Ben Ahlers Teases Jack and Bridget’s “Tangible, Objective Obstacle” in The Gilded Age Season 4

The rise of Jack Trotter—or as the internet calls him, “Clock Twink”—has been one of The Gilded Age’s most rewarding storylines. He started as a humble footman in the Van Rhijn household and got rich practically overnight after inventing an affordable alarm clock—all while somehow avoiding becoming a terrible person. He is one of the easiest characters on the show to root for. Jack could do practically anything onscreen and I would be thrilled.His will-they-won’t-they relationship with Bridget, one of the Van Rhijn household’s maids, is part of that. Fans have been hoping for these two to get together for multiple seasons now. But after a close call last season, they seem further apart than ever. The actor behind Jack, Ben Ahlers, chatted with Cosmopolitan about what season 4 has in store for this maybe-couple and whether Jack will be able to stay true to himself as he climbs the social ladder.Jack is entering his gentleman era this season, you could say. What parts of himself do you think he’ll have to leave behind as he goes on this journey? What's so interesting about this whole world is the public and private self, and Jack has become a master of that. He has a private self downstairs in the Van Rhijn household as the trickster, the one who can poke at Armstrong or keep the vibe going when everybody's having a long day. My accent would change between the two, upstairs and downstairs, over the last few seasons. But now he's in a completely different scenario where he doesn't have that family. He doesn't have the private self. As he's stepping into these new worlds with inherently manipulative, distrustful, power-hungry people, there's a level of caution.You don't become a gentleman overnight. You don't make 300 grand and just become a swaggy dude. There's an acclimating that has to happen, and I really enjoyed playing with that tension. A lot of what you see of him over this season is him trying to find the people and the places where he can reconnect with that beautiful, loving private self.Do you think it will be possible for him to stay true to himself as he climbs the social ladder? I think he has an opportunity to more so than anybody because he is carving his own path. He was an orphan who grew up in servitude and then elevated into the upper class. There's no one else who has that track. He has the money and the skill set to provide a life for himself. But he doesn't have the support of Banister patting him on the back to tell him to keep going. It’s going to be a challenge. This isolation and new beginning is a really incredible curriculum for the type of man that I know he can be.Speaking of people he can be himself around, what can you tease about his relationship with Bridget this season? Jack and Bridget have one of the most foundational relationships in his life. It's been a bit nebulous. They were kind of romantic, and then they were friends, and then there are glimmers of maybe something happening at the end of season 3. It's a really unique but relatable challenge that when you're in an interpersonal relationship with that much love, how do you foster change in one another, necessary growth when that doesn't always align? Now they're in two separate classes, and that's going to create a tangible, objective obstacle. And I'm really hopeful for them to find that sense of intimacy and connection, regardless of the sort of stations of their lives.Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBOWhat is it like as an actor to play with the will-they-won’t-they dynamic? It's so fun to play in that tension, especially with a great scene partner, because you get to try out different tactics and you get to try it at a different event or a party, and sometimes you connect and then it breaks away again. That's what makes people gravitate towards stories like this, because that expansion contraction internally and interpersonally is the whole bag that all of us are going through every day of our lives.