There’s been a keen interest in the best Nikki Rodriguez movies and TV shows since the young actor led the cast of Netflix’s 2023 teen romance My Life With The Walter Boys. Born in 2002 in Los Angeles, Nikki Rodriguez had been acting for several years prior to making some one-off appearances in sitcoms like Speechless and Adam Ruins Everything. Her acting career started as far back as 2018, when she appeared in the short This Land Is Your Land.
Her short film appearances would continue until 2020 with her role as Mackenzie in Bunny Run. However, the following year found Nikki Rodriguez landing a recurring role in the Netflix series On My Block, and from there her career has picked up no shortage of momentum. On My Block helped gain the actor some solid experience, but it was 2023’s My Life With The Walter Boys that put her name on the map, and there’s already a keen interest in both her future projects and the best Nikki Rodriguez movies and TV shows so far.
Related My Life With The Walter Boys Cast & Character Guide The 2023 Netflix drama series My Life with the Walter Boys features an orphan being taken in by a family of many boys. Who is in the cast of the show?
3 Back To Lyla (2022)
Nikki Rodriguez Plays Sarah
The 2022 indie movie Back to Lyla released between Nikki Rodriguez’ appearances in TV show On My Block and My Life With The Walter Boys, but remains noteworthy in her wider filmography – especially since it was her first role in a feature film. Directed by America Young, Back to Lyla is a heartwarming and emotional movie dealing with themes of regret and unfinished business in the face of terminal illness.
Nikki Rodriguez stars as Sarah, a childhood friend of Mark (Gonzalo Martin), a young man who discovers he doesn’t have long left to live. Alongside the rest of their friends, Sarah accompanies Mark on a cross-country road trip to find out why the love of his now-dwindling life, Lyla (Hassie Harrison), left him.
The romcom is the definition of low-budget indie movie, so much so it has no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and there are very few radars out there it didn’t fly under when it first released. However, fans of Nikki Rodriguez who want to see every movie or TV show she’s appeared in so far are encouraged to check Back to Lyla out – especially since the young actor has yet to appear in another feature-length project.
2 My Life With The Walter Boys (2023)
Nikki Rodriguez Plays Jackie Howard
Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review My Life with the Walter Boys Based on the novel by Ali Novak, My Life with the Walter Boys is a drama television series created for Netflix by Melanie Halsall. The series follows Jackie Howard, a recently orphaned teenager who relocates to Colorado to live with a family known as the Walters, who gives her a chance to heal and make a fresh start. Cast Sarah Rafferty , Marc Blucas , Alisha Newton , Nikki Rodriguez , Noah LaLonde , Ashby Gentry Release Date December 7, 2023 Seasons 1
Of every Nikki Rodriguez movie and TV show so far, the 2023 Netflix teen drama My Life With The Walter Boys is inarguably the series that put the actor on the map. Based on the 2014 Ali Novak novel of the same name, My Life With The Walter Boys is a solid (albeit texbook) coming-of-age romance series that’s fared incredibly well with audiences, even if critics have responded less positively. Nikki Rodriguez leads the cast of My Life With The Walter Boys as Jackie, playing the 15-year-old is the actor’s most prominent role to date.
Jackie is the centerpoint of the plot of My Life With The Walter Boys, which means a healthy dose of screentime for Nikki Rodriguez compared to her previous shows and movies. In the show, Jackie movies to Colorado from New York following the death of her family, taking up residence with the Walter family. Nikki Rodriguez has some amazing chemistry with her co-stars, especially Noah LaLonde as love interest Cole Walter.
However, it’s not only romance scenes that Nikki Rodriguez gets to display her skill at in My Life With The Walter Boys. There’s no shortage of tragedy to the story of Jackie Howard, especially when it comes to the deaths of her parents. This creates plenty of complex and nuanced emotional moments for the character which, in turn, enable Nikki Rodriguez to showcase her talent – and it’s highly likely playing Jackie Howard is already opening doors for the young star.
Related 9 Biggest Changes My Life With The Walter Boys Season 1 Makes To The Book Adapting to wider audiences and leaving room for a second season, My Life with the Walter Boys made changes to Netflix’s adaptation of the book.
1 On My Block (2018-2021)
Nikki Rodriguez Plays Vero
Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review On My Block On Block is a coming-of-age comedy about a group of friends living in South Central Los Angeles. The series first premiered in 2018 before wrapping up its four-season arc on Netflix in 2021. Throughout the series, the friends must traverse the struggles of high school, face gang life in their gritty city, and experience blossoming romances as teenagers. Where to Watch stream
rent
buy Not available Not available *Availability in US Cast Diego Tinoco , Brett Gray , Julio Macias , Peggy Blow , Jason Genao , Jessica Marie Garcia , Sierra Capri Release Date March 16, 2018 Seasons 4 Showrunner Jeremy Haft
2023’s My Life With The Walter Boys may currently be the most widely known appearance for Nikki Rodriguez, but it isn’t her best movie or TV show. When it comes to projects the actor has appeared in, the 2018-2021 Netflix series On My Block is arguably the highest quality and better received – though it should be noted that Rodriguez’s character, Vero, isn’t as central to the plot as Jackie Howard in My Life With The Walter Boys.
On My Block currently sits with a 93% critical score and 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it continues to be touted as a hidden gem among the many TV shows on Netflix. Nikki Rodriguez joined the cast of On My Block in 2021, when the show was on its fourth and final season. She plays Vero, the girlfriend (and, eventually, ex-girlfriend) of Cesar (Diego Tonoco).
The show itself focuses on the trials and tribulations of four teens in the fictional L.A. neighborhood of Freeridge. While it’s a comedy-drama, On My Block also doesn’t shy away from heavier topics like gang violence, substance abuse, racism, and other prevalent issues that come with life in the rougher areas of Los Angeles. So, while the actor doesn’t appear as prominently as she does in My Life With The Walter Boys, On My Block remains the best Nikki Rodriguez movie or TV show overall.
Nikki Rodriguez Has Made A Handful Of One-Off Appearances
Close
Nikki Rodriguez is still in the early years of her career, and while many fans know her for My Life With The Walter Boys or On My Block, she made a handful of one-off appearances prior to landing recurring roles. Specifically, Nikki Rodriguez appeared in a 2019 episode of Adam Ruins Everything, and in an episode of the sitcom Speechless the same year.
Adam Ruins Everything was an educational comedy show that ran on TruTV from 2015-2019. Nikki Rodriguez appeared in the Adam Ruins Everything season 3 episode “Adam Ruins A Murder”. Rodriguez played Brie, one of the characters to appear in the handful of segments used while host Adam Connover discusses topics like the history of studying corpses for medical science.
Rodriguez’ other small-screen appearance in 2019 was in the sitcom Speechless, which aired on ABC. Running from 2016-2019, Speechless was a heartwarming sitcom that found humor in the daily struggles of a family bringing up an adolescent child with a disability. Nikki Rodriguez had a role in the Speechless season 3 episode “O– OUR M-A-G–MAGEDDON”, in which she played Madison.
Of course, the actor was incredibly young in both of these appearances. It would be another few years before Nikki Rodriguez would appear in series like On My Block or My Life With The Walter Boys, but these examples of her early work showcase her strong drive to make it as an actor and how it’s been present since a young age.