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From playing the tough teen girlfriend of a South Central gang member to the tender sweetheart of two Colorado high school brothers, Nikki Rodriguez has seamlessly made the transition. After appearing in the final season of the Gen Z comedy On My Block, Rodriguez landed the starring role of Jackie Howard in the new YA drama series My Life With the Walter Boys. She explains, “I would say there’s a little bit of both characters in my own personality. I really try to highlight the characteristics of each that I align with.”
She portrays a sophisticated, ambitious 15-year-old Manhattan high schooler in the coming-of-age story adapted from Ali Novak’s novel of the same name. “I’ve been on my own from a young age, and I suppose that’s probably what really drew me to Jackie,” she tells VF. “I didn’t grow up in a typical family dynamic…. [and] I know exactly what it feels like…having to juggle all these challenges of growing up and how hard that can be. I really had to learn how to be strong and independent early on and not rely on anybody, and that’s a lot like Jackie.”
Rodriguez’s winning performance as the grieving teen caught up in a romantic triangle—and stymied by a new school that doesn’t offer enough AP classes—was further aided by how similar the actor is to her alter ego.