Tackling something new. Former Northwestern high, Clemson football player pursues passion

Three years ago, Logan Rudolph was midway through his redshirt sophomore season with the Clemson Tigers football team. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound defensive end had won one national title with the team and was en route to making another National Championship appearance.

Now, the former defensive standout from Northwestern High School is tackling the big screen. He’s auditioning for roles while he awaits the release of his first Screen Actors Guild project “A Girl Like Him.”

“I’ve always been interested in acting,” Logan said. “I’ve always loved film. I’ve always loved old classic movies and going back to watch them.

“I graduated from Clemson with a degree in communications, and I had just an unbelievable experience there, and played in two national championships. We won one and lost the other -- where I started in the other. I just knew that it was time to just move on and pursue other interests of mine.”

“A Girl Like Him,” set to premiere next year, tells the story about all the events that transpire when a high school teen who comes out as non-binary -- a person who simultaneously can identify as male or female.

Logan plays the role of Todd Zdninzki, a football player who bullies the non-binary character. While Logan plays the role of a bully in the movie, people who work with him say they love his presence.

“Logan was an absolute joy to work with,” director Amy Weber said. “He has this quiet presence to him but it’s an energetic force of love and professionalism.

“He stuck around for his two weeks off just to remain close to the action. He would come to set with a positive attitude, a passion to work and a kind word to say to all around him.”

Loves to entertain

To many, an acting career may seem to be an odd turn for a former four-star high school athlete, but for those who know Logan, it’s not all that shocking.

“He’s always been an entertainer,” said Mason Rudolph, Logan’s brother, and quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “He was the young kid entertaining our parents and their friends with skits and jokes, and imitations later in life around middle school or high school.

“He’s a big movie buff, naturally. We both are, but he really does a great job of memorizing movie lines and being able to just imitate certain actors that he loves.”

After graduating from Clemson in May 2020, Logan spent time at TBell Actors Studio in Dallas before securing his first lead role in the Lifetime movie “Killer Rivalry,” which debuted earlier this year.

Logan then attended another acting school: Playhouse West in Los Angeles, a place where actors like Ashley Judd and James Franco honed their skills.

Logan says he feels comfortable in those classes. He says it has a lot of crossover to the training he did as an athlete.

“I think what separates the best players like Tom Brady or the great actors like Leonardo DiCaprio is their flawless technique and fundamentals,” Logan said.

“They’re very disciplined. They’re very dedicated. And that’s what Playhouse West taught me. Playhouse West was a very kind of gritty style of acting. You’re not just getting a scene from ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ and posting it on your acting profile. It’s very much like putting your hand in the dirt and hitting somebody and hitting somebody as hard as you can. They teach you how to act.”

Making that link between football and acting has helped Logan succeed as an actor.

“He was very modest in knowing he was starting something all over again, and that it was going to take work,” said Holly Gagnier, a senior staff member and director at Playhouse West. “Not always the case when people start out. They expect to be good right away, but nothing works that way. Logan is someone willing to put his ego aside and learn. Thats real growth.”

What’s next?

While he awaits the premiere of “A Girl Like Him,” Logan is not resting. He’s constantly pushing himself to audition for new roles.

“I just got to continue to build,” Logan said. “It’s a craft. Like I said, Tom Brady never stops. And you just got to learn your weaknesses, learn what you need to constantly be improving on and just continue to book roles because that’s what will lead to more success.”

Logan is currently working to make a TV pilot with a writing partner.

He anticipates “A Girl Like Him” will debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 9:44 AM.