The 'Gilded Age' star has been earning acclaim for his performance in 'Death of a Salesman'
Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Ben Ahlers is earning acclaim for his Broadway debut as Happy in the star-studded revival of Death of a Salesman
- The actor opens up to PEOPLE about performing alongside legends like Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf and in front of esteemed audiences
- Ahlers’ shirtless scenes have sparked internet buzz, which he says adds depth to his character’s image-focused persona
Ben Ahlers is making his mark on Broadway.
After breaking out on-screen as Jack "Clock Twink" Trotter on the HBO period drama The Gilded Age, the 29-year-old actor is earning acclaim and attention for his performance in director Joe Mantello's star-studded revival of Death of a Salesman.
Written by Arthur Miller, the drama centers on the Loman family — aging salesman Willy (Nathan Lane), his devoted wife Linda (Laurie Metcalf) and their two sons, Biff (Chris Abbott) and Happy (Ahlers) — as they grapple with dashed expectations, financial strain and the unraveling promise of the American Dream.
Critics including PEOPLE have raved about Ahlers' performance, with The Hollywood Reporter commending the actor for giving "Happy a substance that's often elusive to the character in other productions." Variety added that the performer "is a revelation as Happy, the people pleaser-turned-womanizer whose suaveness Ahlers tempers with an appealing glint of innocent mischief."
Credit: Emilio Madrid
For the rising star, who has previously appeared in Off-Broadway shows, such as 2025's John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only!, "it's been so thrilling," he tells PEOPLE. While he says "theater is theater," there are "exciting challenges" and a "newness of it all in this production specifically."
Not only is he sharing the stage with the likes of Lane and Metcalf — "two artists who are at the top of their game, executing at such a high level every night," he gushes — but he's also performing in front of 1,400 people each night at the Winter Garden Theatre.
"This is my first time on Broadway as well as having the sort of response that we've had," Ahlers says.
That response has included the respect and adoration of both screen and stage legends, including Sir Ian McKellen, Meryl Streep and Robert Downey Jr., — all of whom have seen the show.
"I've had a lot of feelings," Ahlers says, while reflecting on making his debut in front of such an esteemed audience. "This is a completely different scale to have so many people and so many people I respect come in to see the show."
"It's thrilling to have people that I've grown up admiring and idolizing coming through and sharing in our work," the actor continues.
Credit: Emilio Madrid
His shirtless scenes, meanwhile, have also garnered him the attention of theater fans and the internet alike, with one Broadway-themed Instagram account quipping alongside a clip of him throwing a football onstage, "Is this what Arthur Miller meant by ‘Attention must be paid'? Because I'm paying it."
When asked what he thinks of it, Ahlers says, "The attention so far has only really been very welcome and appreciated."
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Yet, the actor — who became the source of internet fandom when he was dubbed the "Clock Twink" during season 3 of The Gilded Age — admits that "the internet is its own reality."
"For the most part, I've maintained a pretty healthy relationship with letting audiences engage with the material as they will," he says.
"The same thing with The Gilded Age. People want to participate and they want to find community. And I feel so lucky to be able to contribute to the culture in that way," Ahlers notes, before adding that "there can be a little pressure when people are sneaking videos and phones in the theater, but for the most part, it's been all love."
Credit: Emilio Madrid
While fans may be thirsting over seeing the actor shed his clothes, Ahlers says the "shirtlessness" has a function. "
It actually has a grounding effect in the character and in the story," he says, explaining that Happy is "this man who's very image forward and has a very idealized notion of what it means to be a man and to be a success."
"Him sort of gallivanting around onstage, trying to present his worth, so to speak, feels really apt," the actor adds. "The attention is the attention, but it also feels like it's still telling the story."
And in this current era of society, it's not only apt, but it's timely. "To be able to tell this story in this time, which feels more relevant and important than ever, has been so gratifying and cathartic," Ahlers says, of the show's newfound resonance.
Death of a Salesman is playing at the Winter Garden Theatre through Aug. 9. Tickets are now on sale.
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