“In the final shot, which was originally supposed to be a full-body shot, they switched to a medium shot from the waist up. That was because I was actually in my socks, not roller skates, while throwing the milkshake at the camera.”
I had the pleasure of talking with Logan Allen. At twenty-one years old, he has spent a third of his life growing up on camera as Kyle Townsend in the massive Netflix drama Sweet Magnolias. If you look at his background, Hollywood was never part of the original plan. Raised on a farm in Central Florida surrounded by horses, cows, and pigs, Allen comes from a family far removed from the entertainment industry. His father is a cowboy and his mother is a teacher. For a young Allen, his early ambitions lived entirely on the gridiron.
“I started out not really into acting in any way,” Allen recalls. “I actually started with sports; I was just a kid who played baseball and football. That was my life.” He laughs about his early days trying to survive on the field as a smaller player. “Even to make weight for football, I had to eat two cheeseburgers at 8:00 AM just so I could make weight because I was so tiny. But I would get out there and have an absolute blast.”
By the time he finished fifth grade, he realized a growth spurt was unlikely. The pivot to acting came by pure chance. Back in 2012, a colleague of his mother noticed that the second-grader bore a striking resemblance to a certain pop star during peak “Bieber fever” and suggested modeling. Despite his parents being unfamiliar with the industry, they supported his curiosity. He secured an agent, booked commercials, and eventually found himself on a television set.
His first major break arrived in 2015 on a Nickelodeon multicam show called Talia in the Kitchen. As a ten-year-old walking onto a professional set, the experience was jarring. He admits that stage acting still terrifies him to this day. “On those Nickelodeon shows, there is no fourth wall because of the multicam setup. You have to create constantly,” he explains. He found solace in veteran actors who took the time to calm his nerves and make him feel at home. It is a kindness he now pays forward to younger actors joining his current projects.
As his career grew, so did his choices. A defining moment occurred in 2017 when he booked two projects simultaneously. One was the independent family film Bernie the Dolphin, and the other was a role in the 2018 revival of Halloween. A massive fan of the horror genre, Allen desperately wanted the Halloween role. The production required him to shave his head, which conflicted with his role in the dolphin movie. Passing on the horror classic stung, yet he views the redirection with maturity. Bernie the Dolphin led to a sequel, which opened doors to the horror series Creepshow, and eventually paved the way to Sweet Magnolias.
He did eventually get his taste of blockbuster suspense in the fourth season of Stranger Things. Playing a roller-skating bully named Jake, he found himself staring down a massive crew, the show’s famous creators, and stars like Millie Bobby Brown. The script called for him to skate up and throw a milkshake at Eleven. There was just one problem. He had no idea how to skate. Production brought in a professional roller derby skater to teach him the basics, however he still struggled to stop gracefully. When it came time to shoot the scene, movie magic had to intervene.
“In the final shot, which was originally supposed to be a full-body shot, they switched to a medium shot from the waist up,” Allen says. “That was because I was actually in my socks, not roller skates, while throwing the milkshake at the camera. Thank goodness I didn’t have to throw it directly at Millie Bobby Brown, because I would have felt terrible. Instead, I threw it at a camera operator who was covered in a trash bag with two little eye holes.”
Through the turbulence of auditions and high-pressure sets, Allen remains notably grounded. Much of this stability comes from learning how to navigate the overwhelming nature of the digital age. He candidly shares the mistakes he made early in his career by staying glued to his phone between takes, missing out on the human connection around him. Today, he prioritizes authentic relationships and mental health. He goes to the gym to manage anxiety and makes a point to step away from screens.
“Stepping away from phones and spending mornings alone with your thoughts is also incredibly important,” he notes. “People are often afraid of their thoughts because they can lean negative, but avoiding them only causes them to compile and worsen. Sometimes you need to turn off the music or podcasts during a drive and just sit in silence to process challenges.”
When the camera stops rolling, Allen fills his creative void by writing and directing. He recently penned a feature film script and directed an independent short film titled The Dark Room. He also hosts multiple podcasts and continues to document his journey through voice notes on his phone. When he listens to old recordings, he realizes that his past anxieties often fade into insignificance.
For a young actor with years of experience already under his belt, his ultimate message to the world is remarkably simple. He believes that the greatest good comes from basic human interaction.
“Rather than a complex idea, it is simply a way of life: just say hello,” he says. “In a world highly distracted by screens, making eye contact and acknowledging the people you walk past builds vital human connection.”
Yitzi: Logan Allen, it is a delight to meet you. Before we dive in and talk about your amazing work, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share with us the story of your childhood, how you grew up, and the seeds of the genesis for all the amazing work that has come since then?
Logan: I appreciate you having me. I started out not really into acting in any way. I actually started with sports; I was just a kid who played baseball and football. That was my life. I have always been a really small guy. Even to make weight for football, I had to eat two cheeseburgers at 8:00 AM just so I could make weight because I was so tiny. But I would get out there and have an absolute blast. When I realized I wasn’t going to get any taller after fifth grade, I figured maybe football wasn’t going to be what I needed to do.
Around second grade, back in 2012, my mom was a teacher at the same school. She taught an entire family of four daughters over the course of about six years in middle school, and the youngest daughter was, and still is, an actress. The mom suggested to my mom that she should get me into modeling because I looked a bit like Justin Bieber. This was during prime “Bieber fever.” I thought that would be really cool, but my mom was pretty hesitant because nobody in my family is in the industry. My dad is a cowboy who does his thing, and my mom is a teacher, so this was a world we didn’t know anything about.
I wanted to try it out anyway. My parents are incredible and very supportive of whatever I do. I got an agent early on, did a lot of modeling and commercial work, and eventually worked my way into television and film. Now, I am on a show that has been going for seven years. It has been a wild journey.
It all happened by accident. This wasn’t something I had ever thought of. What is weird is that I didn’t even know I was a creative; that never crossed my mind. I just loved playing sports. I don’t come from an artistic family, but there was this part of me I never knew existed: the desire to create, make things, and bring stories to life. I am glad this fell into my lap because I don’t think I would have ever known that part of me existed.
Yitzi: That is wonderful. You probably have some amazing stories from your career, and I am sure it is difficult to single them out. Can you share with our readers two stories that stand out in your mind?
Logan: I remember getting onto the set of my first big project for television and film. That was a Nickelodeon show in 2015 called Sully in the Kitchen. I remember arriving and being so nervous. It was not a normal set. On those Nickelodeon shows, there is no fourth wall because of the multicam setup. You have to create constantly. A lot of those actors come from theater, and I have never done theater. To this day, stage acting terrifies me. If I mess up a line on film, it is okay, but on stage, you have to figure it out on the fly.
I was ten years old in 2015, and there were a couple of actors who had already been working for a decade at that point. They pulled me aside, calmed me down, and made me feel welcome and at home. That moment set the tone for how I should approach a set.
Nowadays, now that I am 21 turning 22, the younger actors who join Sweet Magnolias or others I meet come in with that same fear. Being able to offer them that same comfort really changed my life and my perspective. That was really cool.
I am a big Stranger Things fan, and I remember getting that audition and feeling certain I was going to book it. I did, and I went to the set over in New Mexico.
There is a scene in Stranger Things where I throw a milkshake at Eleven while on roller skates. Two months prior, that was supposed to be a mini-golf scene rather than a roller rink scene. They called me a month before shooting because COVID hit and shifted the entire schedule around. I had actually booked the project a year ahead, waiting a full year for it to be filmed due to the pandemic. They asked if I could skate, and I told them I couldn’t skate at all. They sent out a professional roller derby skater named Effie, who taught me the basics. I only really knew how to stand up, but that was all I needed to do.
When we got to the roller rink, they told me I had to roll up on my skates, skid to the side, and throw a milkshake at a twenty-thousand-dollar lens. There were about 400 people staring at me, including the Duffer Brothers, Finn Wolfhard, and Millie Bobby Brown. I tried to convince myself I wasn’t nervous. I literally could not stop quickly in the skates. I could stop slowly, but it made me look like a bad skater, whereas my character was supposed to be very good at it.
In the final shot, which was originally supposed to be a full-body shot, they switched to a medium shot from the waist up. That was because I was actually in my socks, not roller skates, while throwing the milkshake at the camera. Thank goodness I didn’t have to throw it directly at Millie Bobby Brown, because I would have felt terrible. Instead, I threw it at a camera operator who was covered in a trash bag with two little eye holes.
The experience was terrifying but surreal. You are on the set of Stranger Things, all eyes are on you, and you have about five takes to get it right. Looking back, it is definitely a fond memory I will never forget.
Yitzi: There is a saying that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a funny mistake you made when you were first starting, and the lesson you took away from it?
Logan: You have a lot of really good questions. One mistake I made early on — not necessarily a funny one — was not talking enough with the people around me. We live in an age of social media and constant phone use, and we can lose that human connection. For years, I would just sit on my phone while on set.
By the time we filmed seasons four and five of Sweet Magnolias, I was over 18, so I didn’t have to do school on set anymore. I was able to hang out with the rest of the cast between shots. Being able to talk to people, hear their stories, and learn about acting and life was incredible. I am 21 years old and still trying to figure things out on my own, which can be terrifying. Hearing everyone’s stories and lessons about living in the moment was invaluable. While the acting lessons were great, these life lessons are what will propel me forward twenty years down the line. It is a shame I missed out on that in the earlier years, but a whole new world has opened up now.
Yitzi: That is great. There is another related idea: that a “no” represents redirection rather than rejection. Do you have a story where you received a “no” for an opportunity, but it led to an even better opportunity or greater success?
Logan: That is such a great question. Two instances come to mind. The first was when I first started acting. Football wasn’t going well. I woke up one day and the other kids were 6’4″ and looked like WWE fighters, which posed a bit of a problem for me. That door closed, but it led me to acting and a new world to focus on, sparking a passion I never knew existed.
The second major instance happened around early 2017. I booked two jobs at the same time: a movie called Bernie the Dolphin and the 2018 Halloween movie where Michael Myers returned. I was cast to play a kid who gets killed by Michael Myers. I am a massive Halloween fan; horror is my favorite genre, and the original Halloween is my favorite movie of all time. I wanted that role terribly, but I couldn’t take it because I was already signed on for Bernie the Dolphin. The Halloween production wanted to shave my head, but the Bernie the Dolphin team needed me to keep my hair for the kid-movie look. I had to decline the Halloween role.
Ultimately, Bernie the Dolphin led to a sequel, which then opened doors to another horror opportunity in the Creepshow television series, and eventually led to Sweet Magnolias. If I hadn’t done Bernie the Dolphin, there is no telling what trajectory my career would have taken. Even though it hurt to pass on Halloween at the time, it led to beautiful things.
I do voice notes on my phone every six months to document what is going on in my life, including my stresses and anxieties. When I listen back, I realize that the worries from six months ago are completely gone or feel insignificant now. We often worry about the future and fear what is next, but these reflections show that even if life doesn’t go exactly as planned, it doesn’t mean it will be bad.
Yitzi: Can you tell us about the exciting projects you are working on now? Tell us about Sweet Magnolias and any other upcoming work.
Logan: Sweet Magnolias Season 5 is dropping on June 11th, which is next week. I am incredibly excited. Five seasons into a show represents seven years of my life. At 21 years old, that is a third of my life dedicated to this project. The coolest part is working on a character for this long because you grow alongside them. Every circumstance and relationship in life shapes who you are. When you build a character for a two-hour movie or a single season, you have to invent their past. For this show, we have 40 previous episodes and four seasons that have naturally shaped him, allowing the audience to see him grow over time.
In addition to the show, I am focusing on my own creative projects. I wrote a feature film script that is over 110 pages, and I am working on a documentary to tell a specific story I care about. I also host a couple of podcasts to stay busy. In this era of independent media, you have to keep creating.
Actors often discuss how we love acting but only get to do it about 5% of the time. The rest of the time is spent on fittings, rehearsals, blocking, and auditions. Even if you land a major role, you might only work four or five months out of the year. Filling that creative void during the off-times is vital. I used to feel a strange emptiness when I wasn’t filming, and I realized it was because I wasn’t feeding that creative side of myself. I have been actively pursuing my own projects to bridge that gap.
Yitzi: Amazing. You have been on Sweet Magnolias for five years now. What do you think makes the series so popular and allows it to capture people’s hearts and minds?
Logan: It is a very grounded show. While sci-fi and superhero projects are fantastic, there is a scarcity of shows that feel deeply rooted in real life. In Sweet Magnolias, plenty of dramatic things happen, and the town of Serenity isn’t always serene, but the challenges are highly relatable. The series handles everyday problems that these three women and the surrounding characters face.
Because the show features a wide variety of characters from different ages and backgrounds, viewers can easily find someone to relate to. People often tell me they watch the show as a family across three generations, and everyone finds something to enjoy. It centers on themes of family and community, which resonated deeply when it premiered in 2020 during the height of pandemic isolation. People still yearn for that sense of connection, and the show delivers it consistently.
Yitzi: How would you compare and contrast your own personality with Kyle, the character you play? How are you similar, and how are you different?
Logan: It is a great question. What is funny about Kyle is that I feel like I am always one step ahead of him in life. I was 14 when we started filming, and now I am 21, while Kyle is still around 16. Everything he goes through on screen is something I experienced the previous year, so our paths run parallel.
We are more alike now than ever. One major similarity is that both Kyle and I want to impact people positively as much as possible, sometimes to the point where we neglect ourselves. Spreading positivity is wonderful, but it is easy to forget to give yourself the attention and love you need. You have to build a solid foundation before you can build upward.
Over the past four seasons, we have watched Kyle navigate that challenge. In season five, he finally has that foundation built, allowing him to naturally share that love and impact others the way he always wanted to.
When it comes to differences, I don’t usually focus on them. When developing a character, I always look for similarities and traits of my own that I can bring to the role to make it feel alive. I view him as a typical teenage guy trying to get through life, and since I have been there, I can channel my own experiences into his natural growth over the last seven years.
Yitzi: You also mentioned Stranger Things, which has a massive following. What do you think made that series such a huge phenomenon?
Logan: When talking to the Duffer Brothers on set, it is clear they are massive horror nerds. They love classic horror, scaring audiences, and playing with the psychology of the viewer. They rely heavily on practical effects and techniques from classic cinema, drawing inspiration from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Friday the 13th. They bring those classic elements to life beautifully.
We are currently living in an era of nostalgia, filled with remakes and nods to the golden age of cinema. Stranger Things feels like a masterful combination of those beloved ’80s horror movies. Even people who typically dislike horror love the show, largely due to the characters. The writing and acting are exceptional.
What truly attracts us to these characters are the stakes. Great horror works so well because the stakes are literally life or death. Watching characters you love navigate those extreme situations makes the show incredibly engaging.
Yitzi: This is our signature question. Logan, you have been blessed with a lot of success, and you must have learned a lot from your experiences. Looking back to when you first started acting, can you share five things you have learned over the years that someone starting out today would benefit from?
Logan: Beyond the typical advice of taking acting classes and networking, a major lesson for me is to allow your unique journey to unfold. Comparison is the thief of joy. Everyone is on their own path, and comparing your career to someone else’s is a dangerous game that will only leave you feeling discouraged. Trust your instincts, constantly work to improve, and take advantage of every opportunity.
It is also important not to worry excessively about the future or whether you will land the next job. You will work again. Trust the process and have faith.
Additionally, as we discussed earlier, make sure to fill your creative void when you aren’t actively acting. If you are an actor, you are a creative, so it is vital to keep creating and keeping that side of yourself fulfilled.
Yitzi: Can you share some of the self-care routines you practice to help your body, mind, and heart thrive?
Logan: I go to the gym regularly, primarily because it helps manage anxiety rather than a desire to get big. Our bodies are meant to stay active, whether through weight training, going for walks, or just getting outside under the sun and sweating a little bit.
Stepping away from phones and spending mornings alone with your thoughts is also incredibly important. People are often afraid of their thoughts because they can lean negative, but avoiding them only causes them to compile and worsen. Sometimes you need to turn off the music or podcasts during a drive and just sit in silence to process challenges. Social media and smartphones are the biggest culprits in preventing that reflection.
Finally, spending time with loved ones is essential. Even as an introvert, human connection is necessary. Finding a core group of people you are entirely comfortable with makes a massive difference.
Yitzi: This is our final aspirational question. Logan Allen, because of your amazing work and the platform you have built, you are a person of significant influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the most people, what would it be?
Logan: Rather than a complex idea, it is simply a way of life: just say hello. I consider myself an extrovert once a conversation starts, though I don’t always initiate contact with strangers. However, every time I offer a greeting or a compliment, it makes both parties feel excellent and often blossoms into a wonderful conversation.
In a world highly distracted by screens, making eye contact and acknowledging the people you walk past builds vital human connection. If we all focus on greeting our neighbors and people on the street, we will realize we are far more similar than we think, helping to heal the divisions we see today.
Yitzi: That is a beautiful answer. Logan, how can our readers continue to follow and support your work, and where can they watch your shows?
Logan: My Instagram is the main hub for updates and information. You can find me at @itsloganallen. I use the same handle on TikTok. I also have a YouTube channel under “It’s Logan” where I occasionally livestream, another YouTube channel called “Universal Logan” for theme park content, and a college football podcast called Swampcast.
Everything centralizes through my Instagram account, where I will be posting a lot of behind-the-scenes content when Sweet Magnolias Season 5 drops next week on June 11th.
Yitzi: Logan, it has been an absolute joy to meet you. I wish you continued success, blessings, and good health, and I hope we can do this again next year.
Logan: Absolutely. Thank you for having me, I appreciate it.
Sweet Magnolias Star Logan Allen on His Secret Stranger Things Stunt and Passing on Halloween was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.