Waterloo actor wants to be the next Jonah Hill

When Waterloo actor, Logan Aultman, was five-years-old, a brief stint in modelling inspired him to pursue acting.

Little did the now 13-year-old know that acting in commercials would get him six credits and several award nominations, including best-supporting actor, over the last four years. 

“(It’s important) for other younger Canadian actors who might want to pursue acting to remember that it’s definitely a journey,” said Aultman. “Don’t dwell on the auditions you don’t get and take as many classes as you can.”

Aultman most recently played a role in the musical re-imagining of the early 2000’s comedy film, Snow Day, which follows a group of kids as they embark on a snow day. 

“It was really incredible to see how they pulled off the costumes for the stunt double,” said Aultman. “Especially because they needed to make a wig like my hair.”

A fan of the original movie, Aultman said he was intrigued by the remake when he initially saw the audition, despite not having a musical background. 

“It was really fun to step into a different role,” said Aultman. “It was definitely hard to learn some of the steps for one of the dance sequences but I luckily didn't have to do any singing.” 

Aultman is most well-known for his role as Greta’s younger brother, Gunther, in CBC Gem’s Home-Schooled, a show following a group of home-schooled students and their attempts to attend a “normal” high school. 

Attracted to characters with “quirky” and “eccentric” personalities, Aultman took inspiration from Napoleon Dynamite for his role as Gunther but says he often finds himself leaning on personal experiences to flesh out his roles.

“I really admire Jonah Hill's work. I've been watching him for a really long time,” said Aultman. “I also really like that he's able to lean into different acting styles, which I'm definitely aspiring to do.” 

Aultman’s mom, Pooneh Ghaffari-Aultman, said that it's been exciting to watch her son “carve his own little path” over the last four years. 

“It’s been great to see him from the beginning,” said Ghaffari-Aultman. “You know, (my husband and I) have watched his auditions and love seeing how he’s gradually improved.” 

Calling Aultman’s passion for acting “a learning experience,” Ghaffari-Aultman said that it can be hard to comprehend the reach of her son’s career, especially when international fans reach out on social media. However, according to Ghaffari-Aultman, her son has remained humble despite garnering more attention and “more high calibre” auditions in recent years. 

“He doesn’t dwell on (the publicity) aspect of his success at all,” said Ghaffari-Aultman. “He just treats this like an extracurricular, but he’s getting paid.”

Aultman will voice-over an animated character in his next project, which does not yet have a release date.