On The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Logan appears to have it all. He's got all the best equipment, he's got charm -- but does he have what it takes to play hockey? At first glance, it doesn't look like it, but that's exactly what makes him perfect for the Don't Bothers, a team of young people who play simply for the love of the game. Even so, he's got his work cut out for him, and that doesn't end when he steps off the ice. As it turns out, Logan has some trouble at home too, and coming to terms with that may be his greatest challenge yet.
Speaking to CBR, The Mighty Ducks star Kiefer O'Reilly hinted there's much more to come for Logan on the original Disney+ series, particularly in Episode 8. He shared his memories of attending a training camp where he learned how to become a "non-skater," as well as the take that made all his costars laugh. He also teased his "heart-touching scene" with Emilio Estevez, a "monumental callback" to the original films and more.
CBR: How did you get into acting?
Kiefer O'Reilly: I always showed an interest in art. I booked my first commercial, and then, when I was really young, I booked a really, really small role on a local TV show, called When Calls the Heart and it just went off from there.
Tell me a little about how you got your role on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
I first actually auditioned for Nick, and they didn't like the audition. Well, that sounds bad! [laughs] They didn't like me as Nick, and then I went out as Evan. Didn't like that either. Then they put me as Logan, and they really seemed to like it, so they flew me out to LA to screen test. I guess they liked it so much that I was the only one who screen tested as Logan. So if I sucked in the screen test room, I was the only option!
How familiar were you with the Mighty Ducks before you joined the series?
I grew up watching The Mighty Ducks. I grew up playing hockey. So all my friends and I, we all watched The Mighty Ducks, but it was super, super exciting to even get the audition, hearing The Mighty Ducks are coming back.
Did you get to work with Emilio Estevez as Coach Bombay? What was that like for you?
Yes! I was totally nerding out when he first walked in the room. It was really nerve wracking, but then I got to have a talk with him and he was actually really down-to-earth and a really, really sweet guy... He actually has a really heart-touching scene [with Logan] in Episode 8, I believe. Lots of stuff happens with Logan in Episode 8.
During the trust puck scene, Logan revealed why he and his dad moved into the neighborhood. Will we learn any more about Logan's situation this season?
We get to see a little bit of Logan's jealousy with another hockey teammate. They're both kind of jealous at each other for other reasons, but Logan's mainly jealous of the other teammate for having a really sustainable family.
Which teammate would you say Logan has the best friendship with and why?
I think Nick and Logan get a really close bond, and I really like playing off of Maxwell [Simkins]'s character. He plays it so well and so funny and super charismatic but in a non-knowing way.
From what I understand, you are actually quite the hockey player! What was it like to pretend to be bad at skating? Did you ever get to show off those skills?
It was actually really fun, because before we actually started filming, we had this two week training period, where we had to take the non-skaters and turn them into skaters. But for me, they had to turn me into a horrible skater. We had two coaches, and they were teaching me how to not hold a stick properly and how not to skate and how not to balance and stuff.
Which aspect of Logan's character do you relate to the most and why?
I relate to Logan because it's a little hard trying to express your emotions without coming across as a weak person. In Episode 2, when we find out that Logan -- why he moved here and his divorced parents and everything -- he oddly isn't that sad about it. He's kind of happy, but it's almost like -- not a cry for help. He's really sad, but he doesn't know how to say that he's sad and that he wants a shoulder to lean on.
If you had to introduce Logan to your friends, what would you tell them about him? What's the essence of Logan?
Logan is the essence of -- they actually call him that in, I think, Episode 9 -- they call him a human puppy. I think that really describes Logan in the best way possible. He's just like a fluffy boy. I don't know how to explain it! He's just warm and fluffy and you just kind of want to play with him. Yeah, I think that's probably the best way.
So Logan has turned out to be quite the charmer. How do you turn on the charm for this role?
I turned on the charm by -- they really wanted me to smile a lot, just when I was charming, I guess. I've been told! It was super, super fun to play that, because I always play the boring character. Not that all my other characters were boring! But this was a really very different character for me, and I had lots of help with lots of acting coaches, and they really helped as well.
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from the series?
Oh, I'm going to be really careful because I suck at this sort of stuff. I just want to tell you everything, but I can't! I'd be in trouble. In Episode 10, we get a huge callback to the original films... Episode 10, we get a huge, monumental callback.
What is your favorite memory from set?
There was this one time -- I'm not going to say how -- but Logan, he has like two emotions: happy and sad. But he gets really worked up and angry at some of the teammates and he starts yelling, and it's really weird, but Luke [Islam], who plays Koob; Maxwell, who plays Nick; and Brady [Noon], who plays Evan, they were all off-camera. They were only there for eyelines, and I was yelling at them, and they couldn't stop laughing! That was probably one of my favorite memories because we couldn't get through the scene. But in the end, we did.
Maybe that will make it into the gag reel!
Oh yeah! I hope they have a gag reel... I hope they do. That would be awesome.
I see you were in the first season of Legends of Tomorrow a couple years ago. What was that experience like for you?
You know, I was like every kid. I loved superheroes when I was little, but now, I'm a full-on nerd. It doesn't even feel real that I was on the show. It was just insane that I was on Legends of Tomorrow. Funny story: I was off-camera for this moment, so they didn't need me, and there was this guy and he was on fire. But no one told me that he was gonna be on fire! So I was like, "Jesus, is he okay?!" and he falls down. I was like, "Someone get him help!", but I'm off-camera, so I don't really want to ruin the scene or anything. But then afterwards, I see him a crafty getting a cookie, and I'm like, "Oh, thank God. He's okay!"
Yeah, that's probably a little startling when you're a kid!
Yeah, for a seven-year-old!
If you could play any superhero, who would it be and why?
Anyone would be awesome! My dad, who's also a big superhero nerd, he wants me to play a young Captain America. But if I could choose anyone, I would want to play a fast character, or Spider-Man. Spider-Man, easily, or a fast character.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers stars Lauren Graham, Emilio Estevez, Brady Noon, Maxwell Simkins, Swayam Bhatia, Luke Islam, Kiefer O’Reilly, Taegen Burns, Bella Higginbotham and DJ Watts. The series premiered on Mar. 26 on Disney+, with new episodes each Friday.
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