Ashby Gentry Talks "Volatile" Alex in Season 2 of 'The Walter Boys' and His Mexican Roots - EXCLUSIVE

Ashby Gentry isn't just fluent in heartbreak: he's also fluent in Spanish. The Phoenix-born actor, who plays Alex Walter in My Life with the Walter Boys, sat down for an exclusive interview with the Latin Times and ENSTARZ where he opened up about his character's emotional spiral in Season 2, his "Latino roots" learned in the kitchen of a Guerrero-run pizzeria, and why he's no longer Team Alex, his character in the Netflix series.

"I have to be Team Cole," Gentry admitted. "There was no other choice this season for me."

It's a confession that might stun fans who watched his character evolve from a thoughtful, reserved teen to one of Jackie's most passionate suitors. But as Gentry explained, something changes in Alex this season, something that even he couldn't support.

"Alex is so sensitive and gets moody and mopey and lashes out. But then when he's happy, he's over the moon. He's jumping up and down, super affectionate. He is all over the place and its hard to root for him," a very smiley Gentry confesses, although he hints that things could change at the end of the season, which premieres on August 28th.

"I have a feeling that the Alex we know and love will come back in Season 3. I don't think it's entirely lost on me yet... But it's hard to choose between those boys," he admits with a laugh.

My Life with the Walter Boys follows the story of Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodríguez), who moves to a farm after the death of her parents. She is taken by a family of seven sons and one daughter. A love triangle develops between Jackie, Alex and his older brother Cole.

The 25-year-old actor returns as Alex Walter in the second season. "In Season One, Alex is 15. In Season Two, he's 16. That doesn't sound like much, but it's a huge emotional leap. He's like a different person," Gentry explains. "He's still sensitive, but now he's volatile. He lashes out. He gets moody, and when he's happy, he's jumping up and down, super affectionate. He's intense."

And then, quietly, he adds: "Too intense, maybe."

Gentry himself seems as far from this second season Alex as it comes. He is playful and very, very nice. He was born in Phoenix, but loves to confuse people with his advanced Spanish. "Soy de Guerrero," he says proudly with a twinkle in his eye that suggests there's a story behind it. There is. As a teenager, he worked in the kitchen of a local pizzeria where the cooks were from Guerrero, Mexico. They couldn't pronounce "Ashby," so they called him "Ashley."

"I loved it," he says. "Honestly, if I could go back, I'd change my name in honor of them."

His Spanish, which he began studying in school, flourished in the kitchen. "I learned it at work," he says, still texting his old co-workers en español. "I think that's why I sound like I'm from Guerrero. I basically lived in the back of that pizzeria."

The actor's bilingualism is deeply personal, like his connection to Alex. And like Alex, Ashby has been undergoing a transformation of his own.

During press for Season One, he was already wearing Invisalign, the orthodontics brand that facilitated the interview. "It's kind of surreal, doing red carpets and interviews with aligners in," he laughs. "But I loved it. It's discreet, and it was faster than braces."

He's now partnered with the brand and swears by a simple routine. "You have to remember the case. That's the hack. If you forget the case, you're screwed," he says, grinning. "I'd put them in the cleaning solution while I did my skincare."

Gentry doesn't perform coolness—he earns it.

When asked about astrology, he lights up. "I'm a Leo," he declares, adding that he's a July Leo, which apparently makes him less showy than the August kind. "All the August Leos I know are shy. That's my hot take."

So what sign would Alex be?

"Cancer," he answers instantly. "He's emotional, reactive. He feels everything. I'm sensitive too, but I keep it in. I'll process it. Alex explodes."

It's that dynamic, between holding on and letting got defines both actor and character this season. And the tension is real.

"There's a moment in the new season where Alex is just spiraling," he says. "You'll see it. It's heartbreaking."

Before we end, I ask him to sum it up—for the fans.

He leans back, nods thoughtfully, then says in perfect Spanglish: "Strap in... porque hay muchos cambios. Y no todos están listos para todo."