By: Kemberlie Spivey
Q) Grace brings her own spark to the Walter Boys world. How was she initially described to you?
A) When I first received the breakdown back in 2022, Grace was described as “confident” and “homespun.” It’s funny to think back on those early days because so much has changed now in how I view Grace. Back then, I probably subconsciously modelled her after characters like Harper Finkle from “Wizards of Waverly Place” or Lilly Truscott from “Hannah Montana” – characters I grew up loving on screen. Now I would compare her more to somebody like Eric from Sex Education – different but confident about it.
Q) Going into this new season, what were your first thoughts when you read the Season 2 scripts?
A)I remember being impressed by how many big events and cool set pieces were being written into the episodes. I was looking forward to all the dance, Halloween, Christmas and all the fun things in between. I was also super hyped for some of the new love triangles going on at Silver Falls High. It’s such a different experience reading scripts knowing that your friends are being paired up with each other, torn apart and stitched back together at every turn. The stakes felt higher because we all care so much for each other as characters, actors, and friends.
Q) Grace is the “listening ear” for Jackie. How do you balance being supportive while still letting the audience see Grace’s own personality shine?
A) I think Grace’s personality comes through in her sincere want to support her best friend. She is very loyal and self-sacrificing at her core, so I think all of her advice for Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) is a genuine reflection of who she is. However, as the season progresses we start to see that Grace has more going on than she might be letting on. It can be hard for her to be truly present for Jackie when there’s so much that doesn’t get expressed. I enjoyed finding those layers throughout the season – trying to find those triggers that make it harder for her to be her normal bubbly self. She wants to let her personality shine, but that can be hard when it feels like a cover up for some real pain. It gave me some really interesting, subtle, unspoken conflict to work with.
Q) Grace and Jackie bond immediately—what’s your favorite part about their friendship, and did you find any similarities between your friendship on set and theirs on screen?
A) My favorite little Jackie-Grace moments are definitely the ones where they give each other grace (no pun intended) and learn how to show up for each other in the best possible way. That is such an important part of female friendship and I learned a lot about myself prepping for those scenes. Nikki and I got to spend a lot more time together on set for Season 2 and I think we both reflect our characters to a degree. Nikki is an introvert and I am an extrovert so we tend to meet each other in the middle in a funny way. Our scene in episode 4 at the “underground” music venue is almost entirely improvised and I think it’s a great reflection of our sense of humor. I like to try to bring out Nikki’s cheeky side, which can be said for Grace and Jackie as well.
Q) What’s a funny or unexpected behind-the-scenes moment from filming season 2 that fans would love to hear about?
A) The improvised scene I mentioned was originally meant to be shot outdoors, but right as we set up all of our cameras, the heavens opened and the most insane storm took over Calgary, Alberta. We all had to run inside and our quick-thinking director Audrey Cummings had the idea to shoot the scene in the stairwell of our studio instead. The set decoration team got to work making it look like a punk-rock music venue. With the new location, the blocking for the scene changed and Nikki and I suddenly had all this blank space where we were on camera with no dialogue. We went back to the green room and did some quick brainstorming, but we didn’t have a lot of time to get the scene done. We eventually just did a take to see what happened and I’m really proud of how silly and fun the scene turned out to be. I’m pretty sure we shot the entire thing in under thirty minutes.
Q) What are some episodes you think fans should keep an eye out for?
A) My personal favorites are episodes 9 and 10. I love that we cover two holidays in two hours – that’s so Silver Falls to me. Halloween has some great looks and a personal favorite scene of mine…
Sometimes the best scenes are the ones where I had an entirely different idea of how I would feel doing it. I originally thought that the scene where Jackie and Grace are kind of sulking at Halloween would have much more Grace-isms and optimism. I loved that when we sat down to do it, I felt really infected by the weight of Jackie’s emotions and the scene went an entirely different way. Halloween was a fun one to shoot from a performance perspective, and I also loved seeing everybody’s costumes come to life. Our wardrobe department kills it this season.
Q) If Grace could step inside the Walter household for just one day, which brother do you think she’d click with the most — and which one would drive her absolutely crazy?
A) [laughs] I think Grace would pass out if she was actually given full access to the Walter family dynamic. I love keeping track of the relationships she does have with each of them in the cannon of the show. She has her relationship with Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis) as Skylar’s (Jaylan Evans) partner, her relationship with Isaac (Isaac Arellanes) as “beer pong buddies for life,” her relationship with Cole (Noah LaLonde) as an enigmatic Walter family figure and her relationship with Alex (Ashby Gentry) as the only Walter boy her age that she would have grown up in classes with (and of course as Jackie’s boyfriend).
With all of that aside, I think she would fit into Isaac and Lee’s (Myles Perez) dynamic in a funny way. Lee can be so moody and Isaac also has a sensitive side. I imagine Grace would give them great girl advice and keep the mood light. One of my favorite scenes from Season 1 is in episode 7 where Grace is prodding Isaac for info and she has to hit Lee with a “Lee! This is important!” to get him to butt out. I love the idea of her bossing them around a little bit, but maybe I’m biased because Isaac and Myles are my real life buddies.
I think if Grace actually got to know Cole she would be quickly confused by him. He has a lot going on in his internal world and Grace is always so keen on following your heart. It would be hard to untangle the web that is Cole Walter’s psyche and I’m sure that would be Grace’s instinct.
Q) Grace is wise and grounded. If she could give Jackie one piece of advice this season, what do you think it would be?
A) Well, she does give Jackie a lot of advice this season and for good reason. It’s so important to debrief with your girls after a confusing situation and Jackie has tons of those. I think the main theme of Grace’s advice this season is to not overcomplicate things and follow your heart. There are so many elements of life that stop us from doing that, but I kind of love Grace’s go-getter attitude – we could all benefit from a healthy dose of that.
Q) What is it about “My Life With the Walter Boys” that you think has made it such a fan favorite series?
A) This show is the kind of show that has something for everyone – there’s so many different opinions, perspectives, icks and loves. I love stalking comment sections and seeing what everyone’s thinking. Debate is such a fun part of entertainment and we see a lot of that with “My Life with the Walter Boys.”
Q) Season 3 is already in production! What excites you the most about revisiting Grace and seeing her grow even more?
A) I am so excited to grow up a little more with Grace! She’s older, wiser and crazier in Season 3 and I’m having so much fun exploring that. It’s funny how the writing kind of evolves to the way we talk and behave as actors and in Season 3 I feel there’s a lot of myself that I can give to Grace. I feel so incredibly lucky to be back again before the second season has even come out. It’s the kind of security we dream of in such a volatile industry. Every day before I go to set I think about how lucky I am to be in a successful project with my friends!
Q) Are there any upcoming projects you’re excited about that we should keep our eyes on?
A) I’m really proud of my recent horror film It Feeds that came out earlier this year where I got to star opposite Ashley Greene. It shows a totally different side to me as an actor, character and human and I’m so lucky to have gotten to diversify my projects in that way. My character, Jordan, is fierce, brave and serious about her convictions. She exists in a totally different genre from Grace, although I do think they would be friends in another life.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and your work?
A) I still feel like I am in the early chapters of my journey, so it’s surreal to think that there are people out there who want to take the time to message me on Instagram or say hello in the street. In my head I’m still a little girl from East Kilbride, Scotland who dreamed of being on a show like “My Life with the Walter Boys.” I am stunned every time I see a tiktok edit (they are so good!) or get a nice comment on my Instagram from a stranger. In the time of globalization and constant access to each other, it’s nice to feel like we can create space for community and kindness. I am eternally grateful for all the little things and I hope I can be a positive role model for anyone who needs it.