December 7 saw the new series My Life with the Walter Boys hit Netflix, starring Nikki Rodriguez as the show's lead character, Jackie Howard.
My Life with the Walter Boys is an adaptation of Ali Novak's novel of the same name and stars Noah LaLonde and Ashby Gentry alongside Rodriguez as her two primary love interests.
Rodriguez may be familiar to fans of On My Block for playing Vero, with that and My Life with the Walter Boys being the most prominent projects the actress has appeared in.
6 Fun Facts about Nikki Rodriguez
Relatively new to the mainstream, Nikki Rodriguez plays Jackie Howard in My Life with the Walter Boys on Netflix. Rodriguez's Jackie is the show's primary protagonist, who, in the story, moves in with two guardians and their 10 sons after the death of her family.
After seeing her in this starring role, fans may want to know more about the actor. So, here are six fun facts:
Walter Boys Is Rodriguez's 'Dream' Role
In April of 2022, when Rodriguez was announced as playing Jackie in the new series, she took to Instagram and told fans that "this is an absolute DREAM come true," sharing how much she "love[s] this show:"
"I mean it when I say this is an absolute DREAM come true. THANK YOU to everyone who made this a possibility. I love this show and I’m so grateful I get to make it with the best people. I can not wait for y’all to see this one."
A couple of months later, Rodriguez celebrated the first season's wrap by sharing her gratitude on the platform once more:
"Grateful would simply be an understatement. And that’s a wrap on Season 1."
Rodriguez Loves the Outdoors, but She's a 'City Girl at Heart'
In an interview with Brit + Co, Rodriguez talked about how though she is "a city girl at heart," she found beauty in the outdoors during production:
"Listen, I’m such a city girl at heart. I love the city. But being outside in Calgary, like any location was just stunning and so peaceful."
She noted a "river location" from filming as one of her favorites, saying she has "never been in a more beautiful place:"
"I probably would say the river location [is one of her favorites], cause I’ve never been in a more beautiful place."
She Cried When She Got the Part of Jackie
In addition to loving the part, Rodriguez sees much of herself in Jackie. She told Netflix's Tudum that, like Jackie, she is "really adventurous... but... also a person that feels like they need control."
She revealed that following her audition, she did not "think anyone’s going to see [her] as Jackie."
After learning she got the part, Rodriguez "just sat on the floor and cried for about 30 minutes:"
"My manager and my agent called right as the microwave hit zero [on a breakfast burrito], and the first thing they said was, 'Hey, so do you have a lot of cold weather clothes?’'And I was like, 'Why?’'And then they told me. I essentially just sat on the floor and cried for about 30 minutes and did not eat the breakfast burrito."
My Life With the Walter Boys Isn’t Nikki's First Rodeo
Before starring in My Life with the Walter Boys, Rodriguez played Vero in nine episodes of the show On My Block. She also played Sarah in 2022's Back to Lyla.
Among working on various shorts and smaller projects, Rodriguez made appearances in one episode of Speechless, and one episode of Adam Ruins Everything.
Rodriguez Read the Walter Boys Book 'Many' Times
In an interview with Popternative, Rodriguez said after getting her audition, she took out the book from the library and "read it many times."
She noted while there are some changes between the book and the adaptation on Netflix, she thinks they were successful in "trying to be true to what the book was and what the show is:"
"As soon as I got the audition, I rented the book from the library, so I read it many times. But it is its own thing, there are a few changes, so trying to be true to what the book was and what the show is, I think we really did a good job of."
Nikki Rodriguez Loves French Fries
Rodriguez, whose height is 5 feet, 2 inches, has made her love for french fries very clear — even citing herself as a "certified french fry critic" in her Instagram bio.
Speaking to Brit + Co, Rodriguez and co-star Ashby Gentry talked about how she even brought "three different kinds of french fries" to a bonding Thanksgiving dinner early in shooting:
Rodriguez: "One of the first things we did was Ashby [Gentry] hosted us for, like, a friends Thanksgiving dinner where we all brought stuff. That was, like, very early on, like week one."
Gentry: "I will point out, Nikki [Rodriguez] brought french fries as her dish to the Thanksgiving."
Rodriguez: "Not just french fries, three different kinds."
Gentry: "Three different kinds of french fries, and they were amazing, by the way."
Gentry explained that this led them to attempt throughout filming to find out "Which restaurant in Calgary has the best french fries:"
"It started one of our side quests throughout the filming of the show, which was ‘Which restaurant in Calgary has the best french fries.'"
My Life with the Walter Boys is now streaming on Netflix.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
