
The first eight minutes have been released, and so there are some big changes in all of the characters. There are certainly big changes for Alex, and as you can kind of see in those first eight minutes, they all clearly have a lot to discuss with each other. You witness that unfold as the season progresses, and they sort of deal with this new life that they all have together.
When we rewind to the first season that aired two years ago, it ends with Jackie leaving. The last scene is her being seen on the plane. What will happen between her and Alex in the second season?
We see that she comes back. Catherine goes to get her from New York, brings her back to Colorado. Where we leave off is she sees Cole, she sees Alex, and then they all go their separate ways, and the rest happens on August 28. I think it’s really about dealing with the fallout of everything that happened between them and continuing her story of finding her way through this new world that she’s been forced to encounter because of what happened with her parents.
Is there something that you did differently to prepare for the second season while filming compared to season one?
I think the second season was just generally a lot more physical. So much of the preparation for it was about physical changes. Working for me was a very physical process in season two. I just noticed that’s how I sort of connected with the character — through understanding his physicality, his movement. That was surprising, because in season o,ne I think the way that I understood Alex was through his imagination and through his fantasies and desires. It was very much an image-based understanding, whereas this year was much more of a physical, instinctual understanding. I think that just emerges naturally out of the material, but also from his progression and his change as a character and his arc. I think the way that I have to play him, the way that I understand him, matures simultaneously.
full look. Valentino
opposite
jacket + trousers. AKNVAS
boots. Isabel Marant
Alex is also way more confident in the second season. How was it like for you to kind of shift his narrative into him being more confident?
It was easier, because I think I naturally reside in that place. It took some work to create more of a shy-like persona in the first season. I’m just not a shy guy; I have never really been a shy guy, so that took a little bit of effort, but it was fun too. It’s fun to be confident, and it’s fun to play the parts of yourself that are colloquially frowned upon by society and by the expectation of the big other. It was nice to get permission to have fun in that way.
Is there something new that you learned about yourself while playing Alex in the second season?
There’s always sort of a subconscious drift in my own life towards the life of the character I’m playing. I definitely went out a lot more in season two, and I’m sure it annoyed people on set a little bit. I think I took on that confident, almost cocky, persona a little bit, and that probably rubbed some people the wrong way. When I play this part, I learned how much I don’t know about myself because Alex is very much discovering who he is; he’s still a kid, and it really illuminates how much about my own life I do not have together and am completely in the dark on, and it’s just fine.
Is there anything that you can tell us about how Jackie’s and Alex’s story evolves in the next season?
They both get answers from the other they’re owed. A lot of Jackie’s relationship with Alex in season one was a big question; she was never quite sure if he was into her, or if she was just getting back at his brother, and she never really got the clarity that she needed on that. Likewise, Alex obviously has questions. Why did you leave? I think both of them in season two get the answers that they’re owed to each other.
The release of the first season massively impacted your career and also your personal life. If you look back on the last two years, how did ‘My Life With The Walter Boys’ impact you personally and also professionally?
I think in both ways, it made the world feel a lot smaller. There are things that I have access to now that I didn’t necessarily ever think I would, and people that I have access to that I didn’t think I would. It makes the world not seem as big. For example, we went to this Netflix event, and we were with the ‘Stranger Things’ cast, Adam Sandler, Daniel Craig, Jenna Ortega, Lady Gaga — all these people that seemed so far away a few years ago — and you’re literally in the same room with them, talking to them. It just makes everything not seem as big as it once did. In the same way, even in my own city, New York — every day people come up to me and talk to me about the show as if we know each other. It makes everything feel a lot smaller because we’re having this dialogue as if we’re friends. That’s really beneficial, and it’s enjoyable.
Travelling so much too, every city feels like every other city’s backyard. I’m sure, as a European, you relate to this, where London and France don’t necessarily seem like different countries — it just feels like a difference in the same place. That’s how LA and Calgary and Phoenix and New York all feel to me. It all feels like one big town, which is interesting.
polo shirt, tee + shorts. Linder Sport
boxers + socks. Falke
loafers. Valentino
necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
belt. Isabel Marant
opposite
knitwear. ZANKOV
trousers + belt. Isabel Marant
necklaces. Lizzie Fortunado
Have you ever watched any of the edits on TikTok?
I am forced to; there’s no escape from them. If I didn’t want to, they would still come up on my ‘For You’ page. [Laughs] I do see them.
What are your thoughts on them?
Yes, some of them are quite artistic. I have a healthy respect for them. It’s quite labour-intensive.
People are so talented. They put so much work into it. It’s incredible. The show has already been renewed for the third season. That’s amazing!
Yeah, it really is. We’re very lucky. The third season is great so far. I’m excited for people to see that. They said they will release it in 2026!
Fingers crossed. You worked with Nikki and Noah again. Do you have maybe three favourite memories from shooting the second season?
Yeah, I do. We all know Nikki as the fearless leader. We got a car, so we do a lot of driving with them. I remember we went to Pete’s drive-in one day, and it’s this drive-in like [the fast food chain] Sonic. It’s a burger restaurant in Calgary, and we sat in the car and just hung out and ate burgers, milkshakes, and fries. That was really fun. We go to nature a lot, so we went to Jamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary, which was awesome. They raise wolf dogs there. It was really cool.
Every night, we would meet at Nikki’s apartment. We would order food from Cloud Non, which is a restaurant in Calgary. We actually just took the whole cast there last night. We would order food and just hang out and watch ‘90210’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, all the shows that our parents watched. We hang out a lot, so I have tons of memories with them. They’re my closest friends at this point.
They all seem amazing! In the two years since the last season, are there any other acting roles that you took on, and also, are there any new ones you would like to explore?
There are certainly roles I want to explore. I did an independent movie with a group of actors in Boston, and that was really fun. I workshopped a play in San Diego at a theatre called The Old Globe, which was also really fun. I think, as for something I would like to do, I honestly feel like I should do an action movie, because I’m still so young and I’m in really good shape. I feel like before my body gets weary, I need to do all these action roles while I’m still young and limber. That’s kind of what I think is in my future, hopefully.
full look. Valentino
opposite
shirt. AKNVAS
I just remembered we also talked about the movie ‘Mooch’ that you were working on back then. How was that experience like?
It was great. It was very much a New York actor movie. It was all these New York theatre actors who went to Boston and made this movie, and the director, Jeff Ryan, did this whole promotion for it. It was really special; it was very much an endearing project. I still see a lot of those guys, and a big group of them have watched ‘Walter Boys,’ and they’re like, “Wow, Ashby, look what happened.” And I’m like, “Yeah, I know.”
What is something that you want the fans to take away from the second season?
I think they need to take away that the story is very much not finished at the end of season two, and I don’t think that’s a hard sell. I think it’s pretty obvious. Also, fans may think they know — it’s so funny watching people try to predict what’s going to happen in season two. They’ll say things like: “Oh, well, so-and-so said this, so that must mean that this, this, and this.” And it’s so funny, because so often they are just so wrong. They have no clue what’s going to happen, and that’s really gratifying. I guess at the end of season two, I would like to remind them of that — that they have no idea what’s going to happen in season three, and they just need to stay tuned to find out.
Do you have any favourite places that you went to while filming, and why?
A lot of my filming was on the rodeo grounds. We had a lot of cool sets this year, and we filmed in a town in Calgary called High River, which is a very common town for movies. A lot of Germans come to High River because Germans love the show ‘Heartland’, and ‘Heartland’ films in High River. That town is really cute, and every time we go there, it’s really fun. I love High River.
knitwear. ZANKOV
trousers + belt. Isabel Marant
necklaces. Lizzie Fortunado
opposite
coat. Dsquared2
shirt. Linder Sport
trousers, cummerbund, + brooch rhinestone
necklace. Dolce & Gabbana
shoes. Jimmy Choo
pearl necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
Is there anything that you think fans might not know about you?
A lot of fans would be surprised by my personality. I think people typically are — they’ll even say that online. I’m starting to get these accusations, or not accusations, but people are starting to say: “He’s the definition of hate the character, love the actor.” And part of me is like: “Why do you hate the character?” The other part of me is very flattered by me as an actor. It seems like people notice a distinction between me and my personality and the personality of the character I play on [My Life With] ‘The Walter Boys’. I think if a lot of people hung out with me, they’d be surprised to know that I’m not very similar to Alex at all. I’ve said before that I feel like I identify more with Cole, personality-wise, which I don’t think is a good thing, but people seem to love that, so I don’t know. I think it’s good.
Have you learned anything new from Nikki [Rodriguez] and Noah [LaLonde] this season?
They’re so good at balancing life in a way that I’m not. They’re very good at that, and there’s so much more. They have a much healthier mindset than I do. I think they’re very optimistic, and they never sell themselves short; they never count themselves out. They really believe in themselves. I could stand to mimic that a little bit more, especially Nikki. Nikki’s always telling us to aim higher. She’s always like: “Don’t sell yourself short.” It’s what she said a lot of the time. And Noah — it’s never over for him. He’s always like: “Oh, it’s gonna be fine. This will happen.” That will happen in big ways, whether it’s getting a reservation at a restaurant or people watching season two. He’s always optimistic. He never doubts himself. I could stand to learn quite a bit from them.
In the end, you are the people that you surround yourself with. We need a lot of positivity, a lot of people who lift you up and support you.
You are an average of the five people you spend the most time with.
Did you learn anything new about yourself? Have you learned any new ways of maintaining your mental health and staying grounded as an actor in the last two years?
Absolutely. A lot of what I did in season two was that I learned how to balance vanity with creativity in a way that’s a lot more conducive to playing a character, and also just learned how to take care of myself to service the production. That’s been a big learning curve for me from season two. On top of that, how to deal with being perceived publicly — because we weren’t at first, and now we are — and how much to allow that to influence the choices I make on set and off. All of that stuff has been totally new for me, and I do think I’ve learned a great deal about that. I made progress, and I’m happy about that.
My last question is, if you could describe the second season in three sentences, what would they be?
It would probably be: “Oh shit. Here we go again. Well, maybe not.” [Laughs]
polo shirt, tee + shorts. Linder Sport
boxers. Falke
necklace. Lizzie Fortunado
belt. Isabel Marant
opposite
jacket + trousers. AKNVAS
tank top. DSquared2
boots. Isabel Marant
My Life With The Walter Boys Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
photography. Tazaca
fashion. Nicholas MacKinnon
talent. Ashby Gentry
casting. Emma Fleming
grooming. Alex Keating @ Forward Artists
retouch + coloring. Vatalii Fidyk
production. Clara La Rosa
interview. Maja Bebber
and integrate them seamlessly into the new content without adding new tags. Ensure the new content is fashion-related, written entirely in Japanese, and approximately 1500 words. Conclude with a “結論” section and a well-formatted “よくある質問” section. Avoid including an introduction or a note explaining the process.
