There’s been a keen interest in the bestNikki Rodriguezmovies and TV shows since the young actor led the cast of Netflix’s 2023 teen romanceMy Life With The Walter Boys.Born in 2002 in Los Angeles, Nikki Rodriguez had been acting for several years prior to making some one-off appearances in sitcoms likeSpeechlessandAdam Ruins Everything.Her acting career started as far back as 2018, when she appeared in the shortThis Land Is Your Land.
Her short film appearances would continue until 2020 with her role as Mackenzie inBunny Run.However, the following year found Nikki Rodriguez landing a recurring role in the Netflix seriesOn My Block,and from there her career has picked up no shortage of momentum.On My Blockhelped gain the actor some solid experience, but it was2023’sMy Life With The Walter Boysthat put her name on the map, and there’s already a keen interest in both her future projects and the best Nikki Rodriguez movies and TV shows so far.
My Life With The Walter Boys Cast & Character Guide
The 2023 Netflix drama series My Life with the Walter Boys features an orphan being taken in by a family of many boys. Who is in the cast of the show?
The 2022 indie movieBack to Lylareleased between Nikki Rodriguez' appearances in TV showOn My BlockandMy Life With The Walter Boys,but remains noteworthy in her wider filmography - especially since it was her first role in a feature film. Directed by America Young,Back to Lylais a heartwarming and emotional movie dealing with themes of regret and unfinished business in the face of terminal illness.
Nikki Rodriguez stars as Sarah, a childhood friend of Mark (Gonzalo Martin), a young man who discovers he doesn’t have long left to live. Alongside the rest of their friends, Sarah accompanies Mark on a cross-country road trip to find out why the love of his now-dwindling life, Lyla (Hassie Harrison), left him.
The romcom is the definition of low-budget indie movie, so much so it has no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and there are very few radars out there it didn’t fly under when it first released. However,fans of Nikki Rodriguez who want to see every movie or TV show she’s appeared in so far are encouraged to checkBack to Lylaout - especially since the young actor has yet to appear in another feature-length project.
My Life with the Walter Boys
Cast
My Life with the Walter Boys is a 2023 series about a teenage girl who moves in with her guardian’s large family following a personal tragedy. Set in a small town, the story explores themes of love, hope, and friendship as she navigates her new life.
Of every Nikki Rodriguez movie and TV show so far, the 2023 Netflix teen dramaMy Life With The Walter Boysis inarguably the series that put the actor on the map.Based on the 2014 Ali Novak novel of the same name,My Life With The Walter Boysis a solid (albeit texbook) coming-of-age romance series that’s fared incredibly well with audiences, even if critics have responded less positively. Nikki Rodriguez leads the cast ofMy Life With The Walter Boysas Jackie, playing the 15-year-old is the actor’s most prominent role to date.
Jackie is the centerpoint of the plot ofMy Life With The Walter Boys,which means a healthy dose of screentime for Nikki Rodriguez compared to her previous shows and movies. In the show, Jackie movies to Colorado from New York following the death of her family, taking up residence with the Walter family. Nikki Rodriguez has some amazing chemistry with her co-stars,especially Noah LaLondeas love interest Cole Walter.
However, it’s not only romance scenes that Nikki Rodriguez gets to display her skill at inMy Life With The Walter Boys.There’s no shortage of tragedy to the story of Jackie Howard, especially when it comes to the deaths of her parents.This creates plenty of complex and nuanced emotional moments for the character which, in turn, enable Nikki Rodriguez to showcase her talent - and it’s highly likely playing Jackie Howard is already opening doors for the young star.
9 Biggest Changes My Life With The Walter Boys Season 1 Makes To The Book
Adapting to wider audiences and leaving room for a second season, My Life with the Walter Boys made changes to Netflix’s adaptation of the book.
On My Block
On Block is a coming-of-age comedy about a group of friends living in South Central Los Angeles. The series first premiered in 2018 before wrapping up its four-season arc on Netflix in 2021. Throughout the series, the friends must traverse the struggles of high school, face gang life in their gritty city, and experience blossoming romances as teenagers.
2023’sMy Life With The Walter Boysmay currently be the most widely known appearance for Nikki Rodriguez, but it isn’t her best movie or TV show. When it comes to projects the actor has appeared in, the 2018-2021 Netflix seriesOn My Blockis arguably the highest quality and better received - though it should be noted that Rodriguez’s character, Vero, isn’t as central to the plot as Jackie Howard inMy Life With The Walter Boys.
On My Blockcurrently sits with a 93% critical score and 80% audience score onRotten Tomatoes, and it continues to be touted as a hidden gem among the manyTV shows on Netflix.Nikki Rodriguez joined the cast ofOn My Blockin 2021, when the show was on its fourth and final season. She plays Vero, the girlfriend (and, eventually, ex-girlfriend) of Cesar (Diego Tonoco).
The show itself focuses on the trials and tribulations of four teens in the fictional L.A. neighborhood of Freeridge. While it’s a comedy-drama,On My Blockalso doesn’t shy away from heavier topics like gang violence, substance abuse, racism, and other prevalent issues that come with life in the rougher areas of Los Angeles. So,while the actor doesn’t appear as prominently as she does inMy Life With The Walter Boys, On My Blockremains the best Nikki Rodriguez movie or TV show overall.
Nikki Rodriguez Has Made A Handful Of One-Off Appearances
Nikki Rodriguez is still in the early years of her career, and while many fans know her forMy Life With The Walter BoysorOn My Block,she made a handful of one-off appearances prior to landing recurring roles. Specifically,Nikki Rodriguez appeared in a 2019 episode ofAdam Ruins Everything,and in an episode of the sitcomSpeechlessthe same year.
Adam Ruins Everythingwas an educational comedy show that ran on TruTV from 2015-2019. Nikki Rodriguez appeared in theAdam Ruins Everythingseason 3 episode “Adam Ruins A Murder”. Rodriguez played Brie, one of the characters to appear in the handful of segments used while host Adam Connover discusses topics like the history of studying corpses for medical science.
Rodriguez' other small-screen appearance in 2019 was in the sitcomSpeechless,which aired on ABC. Running from 2016-2019,Speechlesswas a heartwarming sitcom that found humor in the daily struggles of a family bringing up an adolescent child with a disability. Nikki Rodriguez had a role in theSpeechlessseason 3 episode “O– OUR M-A-G–MAGEDDON”, in which she played Madison.
Of course, the actor was incredibly young in both of these appearances. It would be another few years before Nikki Rodriguez would appear in series likeOn My BlockorMy Life With The Walter Boys,but these examples of her early work showcase her strong drive to make it as an actor and how it’s been present since a young age.
