After celebrating her birthday with a karaoke party, Ashley Holliday Tavares sat down with me to discuss her role in the Netflix series My Life with the Walter Boys. Ashley plays the guidance counsellor Tara Jacobs who’s dating Richard (Alex Quijano).
When Whoopi Goldberg played a guidance counsellor in ABC’s The Middle, she was hidden in a basement, but Tara’s always out and about! She’s not hiding at all! Ashley joked that Tara would be the ultimate tourist if Richard surprised her with a trip to New York.
One of Ashley’s favourite memories from My Life with the Walter Boys was filming Will and Haley’s wedding. She was thrilled to get positive feedback for improvising at midnight from her childhood crush, director Jason Priestley. On the flip side, filming a TV show isn’t always glamorous. Ashley was recovering from food poisoning after a bad flight when author Ali Novak visited the set.
The TV adaptation of My Life with the Walter Boys is a huge Wattpad success story! It’s made by the same production team as The Kissing Booth and it’s been so much fun talking to Ashley Holliday Tavares and Joel Courtney about their experiences.
Ashley also shared her thoughts on Tara’s bond with the students. She imagines having more conversations with them that aren’t featured on camera. She’s eager to film more scenes and help characters like Alex, Danny and Erin plan their futures.
“They seemed young when we started and now, they all have this presence about them. To see everyone grow and evolve and change is really cool,” Ashley remarked about the cast.
In addition to unpacking what’s inside Tara’s high school office, we also explored how the show portrays the pressure of college applications in a small town. Ashley looked back at her own experience to highlight how successful careers often stem from non-traditional paths.
Growing up, Ashley’s favourite love triangle on television was Buffy, Angel and Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Ashley was “enamored by it” and reminisced about debating her favourite shows at recess before social media existed. Ashby Gentry considers her an expert on love triangles!
Ashley Holliday Tavares stars in My Life with the Walter Boys, which you can watch on Netflix. She promises that there are more juicy moments coming up in season 4 for MLWTWB!
Watch the full chat on YouTube and subscribe for more interviews!
Follow me on Instagram & YouTube to see what’s hot in Hollywood, including my latest interviews and reviews!