One thing about being part of a prime HBO series: the chances of going viral for something, at some point, are high.
“I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: Evan Ross Katz changed my life,” says Ben Ahlers of the online creator, who anointed Ahlers’ “Gilded Age” character Jack as the “clock twink.” The moniker resurfaced earlier this week via Ahlers’ costar Louisa Jacobson in a post promoting the latest episode.
“It is definitely a different experience now. I’ve never been a meme. I’ll happily wear the crown of the clock twink,” Ahlers adds. “I do hesitate to say that I am 6’3”, so I don’t think that’s by definition a twink — but I’ll happily roll with it if people are willing to give me a pass. I love how obsessed and excited people get about coming up with the new fun thing. We’ve got Morgan Spector as ‘railroad daddy’ and [me as] ‘clock twink,’ so that’s great company for me.”
Ben Ahlers ahead of the Amiri show during Paris Fashion Week.
Courtesy of Jacques Burga
Now in its third season, “The GIlded Age” is one of TV’s most popular hits, with a star-studded cast that includes Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Denee Benton, Jacobson, Spector and more. Ahlers stars as fan-favorite Jack Treacher, a footman who has invented an alarm clock that Season Three sees him trying to sell with the help of the upperclassman Larry Russell.
“I’m so proud that he’s willing to take this risk,” Ahlers says of Jack’s business endeavors with Larry. “I’m not entirely certain about Larry Russell. But I think he’s Jack’s only lifeline and to roll the dice to want to make something of himself despite the potential consequences is [something] I’m very proud of. And I feel safe in the fact that he’s loved by his found family in the house. And so he feels protected in a way, and I’m really grateful for that as the watchful eye on him.”
In summer 2019, Ahlers was in Pasadena doing a play when his manager texted him about “the premier script of the season,” a new series from Julian Fellowes. Ahlers’ family had been diehard “Downton Abbey” fans and so he was well acquainted with Fellowes’ work. While reading the script, a friend came to mind.
“Louisa Jacobson and I had done a play in 2018 when she was still at Yale, and I was going into my senior year at Michigan,” he explains. They hadn’t spoken for about a year or so but when he read “Gilded,” he immediately thought of her for Marian.
“I texted her for the first time and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m not sure if you’ve heard about this script or not, but I think it’d be great for the lead.’ And she texted back and said, ‘Benny, I’m in final callback for it right now,’” Ahlers says. “So there’s been this very seemingly cosmic alignment of our path. It’s been really fun to celebrate this ride with her.”
Ben Ahlers
Courtesy of Jacques Burga
Ahlers, who is 28, grew up “as far from this whole world as possible” in Fort Dodge, Iowa. His mother was involved in the local community theater, and would bring him along to rehearsals, his first taste of the craft.
“I would watch her transform and see the community members just play pretend. And I didn’t realize that adults were allowed to do that,” he says.
He got his start in the theater world as well, through the organization Broadway Dreams Foundation, which eventually pointed him toward the musical theater program at the University of Michigan.
“There’s a lot of great shows out there, but this one is so delightful and satisfying in such a unique way. It’s like a perfect pastry,” Ahlers says of what makes “The Gilded Age” such a hit. “And I do think that people like the mirror that we’re holding up and we’re not telling anybody what’s right or what’s wrong or how to think, but the times are frighteningly reflective of each other. And I think because we hold up such a clean viewpoint to people, it helps them sort out where they’re at in this current moment as well. So I think it’s very relevant.”
Ben Ahlers
Courtesy of Jacques Burga
