Netflix star Ashby Gentry claims he had to retool his performance for My Life with the Walter Boys.
Based on Ali Novak's book from 2014, My Life with the Walter Boys focuses on the orphaned Jackie Howard as she adapts to her new life on a Colorado ranch with her guardian and a house full of boys.
Among the ranks of the many Walter boys is Gentry's character of Alex Walter, whose look and performance weren't quite what the show's creators had in mind.
Ashby Gentry Was Critiqued For His Walter Boys Performance
In talking about My Life with the Walter Boys, Ashby Gentry revealed how he's both similar and different to his character Alex, and that he was initially critiqued for being too "confident" and "loud:"
"We're very similar in what we are, but very different in how we present it. That was one of the notes our showrunner gave me. She was like 'You're so confident, you're so loud.' And she was like 'Be quiet and shy'." And I was like okay, I can try that."
But even so, Gentry still found common ground with Alex, saying, "But we're both romantics at heart, so I connected there with him."
However, that wasn't the only time Ashby Gentry was told how he differed from Alex Walter.
When meeting author Ali Novak, the Netflix star claimed the writer told him, "You look nothing like Alex:"
"She turns, she looks me up and down, she says, 'You look nothing like Alex.' And I go, 'You know, funny enough, I watched the show back and I'm like, yeah, that's now how I envisioned Alex would look either.'"
Jokingly, the actor continued, offering a few lighthearted critiques of his own over how he was filmed, saying, "If they do a Season 2, I'm stepping behind the monitor and making sure I look good:"
"Some of these shots I'm like, 'What angle were you shooting me from?' Who allowed this? If they do a Season 2, I'm stepping behind the monitor and making sure I look good in all of these shots. I'm like, huh that's not the Alex I remember either. But Ali's great. Love her a lot."
As to which character from the show he's personally most like, Gentry admitted he "would be Cole," his romantic rival played by Noah LaLonde:
"I would be Cole. I actually personality-wise align a little bit with Cole. I'm a little bit more devious and more reckless than Alex is so I think that'd be fun."
Ashby Gentry Pulls Back the Curtain on Netflix Adaptation
Given the popularity of Netflix's My Life with the Walter Boys, it's fascinating to learn how both the cast and the show's creators adapted the character for streaming.
Gentry's stories also offered audiences a view of the challenges that come with playing a character that readers - and author Ali Novak - already know and envisioned in print.
Now that The Walter Boys has been renewed for a Season 2, Gentry won't just have that chance to teasingly step behind the monitor, but further own the character of Alex Walter as his on-screen story continues.
My Life with the Walter Boys is streaming now on Netflix.
