"Cried when I read it": The Gilded Age star Ben Ahlers shares his feelings about Jack's farewell in the HBO drama

Ben Ahlers' clock magician finally hit the jackpot in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 6, If You Want to Cook an Omelette, which saw Jack selling his alarm clock designs for $300,000, following which he moved out of Brook House.

Jack shares a motherly relationship with Ada, his employer, and Mrs. Bauer, the downstairs cook. As an orphaned teen, Jack has seen many hardships in his life, but his arrival at the Van Rhijn-Brook House turned his life's trajectory, and now he has finally bagged an opportunity to climb the social ladder in America.

While the opportunity is surely exciting, it was also bittersweet for Ahlers to shoot Jack's farewell scene in the Brook House, as he discussed with Town and Country:

''Jack is such a sweet, sweet boy. I cried when I read it [the farewell scene]...He understands, and I think Ada really lands that note to him, where she says, ‘It wouldn’t be false for you to stay here, but it just wouldn’t feel right somehow.’ Sometimes you need a motherly figure to just push you out of the nest.”

Here's how Ben Ahlers shared his feelings on his character's fate in The Gilded Age.

The Gilded Age Season 3 featured Jack's farewell from the Brook House

The recent episode of The Gilded Age featured many seismic shifts on 61st Street for both families. While Bertha Russell visited her daughter, the young duchess, in England, the Brook house also experienced a historic shift that affected both the upstairs and downstairs households.

After much effort, Jack and Larry Russell made the best sale of their career and were each paid $300,000 for the buyout of Jack's alarm clock design. For anyone wondering what this amount means in the 1880s, Jack and Larry are practically millionaires after this sale, which especially changes everything for Jack.

He is now nearly as rich as Ada Forte, his employer, and is certainly richer than Sister Agnes, the previous owner of the house. Jack, who was orphaned after his mother died in the Peshtigo fire, was just 14 years old when he arrived at the Brook House and became a footman for Ada Forte.

Discussing his character's journey in The Gilded Age, Ben Ahlers further discussed:

''...Especially at that time—he lost his mother in the Peshtigo fire—with really no safety net beyond that house, to take that risk and cross that threshold, I could really understand that fear.''

Season 3 is truly staying true to the changing times in America in the 80s, where the pre-destined class distinctions were starting to blur, and people could actually elevate beyond their station and pursue something better. Jack's rise and the freedom it brought with it truly reiterate this theme of the period show.

What's next for Ben Ahlers' character in The Gilded Age?

While Jack has taken the first step towards social mobility in The Gilded Age, there's a long way ahead of him still. Ben Ahlers' character will see a significant change in the upcoming episodes as he moves out of the Brook house and leads his individual path.

Talking about the true challenge for Jack, Ahlers said:

''I think it’s going to be really difficult [for Jack] because he has the money, but he’s going to have to learn a lot...So I’m curious as to, with this wealth, what life he’s able to carve out for himself because he is definitely going to be a fish out of water, and that’s not irrelevant to a good life.''

Jack will surely keep himself busy and make the most out of this new opportunity, freedom, and money. Since he always had his head in the patent game, he will likely explore the market and patent his clock designs.

Catch The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 7 on HBO Max on August 3, 2025.

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