Tom Grunick — played by William Hurt — asks Albert Brooks’ character, Aaron Altman, “What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?”

Altman quietly suggests, “Keep it to yourself.”

Ahlers isn’t working in anonymity. Far from it. In fact, the former Dodger has reached an almost-surreal level of stardom, making his Broadway debut this month as a main character in the famed play, “Death of a Salesman” while also being on the set for the filming of the critically-acclaimed HBO hit series, “The Gilded Age.”

Could the 29-year-old Ahlers have imagined such fortune when he first became an actor? Or is this more than even he had ever hoped for growing up almost 1,200 miles away from New York City — a local kid in search of a world where major stage and screen opportunities would beckon?

-Submitted photo/Shelly Bottorff
The marquee outside the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway for “Death of a Salesman,” co-starring 2015 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate Ben Ahlers as Happy Loman.

If this is truly beyond even Ahlers’ most personal and wildest imaginations, he’s not one to talk about it much — or find the often-false praises of fleeting fame reassuring.

Long story short, he’s keeping it to himself.

“At this point in my career, I just take things moment by moment. Otherwise, it can all feel pretty overwhelming,” said Ahlers, who graduated from FDSH in 2015. “I’m filming ‘Gilded Age’ at the same time as this run (for ‘Death of a Salesman’), so it’s been a miracle of scheduling. Early mornings. Fewer days off.

“It’s definitely a spoiling of riches to be in the hands of two fantastic productions.”

Ahlers landed his breakthrough role as Happy Loman in “Death of a Salesman,” which is now live on Broadway for a sixth time since legendary playwright Arthur Miller — like Ahlers, a University of Michigan graduate — first penned the classic in 1949. This version debuted with previews beginning March 6 at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Opening night was April 6. The show runs through Aug. 9.

Submitted photo/Shelly Bottorff
Opening Night for the preview of Arthur Miller’s famed play, “Death of a Salesman” at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in New York City. Ben Ahlers, a 2015 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, co-stars as Happy Loman.

Ahlers stars alongside Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, as well as veteran performer Christopher Abbott.

“I’ve known Nathan for a few years now — through ‘Gilded Age’ — and he’s so kind and generous,” said Ahlers, who has been featured recently at length in popular publications GQ and Vogue. “The four of us family members (the Lomans) got very close very quickly (off the stage). Chris and I go to (New York) Knicks games together. We’re very comfortable with each other.

“I’m just so thrilled to be back on stage. It’s such a challenging medium to go up there every night — especially with a story like ‘Salesman.’ There’s a level of discipline and work ethic I haven’t felt, really, since high school sports.”

Ahlers continues to meet the moment while simultaneously navigating his exploding fame and fighting off the symptoms of imposter syndrome. After all, Ahlers added, “the genius in this room (for ‘Salesman’) is unmatched anywhere else.”

“I got an email about the initial audition, as they were trying to find the fourth piece to the Loman family,” Ahlers said. “I filmed a self tape — the industry standard these days — as an initial audition. They narrowed it down to a handful of us to come in, and chemistry read with Chris Abbott to find the right brotherly match. It ended up working out.

-Submitted photo
Ben Ahlers, a 2015 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, with his father, Paul, after the performance of “Death of a Salesman” at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. Ben plays Happy Loman in the iconic Arthur Miller play.

“I was ecstatic, of course. I felt very affirmed and excited to meet the standard of excellence.”

The next step is building a creative rhythm over the next four months — a span that still offers 120-plus more “Death of a Salesman” performances on Broadway.

“The preview process was a necessary stretch of shows to settle into the run and make tweaks as needed,” Ahlers said. “We really feel locked into a mode of consistency without getting stagnant or dry.

“This is already the longest run of any show I’ve done, so I’m eager to see how that feels over the course of (the production throughout the summer months).”

“Death of a Salesman,” widely regarded as one of the great American classics and a Pulitzer Prize winner, is a two-act stage play set in 1947 Brooklyn. Willy Loman, played by Lane, is the tortured main character — a traveling salesman forced to confront a dysfunctional life of lost meaning and control.

-Submitted photo
Ben Ahlers, a 2015 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, smiles standing with his aunt, Fort Dodge’s Shelly Bottorff, after his performance as Happy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” on Broadway last month.

Linda Loman, played by Metcalf, is Willy’s staunchly-supportive wife. She is often caught in the middle of the power-struggle dynamic the family endures as it comes to grips with its own reality, and ultimately, mortality. Sons Biff (Abbott) and Happy (Ahlers), both in their 30s and wandering aimlessly through adulthood, try to become their own men while hindered by the long shadow of their father’s fading expectations — and health.

Shelly Bottorff, executive director of the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association and Ahlers’ aunt, flew to New York City and saw the opening preview performance last month.

“I was blown away,” Bottorff said. “The Winter Garden Theatre is huge, so I wasn’t sure how such an intimate show would be received in such a large space. The show was sold out that night. The performance utilizes the space perfectly, and all of my assumptions about the possible lack of intimacy were quickly squashed. These actors had the audience members’ full attention the entire time.

“Ben commanded his role. He provided a bit of a light-hearted feel to a heavy story. He was a breath of fresh air. Live theater brings such a different experience than watching him on ‘The Gilded Age.’ He has really taken on this step in his career with a confidence and humility that gives me such a sense of pride. As we got up for the standing ovation at curtain call, my face flooded with tears of love. My heart is still bursting.”

Ahlers experienced plenty of 15 to 16 hour days in recent weeks, working to hone his “Salesman” performance while simultaneously refreshing his character, Jack Trotter, for new episodes of “The Gilded Age.” The fourth season of the hit show is expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027.

Tickets for “Death of a Salesman” on Broadway are available on Broadway.com and NYC.com, under Winter Garden Theatre.