How “The Vampire Diaries”' love triangle inspired teen drama “My Life With the Walter Boys”
Author Ali Novak and showrunner Melanie Halsall reveal how Netflix's new series has a lot in common with the iconic vampire romance.
There's a new teen romance love triangle on TV to sink your teeth into that will feel extremely familiar to The Vampire Diaries fans ... and that's all by design.
Netflix's new drama My Life With the Walter Boys, adapted from author Ali Novak's viral Wattpad novel of the same name, centers on a love triangle where the girl, Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez), falls in love with two brothers, Cole (Noah LaLonde) and Alex (Ashby Gentry), who couldn't be more opposite from each other. This time, however, there are no vampires (or any other supernatural creature) in sight — they just served as the creative spark for both the book's author and TV show creator Melanie Halsall.
Netflix
Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie and Noah LaLonde as Cole"There's always something to be said about love triangles, but it was inspired by Damon and Stefan from The Vampire Diaries," Novak tells EW of why she began writing the novel when she was only 15. "There's just something so compelling about a love triangle, and there's so many YA books that have been influenced by that show."
But when asked if she was more of a Damon or Stefan fan, she gives a surprising answer: "I'm a Klaus fan," she admits with a laugh, referring to Joseph Morgan's villain, who ultimately became an antihero love interest after a long, complicated journey (on multiple shows). "But if I had to pick a Salvatore, I would definitely say Damon."
Don't expect that bad boy older brother preference to hint at which Walter boy Jackie ultimately ends up with in the TV show adaptation of Novak's story. "We wanted to make sure that both boys have equal weighting," Novak says. "And I think there is so much more to this story than just the love triangle."
Netflix
Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie and Ashby Gentry as AlexMy Life With the Walter Boys (now streaming on Netflix) begins as (mild spoiler alert) 15-year-old Jackie's life is uprooted by a tragic accident that leaves her an orphan. She's forced to leave behind her glamorous New York life and move to rural Colorado to live with her new guardian, her mother’s best friend Katherine (Sarah Rafferty), who is raising 10 kids, nine of which are boys, with her husband, George (Marc Blucas). Jackie's new, chaotic home becomes even more complicated when she develops feelings for two very different Walter brothers: the reliable and bookish Alex, and the mysterious and troubled Cole.
"The romance has definitely been our North Star — romance is super, super important," showrunner Halsall tells EW. "I think all girls, especially teenage girls, want to be loved. And that idea that two boys want you? When I was 15, believe me, no boys wanted me, and I would've devoured a book like this for that kind of wish fulfillment."
Novak laughs as she agrees, because that's the whole reason why she wrote the book in the first place. "What more does a 15-year-old want?" she says, before adding, "Obviously, no one wants to lose their family, but moving into a house with how many hot boys? Every girl loves the concept of that."
Netflix
Corey Fogelmanis as Nathan, Ashby Gentry as Alex, Connor Stanhope as Danny, Noah LaLonde as Cole, Sarah Rafferty as Katherine, Marc Blucas as George, Alex Quijano as Uncle Richard, Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie, Zoe Soul as Haley Young, Alisha Newton as Erin, Isaac Arellanes as Isaac and Myles Perez as Lee"But as Ali said, it's more than that," Halsall continues. "It's coming of age. It's discovering yourself. It's coming to terms with the difficulties life can bring you. It's found family. And the TV series takes off a little bit from the book — there are fewer boys in the family, for a start. Two of the twin sets became just one, and that's quite a big change I think people will notice."
Halsall also warns that while the premise of the story is the same as the book, how the characters get to certain moments will be different onscreen. "We have to make changes to make it work as a TV series," she explains. "The way that relationships unfold, especially Jackie and Alex's relationship, is slightly different than in the book. And what happens at the end will surprise people because that is different than the book, but I'm hoping that gives the audience, both the audience that loves the book and the new audience, a bit of a surprise."
When it comes to a love triangle, what's better than a surprise ending?
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