KANANASKIS COUNTRY – Locals can watch for recognizable backdrops from Kananaskis Country when Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys debuts Thursday (Dec. 7).
Kananaskis Country, Cochrane, Airdrie, Crossfield, Bragg Creek and CL Ranch off Jumpingpound Road stand in for Colorado in the heartwarming coming-of-age story that follows 15-year-old Jackie Howard of Manhattan after losing her family in a tragic accident.
Ashby Gentry, one of the leads along with Nikki Rodriguez and Noah Lalonde, said at a launch event Wednesday (Dec. 6) in Calgary she fell in love with horses thanks to wrangler John Scott.
“He explained every single event to me,” Gentry said, adding Scott took him to a real rodeo.
“He had a personality bigger than I have on-screen or off, and I’m really grateful to him for keeping me safe and not throwing me off.”
My Life with the Walter Boys is based on the novel by Ali Novak. The 10-episode series was pitched by showrunner Melanie Halsall to Netflix as Dawson’s Creek meets Friday Night Lights.
The story has Howard leave behind her life in New York City for a rural setting in Colorado to be with her guardian, her mother’s best friend Katherine who’s raising 10 kids with her husband George.
As Howard adjusts to her new countryside home, she’s intent of focusing on her goal of getting into Princeton University, but does so as she tries to come to grip with her feelings for two Walter brothers – the reliable and bookish Alex and mysterious and troubled Cole.
Halsall said a goal was to produce a show a 45-year-old dad could watch and enjoy with his 15-year-old daughter without getting embarrassed.
Natalie Germann, the Town of Cochrane's community event administrator, liaisons with the film industry.
“We’ve worked hard to build relationships with local film scouts. That means we’re available to answer questions about the area, assist them in finding spaces and businesses when needed and just stay in touch with them regularly (even when they’re not filming in town),” she said in an email.
“We’ve earned a ‘film friendly’ reputation and the word has spread.”
In 2022, Cochrane had four film crews in town and in 2023, two. The writers’ strike put a damper on this season.
The Town is speaking with nearby municipalities to create a cohesive policy that will help cross-promotion.
Several feature film projects have been filmed in Alberta, for example, The Last of Us, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Revenant, Inception, Interstellar, and Legends of the Fall.
This story was originally published in the Cochrane Eagle and shared through Great West Media newspapers. For the original story, visit: www.cochraneeagle.ca/local-news/netflix-series-filmed-around-cochrane-and-airdrie-debuts-tonight-7936586
