{"id":2418770,"date":"2026-05-15T21:37:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2418770"},"modified":"2026-05-15T21:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:37:28","slug":"ben-ahlers-reflects-on-gilded-age-costar-louisa-jacobson-and-her-mom-meryl-streep-seeing-him-make-his-broadway-debut-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/ben-ahlers-reflects-on-gilded-age-costar-louisa-jacobson-and-her-mom-meryl-streep-seeing-him-make-his-broadway-debut-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Ahlers Reflects on \u201cGilded Age\u201d Costar Louisa Jacobson and Her Mom Meryl Streep Seeing Him Make His Broadway Debut (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ben Ahlers is earning acclaim for his Broadway debut in <em>Death of a Salesman<\/em> while filming <em>The Gilded Age<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Louisa Jacobson and her mother, Meryl Streep, attended Ahlers&#8217; opening night performance on Broadway<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ahlers credits his costars for supporting him as he balances demanding schedules onstage and on-screen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/ben-ahlers-opens-up-about-broadway-debut-in-death-of-a-salesman-exclusive-11964228\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:With his Broadway debut;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;With his Broadway debut&quot;}\" class=\"link \">With his Broadway debut<\/a>, Ben Ahlers is joining the esteemed club of actors who have pulled double duty, working both onstage and on-screen at the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Following his breakout role as Jack Totter on <em>The Gilded Age<\/em>, the 29-year-old actor is earning rave reviews, including a 2026 Theatre World Award, for his performance as Happy in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/nathan-lane-and-laurie-metcalf-reuniting-for-death-of-a-salesman-on-broadway-11859679\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:latest revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;latest revival of Arthur Miller'&quot;}\" class=\"link \">latest revival of Arthur Miller&#8217;s <em>Death of a Salesman<\/em><\/a>, the Tony Award-nominated production directed by Joe Mantello and costarring <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/nathan-lane\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Nathan Lane;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Nathan Lane&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Nathan Lane<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/laurie-metcalf\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Laurie Metcalf;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Laurie Metcalf&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Laurie Metcalf<\/a> and Chris Abbott.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In between his seven performances each week, Ahlers is also filming <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/the-gilded-age-season-4-everything-to-know-11785712\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:season 4;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;season 4&quot;}\" class=\"link \">season 4<\/a> of the HBO period drama alongside the likes of Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon, as well as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/harry-richardson-reflects-on-really-close-friendships-with-gilded-age-costars-exclusive-11767596\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:close friends and costars Harry Richardson and Louisa Jacobson;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;close friends and costars Harry Richardson and Louisa Jacobson&quot;}\" class=\"link \">close friends and costars Harry Richardson and Louisa Jacobson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Ben Ahlers and Louisa Jacobson in New York City on April 14, 2022<br \/>Credit: Bruce Glikas\/WireImage<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In fact, the latter, who plays Marian Brook on the series, was among the first to see Ahlers take the stage on the opening night of his Broadway debut. &#8220;Louisa came with her mom that same night,&#8221; the actor tells PEOPLE, referring to Jacobson&#8217;s mother, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/meryl-streep\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Meryl Streep;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Meryl Streep&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Meryl Streep<\/a>, who was also in the audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In addition to Streep, 76, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/sir-ian-mckellen\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Sir Ian McKellen;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Sir Ian McKellen&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Sir Ian McKellen<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/robert-downey-jr\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Robert Downey Jr.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Robert Downey Jr.&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Robert Downey Jr.<\/a> have also seen the show. &#8220;I&#8217;ve had a lot of feelings,&#8221; Ahlers says, reflecting on making his debut in front of such an esteemed audience. &#8220;This is a completely different scale to have so many people, and so many people I respect, come in to see the show.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It&#8217;s thrilling to have people that I&#8217;ve grown up admiring and idolizing coming through and sharing in our work,&#8221; the actor continues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But nothing is like the support of a longtime friend. Having &#8220;been a part of each other&#8217;s paths for a very long time&#8221; and having developed &#8220;such a deep respect and love for one another&#8221; during that time, he says it meant a lot to have Jacobson, 34, see the show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Louisa&#8217;s such a theater creature herself. And so, we have endless conversations and dreams of how we want to continue to build our careers,&#8221; he shares, adding that in addition to Jacobson, they have also &#8220;really bonded&#8221; with Richardson, 33, who plays Larry Russell, during their time working together on the HBO series.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I feel so lucky to be both working with them now and getting to share this with them at the same time,&#8221; Ahlers says.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Chris Abbott and Ben Ahlers in 'Death of a Salesman'Credit: Emilio Madrid\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8jM.fHafZB6VIHhq4.rt8A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/e65384fabf7fb7767c4645e6b25938d8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Chris Abbott and Ben Ahlers in &#8216;Death of a Salesman&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Emilio Madrid<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While not all of his TV costars have made it to one of his performances \u2014 particularly given the fact that &#8220;many of them have already been filming on <em>The Gilded Age<\/em>&#8221; \u2014 for those who have, &#8220;to be able to welcome them and show them what I&#8217;ve been working on, on this side of the street, has been really exciting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;PEOPLE'&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong> PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Not only that, but he relishes being able &#8220;to spend 12 hours on set with them talking about how they responded to the material specifically.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Ben Ahlers and Harry Richardson on 'The Gilded Age' season 3Credit: Karolina Wojtasik\/HBO\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/LutKdWrnq2mKNgQ9RRrWqA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/bb96d6f0f2f10facfb10b0c34253326a\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Ben Ahlers and Harry Richardson on &#8216;The Gilded Age&#8217; season 3<br \/>Credit: Karolina Wojtasik\/HBO<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But it hasn&#8217;t always been easy pulling double duty. Between the long days on set and the passionate performances onstage, there&#8217;s very little time for anything else.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The week of opening, I was out filming <em>The Gilded Age<\/em> every day. So, I was in that gauntlet,&#8221; Ahlers recalls, before gushing that &#8220;I was so supported by Christine Baranski, Morgan Spector, Carrie Coon and Cynthia Nixon.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;They all had such a loving awareness of how difficult doing double duty can be. But they were also so excited and thrilled,&#8221; he continues, noting that they provided &#8220;me with such a loving reminder of how blessed I am to have that challenge.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Given that, &#8220;I&#8217;ll be looking back at this moment in my life with such fondness and probably some bewilderment around how I&#8217;m navigating both,&#8221; Ahlers gushes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;But to be held in the kind of comfort of these two productions with such experienced people, such kind people has made the transitions so easy. Because my day-to-day is just filled with some of the greatest artists alive,&#8221; he adds. &#8220;It&#8217;s just constant inspiration. It&#8217;s nuts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Death of a Salesman<\/em> is playing at the Winter Garden Theatre through Aug. 9, 2026. Tickets are now on sale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/ben-ahlers-shares-how-his-gilded-age-costars-are-supporting-his-broadway-debut-exclusive-11976023\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:People;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;People&quot;}\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Ben Ahlers is earning acclaim for his Broadway debut in Death of a Salesman while filming The Gilded Age Louisa Jacobson and her mother, Meryl Streep, attended Ahlers&#8217; opening night performance on Broadway Ahlers credits his costars for supporting him as he balances demanding schedules onstage and on-screen With his Broadway debut, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2418771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[473710,342741,344990,345423,338134,462134,473711,341525,342138,333101,473709,59570,387898],"class_list":["post-2418770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-ahlers","tag-ben-ahlers","tag-broadway-debut","tag-christine-baranski","tag-cynthia-nixon","tag-death-of-a-salesman","tag-double-duty","tag-gilded-age","tag-harry-richardson","tag-laurie-metcalf","tag-louisa-jacobson","tag-meryl-streep","tag-night-performance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben-Ahlers-Reflects-on-Gilded-Age-Costar-Louisa-Jacobson-and.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418772,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418770\/revisions\/2418772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}