Indiana's own Logan Huffman, stars in "V"

Last spring, ABC announced a new version of the 1980’s mini-series “V.”

If you’ve tuned to ABC and RTV 6 in the past few weeks, you’ve no doubt seen a blitz of promotional announcements for the premiere of “V” this Tuesday night at 8pm. 

Front in center in many of those spots is a young actor from Indiana named Logan Huffman.  

You may not know his name… yet.

But judging from Logan’s prominence in the commercials for the new show, Huffman is on the verge of a really big breakout opportunity. 

Logan is from Indianapolis. You better believe his family and friends across Indiana will be glued to the TV set on Tuesday night.

Recently Logan’s dad, Dan Huffman, was kind enough to share his take on his son’s amazing journey to stardom. If you’re a parent, I think you’ll find his answers fun and pretty cool. 

How did Logan get into acting? Did he have any local/school experiences first?

DAN HUFFMAN: Logan first tried out for a play while attending Belzer Middle School. To my surprise, he was given the lead role. Logan has dyslexia, and I was concerned that he would struggle with reading and memorizing a script. With the help of a dedicated drama teacher and his strong determination, he succeeded.

I don’t think there is a red carpet in all of Hollywood that could make me any prouder of him than that I was opening night in the Belzer Middle School Gymnasium.

He also did a few plays at Lawrence Central. While he was in high school a neighbor recommended he attend the Gately Poole Acting Intensive in Dekalb, IL. Kathryn Gately introduced Logan to a manager who suggested he move to New York City. He and Donetta (wife and mom) moved to New York when he was 16 so he could begin auditioning.

Good things just happened from then on.

Where did Logan go to school?

Most of his grade school years were in Noblesville.

We moved to Indianapolis about the time he started middle school. He briefly attended Lawrence Central High School then transferred and graduated from Indianapolis Metropolitan High School.

As a parent, what was your reaction when he told you he wanted to go into acting?

I was obviously concerned because everyone knows the odds for success are not good. But since he was only 14 or 15, I wasn’t going to try and talk him out of it or tell him how unlikely it was that he would succeed. After all, how many 14 year olds will tell you they want to be a claims adjuster or security system installer?

You live here in the Indianapolis area. Where is Logan shooting “V?”

Elisabeth Mitchell and Logan Huffman watch the skies in "V"

Vancouver, BC, Canada

What is it like seeing your son in promos for the show?

It’s very cool. The funny thing is I still feel a pang of disappointment when he talks in a disrespectful tone to his mother (Elizabeth Mitchell) in some of the clips. I know it’s just a role, but I still haven’t learned how to completely disconnect my son from his roles. I give the TV that “unhappy dad” look.

Logan’s mom in “V” is Elizabeth Mitchell, the actress who played Juliet on “LOST.” Were you or Logan familiar with her before “V?”

My wife Donetta and Logan’s triplet brother Lucas loved “LOST” and watched it together since its first airing. The show evolved into somewhat of a family event so all of us became familiar with Elizabeth. Logan and Donetta have both talked about how genuinely nice she is. Logan has also told me she is extremely talented and professional and how fortunate he is to work and learn from her.

How’s he handling life on a TV show set?

When he is working he loves it. I think he likes the long days on set and that satisfactory feeling you get when you return home knowing you have put in a good, hard, productive day.

What he doesn’t like is the down time between shoots, which can be days sometimes.

He also has said the green screen work for the CGI footage is challenging.

The cast of "V" - Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC and RTV 6

I’m not sure.

Donetta and Logan will be in Los Angeles. I may have some friends over. Logan’s triplet sister is having a viewing party in her dorm lounge at IU so I know she’s set. Hopefully Logan’s older bother Lance isn’t working so we can watch it together.

Any advice for parents with kids that want to go into showbiz?

Be supportive and expose them to as many creative, artistic and unique people as you can. Attend as many local art festivals, theater, concerts and open-mic nights as you can. I think it’s important your child see that there is an entertainment industry beyond MTV and TMZ.

If they don’t have or develop appreciation for the local performing arts then they probably want to go in the business for the wrong reason.

One of the most comforting things Logan told me after he first moved to New York was that he didn’t really care if he became a star. He just wanted to be a working actor. If it didn’t work out, he would come home, get a job, but still act, even if was in Community Theater. As long as he was acting somewhere he would be happy.

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Congratulations Logan!  As they say in the theatre, “break a leg!”

Thanks Dan sharing your take.

Like Logan’s proud dad, I’ll be watching Tuesday night. I’ve got “V” programmed in my DVR. It premieres this Tuesday night at 8PM  on ABC and RTV 6!