Logan Allen on Kyle’s Journey in Sweet Magnolias Season 4

[00:00:09] Logan, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Yeah man, thanks for having me brother. It's good to be here. How you been man? Sweet Magnolias, 4 seasons now in. How's that feel like? Dude, the reception's been unbelievable man. I mean, we filmed it pretty much a year ago now from last year. So yeah, the reception's been great. People, it's funny, leading up to it, I kept telling people, I was like, this is probably my favorite season yet. Nobody believed me because every actor says that about every project they do.

[00:00:37] And now people watch it and they're like, oh my god, you were right. It's actually probably the best season yet. And yeah, I mean, number one on Netflix, man. I think we just got dethroned by Monday Night Raw, which is expected. But yeah, man, everyone's loved it and it's been an amazing experience so far. This season was like an emotional rollercoaster for you, for your talent set and family, would you say?

[00:01:01] Dude, yeah. Well, we can talk some spoilers. Yeah, I mean, Bill's death, especially with Kyle. And number one, there's a time jump in between season three and season four. So with that time jump, there's a lot of kind of catching up to do. So in that first two episodes, it's all about kind of, it's exhibition basically on trying to catch up with the characters. And yeah, Kyle, you know, he's growing up, you know, he's in a relationship now for about a year with Lily.

[00:01:29] And, you know, as you get older, you know, you get new responsibilities thrown at you and new obstacles to overcome and obviously maturity. You've got to mature, right, to overcome those obstacles and those new responsibilities. So Kyle's already trying to find himself in this season. But with Bill's death kind of obviously being the big shocker at the end of, I think, episode two, you know, that's just it's another obstacle thrown at Kyle. And he handles it very, very well.

[00:01:57] I think you see that compared to some of the other characters. And I think that's just a testament to who he is as a person and the young man that he's trying to become. How did you prepare for Kyle's journey to go through this grief? And also, and when you read the script that Bill was passing away, what went through your mind? Dude, I was at a restaurant. I was like, I was eating with some of my friends and I got the email and it said, you know, 401. And I was like, oh my God, script. So I sat there with my buddies and I opened it and, and, and, or it's 402.

[00:02:26] And my, my just jaw just dropped to the ground. And, and they were like, yo, what's going on? I can't tell them anything, you know, obviously. So I'm like, I'm like, what is, this is insane, man. I start freaking out. I'm eating a burger. And, and yeah, man, it's, it was insane. And, and the, the process of, of approaching that grief, you know, I haven't really had anything super similar happen to my life when it comes to that.

[00:02:54] At least, you know, recently when I was a younger kid. Yeah. So those emotions are hard for me to get in contact with because I was so young. So whenever you have things like this that are, that you can't have like firsthand experience from, and every actor is going to go through, or at least every actor is going to have a character that they, they come across or at least audition for, um, that they're not going to be able to fully relate to. So the, the key part is, is whenever you're going through something that you've never experienced,

[00:03:23] find the similarities, right? Um, and then also just find something that feels as close to what this character is going through as possible. And that's kind of my approach. Every actor is different. Some actors don't like doing that for me. It's called substitution. Uta Hagen and some other, uh, acting teachers talk about it and just taking stuff from your real life and, and, and kind of using that as, as that stepping stone, which you got to be careful with, you know, but, um, but yeah, that was kind of my approach is, is finding something that was kind of similar to Kyle situation, taking that emotion or whatever that

[00:03:53] kind of made me feel. And then applying that kind of to the sweet Magnolias puzzle. Oh yeah, definitely. How, how do you think like, you know, like, uh, season one, Kyle now season four, Kyle looking back, how do you think he's involved throughout the season as a character? And what do you think it was the most rewarding this season to portray him? Well, like I said, I earlier, I think he's becoming a young guy, right? And, and you see that with him finding his identity with, with Bill's death and, and

[00:04:20] obviously Isaac, you know, the whole thing about Isaac, Bonnie, you know, telling the whole table and everyone's like, what the hell? And then Kyle was like, what? And so that, you know, having a new brother is big, right? So it's about that, that whole moment was really cool. And Kyle, Kyle, um, he kind of, I don't want to say took leadership, but, you know, he's the one that approached Isaac in that situation. You know what I mean? He's the one that, that, you know, really tried to, to, to make that bond.

[00:04:49] Cause Isaac doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't want to overstep. So then Kyle realized that I got to meet this guy in the middle, which is something we haven't really seen from Kyle before. You know, he's kind of just like that quiet, nice kid that doesn't really like a lot of confrontation. Right. Um, and, and you saw in, in this season, uh, he he's growing into a young man who, um, you know, isn't scared of a little confrontation, isn't scared to take action. Um, and, and that was, that was really fun to play compared to some of the previous seasons.

[00:05:15] And, um, I think that just, like I said, um, that's just the, uh, props to the writers in the writers room and Cheryl Anderson, our showrunner and writer, um, what she's been able to do with the character and what she's given me. But, but yeah, this season man was, was finally probably, I would say the biggest step in Kyle's character development. We saw it a little bit in season two, a little bit in season three, but I think he's becoming a young man and, and what I love about Kyle is he wants to work on himself. Right. I think a lot of us when we're younger, you know, we just, we don't really, we're just

[00:05:44] kind of going through the motions sometimes. What I really like about Kyle is with all this going on with his dad, with Isaac, whatever it is, he, um, he's not scared to approach his feelings. He's not scared to fight through it. He's not scared to, to take what he's learning and apply that to him, to himself. Um, and I think that that's what you see throughout this season. What do you think about it? I felt like, uh, the season Kyle and Ty's bond had got stronger. Would you say that? Yes, I definitely would. I, I think that there's strength and distance too. Right.

[00:06:14] Um, and, and yeah, I think of course with, with everything going on with bill that brought them together, I think, uh, with him being gone, uh, that I think Kyle was like, oh man, this, this is what was on my older brother's shoulders. Now I'm kind of that, you know, second in command behind, behind Cal, uh, as like, you know, the kind of the man, uh, in that home. And, and I think that, yeah, that, that was just very, um, there, there was just, dude, you mentioned earlier, there's so much going on with, in this season with Kyle, there was just one thing after another.

[00:06:42] He really didn't have time to take a breath, which I think is what makes his character development so amazing is the fact that he kept pushing through it. But yeah, when it comes to time and Kyle's relationship, I think, yes, you know, you, I mean, ever since the first episode, when, when he, you know, that tie and Annie tiny thing finally happens, you know, he's, he's that supportive brother. And, um, yeah, I think they definitely had a lot of very, very sweet moments this season.

[00:07:05] And, um, you know, I, I think Ty's character also, uh, also realizes that what Kyle's going through and how he's kind of, you know, cause I'm an older brother as well. So I understand seeing your little brother kind of go through what you just went through, you know what I mean? And, and there's a special bond with that. I'm kind of guiding him, help guide him through, uh, through the, the challenges and, and through life. And, um, I think you see a little bit of that with, with Ty and Kyle, even if it's not on screen, it's definitely off of screen.

[00:07:33] And I think that's, uh, that's extremely, um, extremely noticeable. How do you feel like with Kyle's relationship now with Maddie also, it feels like it changed a little bit this season. 100%. 100%. I think, um, you know, with, with sweet, with, with Kyle's character, you know, because serenity has so much going on, you know, Kyle, especially in the first few seasons was known as that middle child, especially in season one. That was kind of his, kind of his storyline was the middle child that no one really gave attention to. It's not that they didn't, didn't love him. It's not that Maddie didn't love him and nobody loved him.

[00:08:03] It was just, he's the middle kid and you have the older, you know, you have Ty going through everything going on there. Then you have this new coach coming in the family and that's Ty's coach. And then you have, you know, Katie's a little girl, right? So she needs a lot of attention and help with things. So then you got Kyle in the middle, who's a very independent kid as it is. Um, and he's a good kid. So he doesn't need a lot of surveillance. Right. Um, so he's overlooked very easily. Um, and, uh, oh man, what was, what was the original question? Sorry. I went off on that tangent.

[00:08:31] About Matt, about Maddie and Kyle's relationship. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry. Oh, that's okay. Trying to wrap it back around. Uh, and so, so in this new season with Bill's death and Maddie really being taken aback, she now has to go to every single kid and check on them and see how they're doing. That's right. And, and I think, you know, not that Maddie never checked on, there's some really great scenes in season one and season two with, and the, and three with, with Maddie and Kyle.

[00:08:55] But I think with this, there's just, once again, she's seeing her other son become a young man and it just, and it's, it's, um, it's beautiful. And I think that the way that she's seeing how Kyle's handling the whole thing with Bill, how he's handling everything with, uh, especially toward the end of the season after, you know, Dev and that whole storyline with, uh, you know, the friend Dev, she's like, she's just

[00:09:23] very proud and, and specifically the scene when they're sitting on the, um, or no, sorry, not what I was saying, but when they're, when they're sitting in the, uh, uh, the kitchen and they're going through the old pictures with Bill, uh, before the, the funeral and everything. And, um, and yeah, they're just talking and she's, she's, you could tell she's proud of Kyle and the progress that he's making. And I think that, um, that this season that they, they really honed in on that and in a beautiful way. And, and those scenes with Joanna are my, are my favorite.

[00:09:51] She, she's not just, uh, uh, a great actress, but also a great person. And she actually directed episode seven. Um, and, uh, and yeah, she, I love those scenes so much between mother and son. Cause, um, every single time, every single scene is just Kyle and Maddie. You see a massive step taken in that relationship. And, um, yeah, then, you know, that, that happened this season quite a bit. One of my favorite scenes this, uh, this season was, uh, Kyle and Bonnie.

[00:10:20] I felt like those are some powerful scenes. Yeah. Yeah. Bill's Bill's mom, you know, like, uh, yeah. Yeah. Bonnie. Number one, man. Uh, I, she, she did so good. Judith man, uh, who played Bonnie. She was amazing. And, uh, yeah, the every, we did the table read for episode two and she was there and, uh, and we're all sitting there and she says her line. And she goes, it's bail. He's dead.

[00:10:47] And the way that she said, dude, we all started dying laughing, bro. And, uh, and ever since that moment, you know, she, um, yeah, she, she was a part of serenity, man. And part of this big family we have on, on and off of set. And, uh, yeah, I mean, you know, it's, that whole situation is very funny. Um, you know, Kyle, um, you know, he didn't, he doesn't want to overstep with the whole Bonnie thing either.

[00:11:14] Um, you know, he sees how, how she's treating, you know, Ty and how she's treating, you know, her mom and, and, and my grandma and my Nana and my, the rest of my family. And, um, you know, I think Kyle's vibe is very similar to the rest of, I think the viewers in the audience. You know what I mean? It's like this, this lady is crazy. Like this is nuts, man. Like, you know, he doesn't want to overstep anything or cause complications because there's already a lot of complications going on. So he just kind of takes that step back.

[00:11:42] So yeah, it's, it's a, it's a very fun, um, a very fun dynamic there. And, and, uh, and those scenes were always very fun to be a part of because yeah, Bonnie's just like, just so, you know, it, it's not that like, she's not a mean person. It's just, she just doesn't know when to not overstep, you know? And that's her problem. She's tough. Very, very tough. Um, and, and, uh, and doesn't know boundaries.

[00:12:08] Uh, and, and I think that that was really fun to play with. You, you mentioned, uh, Kyle's love life and everything out through the season. I feel like he took, uh, some steps this season trying to figure out what do you want in a relationship, you know, especially with Annie. But like, do you feel like they should just be better off friends? Do you think? Uh, with, we talk about Ty and Annie. With, with you in it, with Kyle and Annie. What do you think? No, I, my, my, my character's with Lily. Well, that's where I meant Lily. Sorry. That's my understanding. Yeah. You're good. You're good.

[00:12:38] Um, yeah. You know, with, with, uh, with, yeah. Well, I mean, you know, they're, they're doing great with, uh, um, Kyle and, uh, and Lily are doing fine. They're, they're, they're killing at the end of that last episode. But yeah, when it comes to Ty and Annie, yeah, that's, that's going to be fun to explore the next season. Um, what, how would you describe Kyle's arc? Three words for the season? Uh, three words.

[00:13:03] Um, like individual words or like surprise me. Okay. All right. Uh, substantial self work. Definitely. That's what I would say. That's what I would say. If we see a season five, which I think we will, what do you hope for Kyle? What do you hope to see?

[00:13:31] Um, in season five, I think in season five, um, you know, it, no, I know tell him what they'll do with the time jump, but in that, in that world, he'll probably be a senior in high school. So I think what I want to see is now that he's worked on every, all the relationships around him and you see him and Maddie and him and Cal and, and, you know, him and Lily and all of that. And those relationships, I now want to see what his passion is, what he's going to do next.

[00:14:01] It's very similar to actually what they did with Annie this season. You know, Annie, obviously, you know, figuring out the photography school and where she wants to go there. I would like to see something like that with Kyle. Like, what is he going to do? Is he going to keep pursuing acting? Is there going to be another thing in his life? That's going to, another passion that's going to come across his desk. Cause I'm sure, you know, like, you know, you, you, you'll be really into something. You think you want to do it. And then something else comes in. You're like, Oh, this is, this is my passion. That happened with me. I grew up playing sports and playing football and stuff. And which I'm glad I didn't continue. Cause you know, I'm like five, six, they would throw me around.

[00:14:31] But, but, but I, I stopped playing and then I acting came into my life and I was like, I actually love this. This is my passion. This is what I want to do. And, and yeah, it, I, so you just never know. But I think that'd be really fun to see with Kyle's character is, is that it's just to see what, what do you, where he wants to go in that next step in life. So, you know, Sweet Macdonaldus has a huge fan base.

[00:14:58] Have you like had a fan favorite reaction or like a message from a fan about your portrayal for us, Kyle? Yeah. I, you know, I've gotten a lot of, um, a lot of DMS about people who are kind of the middle child and kind of how that dynamic works and how you can be overlooked or whatever it is. And they did a really good job. Like you could tell the writers, Cheryl, all of them have a piece of Kyle inside of them. Right. They, they definitely wrote that character with, with some of their own experiences and, um,

[00:15:28] because it's very accurate. And I, I've gotten a lot of people DMing me, a lot of viewers and, um, and they all just say how, how good it feels to be seen. Um, I've had people also, even this season talk about the whole thing with Bill and how they're grieving, you know, griefing with something going on in their life. Um, with, with the loss of someone and, and how that's, that's really helped them out. And, uh, and how we really did, did it justice with how the characters reacted to it and, um, and how they just, they, they feel part of, of the town.

[00:15:57] They don't feel alone and that's beautiful. And I've gotten a few of those this year and, and that's always, that's my favorite, one of what I do, man, is, uh, is seeing people's reactions and, and how it's affecting people's lives. Cause I think that's what this is all about. And in a show that's about relatability, I mean, it's, it's one of the most relatable shows out there in the sense of it's, you know, we don't have CGI dragons flying everywhere, you know, it's, it's every day. It's real stuff. It's like emotions. Yeah, exactly. It's real things we all go through.

[00:16:25] And, um, and, and, and you can, you can really get a sense of that just by talking to the, to the fans of the show or, or reading the DMS. Is there one specific scene in season four where you, you could tell fans like go back, watch a certain scene or a scene that you enjoyed the most? Yeah. Or it hits, or it hits you in the heart pretty much. For sure. Um, man, that's a, that's a great, great way.

[00:16:55] One of some of my favorite scenes this season is the whole Helen and Eric dynamic. They're two of my favorite characters in the show. Um, so as a viewer, those are my favorite to watch. Also Annie and Dana Sue, those scenes are, are beautiful as well. Um, you know, just kind of the, that, you know, mom and, and daughter dynamic. And, and also too, like I said, with Helen and Eric, those, those two, you know, they're, that are met and destined for each other finally kind of, you know, coming together. It was, was beautiful.

[00:17:24] And their, their scenes, uh, and then actually filming probably my favorite, uh, one that I really enjoyed was, um, I mean, there's, there's a lot, but the, I mean, the, the, uh, the tailgate we did for Serenity Bulldogs when all the characters, any scene that we have all the characters together is great because I don't get a, you know, there's what, like probably 20 main characters in the show. So it's like, you don't really get to do a lot of scenes with other people unless you

[00:17:52] have the big, also the Halloween stuff was really cool. The Halloween stuff was really, really awesome. We all got to dress up and, and do the, uh, uh, that do the, do the line dancing and everything. That was really fun. Just anytime we're all together because, you know, we don't, we don't really get to all come together unless it's a, a table read or a, or like a wrap party for the season. So, so four seasons, is there a certain character you got excited about that you're going to have scenes with that you haven't had the chance to the last three seasons or four? Yeah. What you mean in the future?

[00:18:20] Well, even like, you know, going through season one through season four, how excited were you? Were you like, Oh my God, I didn't have any role. I didn't have any parts with so-and-so on season one or season two. Now I get to work with them. Was there a specific person? Yeah. Uh, me, me and, and Brooke Elliott with Dana Sue and, uh, and yeah, that, that was, and Brandon Quinn who plays Ronnie actually in season three, we, uh, uh, we went on the scavenger hunt and we got to hang out.

[00:18:45] Um, and I literally had like, they might've said, I think Dana Sue said one word to me up to that point or something crazy. Uh, and, and so that's what I love about Cheryl, man. And that writer's room is they, they literally talk about how during the writer writing process, one of their main things is knowing, okay, what characters do the, does the audience want to interact and what characters do we want to interact that haven't before? And they kind of push that together. So you see that a little bit this season as well.

[00:19:11] Um, and, and one thing that was really cool, I will say this is in season four, there's a little scene between me and Jamie, Jamie Lynn, um, between Noreen and Kyle. Uh, obviously they had a really cool friendship in season one, uh, that they kind of started kind of doing their own thing. But, um, but that little, we had like four lines back and forth, uh, two lines each, but it was, it was, it was a beautiful moment. Cause you're like, this is that friendship that we kind of forgot about, but it's still there, you know? If we get a season five, have you, have you heard anything about when you think you'll

[00:19:40] start filming and it took another year break? What's the plan? What have you heard? I have no, I, I have no idea, brother. I have no idea. Maybe I heard some stuff. Maybe I haven't. Uh, I, I, I listen for all the fans out there that, that want a season five, cause everyone's saying they do, um, if you want to season five, um, keep up the support. You know, if you keep watching it, if you tell your friends to watch it, tell your friend's family to watch it and their family to watch it. Um, you know, you will, you will, uh, hopefully get a season five, but it really just depends on the support we get and, and, uh, the viewership.

[00:20:10] What's next for you now? Any other projects you'll have to tell us about, or are you just taking a break? What's the plan? Well, finally, the industry started to kind of speed up a little bit. Uh, kind of, we're, we're kind of getting back into the groove of things. Um, and so I've been auditioning, I've been, uh, I'm actually writing a feature, uh, feature film myself and, uh, just trying to stay busy within the industry and trying to grow and learn, uh, uh, every, every day of the week, man. Uh, but yeah, nothing, nothing on the horizon yet. Amazing. Logan, I want to thank you for keeping a few minutes today. Uh, we got to continue this chat, man.

[00:20:38] Hopefully we see a season five and get you back on or any other project. For sure, brother. Appreciate it, man. So, yeah. See you.