Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ primarily focuses on Jackie Howard and her love triangle with Cole and Alex Walter, but the show also gives space to other Walter siblings and explores their lives. One of the brothers who receives considerably more attention is Nathan, who is attracted to Skylar, a boy in Jackie’s class. Skylar is sweet and handsome, and while Nathan immediately falls for him, he needs some time and space to figure out his own feelings. The character is played by Jaylan Evans, who portrays Skylar’s complicated feelings with finesse while also exploring other aspects of his identity. How close is the actor to his character in the show?
Jaylan Evans has Black and Native Roots
Unlike Skylar, who is a Colorado native, Jaylan Evans hails from Greensboro, North Carolina. He auditioned for the role of Skylar in ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ when he discovered that the role was listed as Native American. The actor himself has Native American roots and is of Haliwa-Saponi tribe from North Carolina’s Hollister area. Initially, the character was not supposed to be Black, but the show’s creator, Melanie Halsall, was so impressed with Evans that she decided to make Skylar both Native American and Black, like the actor.
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Speaking of Skylar, Evans said that he feels quite close to his character on the Netflix series. Apart from their ethnicity, the actor and the character share an ambitious and confident spirit about what they want from life. Both of them are clear about who they want to be and are about their feelings, be it on love or anything else.
Evans, who has previously appeared in shows like ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ and has voiced characters for the Netflix series, ‘Spirit Rangers,’ got into acting at an early age. Before he discovered his love for acting, he was into football and track, both of which are also important in the fictional Silver Falls High School in ‘My Life With the Walter Boys.’ It was in seventh grade, at the age of 13, that he landed his first acting role in ‘13, the Musical,’ performed at the community theatre in his hometown of Greensboro. Soon enough, he’d decided to pursue acting full-time.
Evans applied at Weaver Academy for the performing and visual arts program and stayed there for the first three years of high school. Later, he transferred to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, where he spent his senior year. Further, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Music Theatre from Elon University in 2020. All of this propelled him towards auditioning for movie and TV roles, one of which would eventually lead him to the Netflix series where he plays Skylar.
In playing Skylar, Evans brought his own experiences and feelings to the character, especially bringing focus to Skylar’s Black and Native identity. His feelings for Nathan are also explored deeply as Skylar tries to catch up with Nathan, who can come on too strong sometimes. In the end, Skylar listens to his heart and does what feels best without compromising what he wants.
Read More: Is Johnny Link (Will Walter) Deaf in My Life With the Walter Boys?
