Alaskan actor Rudy Pankow swiftly rose to fame in April 2020 when the hit Netflix series Outer Banks (OBX) was released. Rudy stole America’s hearts playing the troublemaker, JJ Maybank, and kept us entertained during our difficult period of necessary, self-imposed isolation. At times, instant success can be a curse of its own but not for Rudy; he stays humble, centered, and fully dedicated to his craft while still staying true to himself. We get up close and personal with Pankow about how he is adjusting to his meteoric fame, his relationship with the cast members of OBX, the great responsibility he feels portraying domestic abuse, as well as his goals and dreams for the future. With the recent premiere of the show’s explosive sophomore season, Pankow is hopeful that OBX will be picked up for a third season and excited at the prospect of getting back to work filming in Charleston, SC. Having also recently shot two films, including the independent comedy The Crusades, it’s safe to say Rudy’s time in the spotlight has only just begun.

Vestal __ You left Alaska and moved to LA to pursue your dreams of acting. What made you decide to give it a shot? What are the significant milestones that got you to where you are today?

Rudy Pankow __ As a kid, I liked to act. I enjoyed being different characters. But it never dawned on me to be an actor in a career sense until I decided to perform in a play with my dad. After that, I figured out how I could potentially convince my parents to allow me to head to LA. There are many milestones; I guess moving to LA was the big one. It was then finding a community with a work ethic for the craft, finding representation, coming into my own as an actor, finding a survivor job, booking my first short film. I could keep going, but there are too many. 

Vestal __ You are best known for starring as JJ in Netflix's show Outer Banks and quickly becoming a TV heartthrob. How are you handling the fame? 

Rudy __ Trying to handle it as best as I can. There are so many different ways to feel the pressures of fame, but I believe the best way to handle fame is to remain your most humble self, remind yourself what you truly want to accomplish with your craft, and stick to that, and you’ll be fine. 

Vestal __ Fame is a double-edged sword. Nowadays, celebrities are expected to make their lives public. How does that affect you? 

Rudy __ I feel like everyone feels like they have to make their lives public these days. Which isn’t necessarily true; you don’t. The world is slowly realizing that privacy is a choice and should be respected. Privacy shouldn’t need to be reminded, and I feel like that’s more and more something people feel. 

Vestal __ You are friends with most of the cast members. Could you describe your relationship with them? How has it been going through this together?

Rudy __  It’s an amazing cast and an amazing team. The energy on set is soaked in accomplishing one goal: to make this show as best as we possibly can together! And going through this process and growing together is great. At the same time, we all are independent, we all have our own goals separately, but when it comes to OBX, we just want to make a kick-ass ass show.

Vestal __ On Outer Banks, your character, JJ, is a victim of domestic abuse and experiences some pretty heavy stuff for a teenager. What is it like portraying that as an actor?

Rudy __ You have to come at it with the responsibility that this happens to kids of all ages. That it’s not fake, it’s not something that doesn’t happen. And put yourself in one of the most uncomfortable situations with a parent. Portraying that, you have to put yourself in that shitty place, which doesn’t feel good. But portraying how to hang on and deal with it is the most exhilarating feeling and is quite frankly an honor to play. 

Vestal __ Season 2 of Outer Banks is so action-packed! How many of your stunts do you do and what is training like for that? 

Rudy __  All of them. No, I’m joking. Falling off a container ship backward and flipping into the water wasn’t me. But I am honored to work with this amazing stunt man named Jason, who asks me sometimes, “You got this one?” And usually, I do. But then he comes in if it’s life-threatening or if he wants to do it first and show me how it’s done, then I go in and give it a shot. 

Vestal __ With the huge success of season 2, it looks pretty likely that Outer Banks will be greenlit for a third season. What do you hope is in store for JJ? Will he finally find love? 

Rudy __  I always will do what the writers write, but I hope JJ finds many things like peace with his dad and his own self-worth. But more than anything, just a fun, and adventure-filled story. 

Vestal __ You mentioned on set that you'd love to be on Broadway. If you could act in any Broadway play, past or present, which one would it be?

Rudy __ I know it’s been done in the past, but I would love to put on a play called “Golden Boy” by Clifford Odets. 

Vestal __ I hear you are set to play Joey Kite in a new movie called Space Waves. Can you tell us about the movie and the character you play?

Rudy __ Space Waves was a fantastic student project I was lucky enough to be a part of. It was actually shot a couple of years before OBX and was such a fun collaboration of people coming together and making a full-on feature film. It follows a boy who makes a podcast with his best friends, but when graduation is coming and life choices need to be made, they have a falling out. The movie explores how they grow separately in their choices.

Vestal __ What are your interests outside of acting?

Rudy __ I love writing and journaling about stuff that does and doesn’t matter. I love a good game of soccer or just kicking around. I love creating whatever that may be: monologues, music, food, anything. 

Vestal __ These are challenging times to be in your early 20s due to the pandemic. How did this global experience affect you?

Rudy __ Yeah, it hasn’t been the greatest time for anyone. Feeling like your youth was robbed a little does sting. And it is still being affected, but so is everyone else’s life. I think that part is what keeps me from deterring and being irresponsible. We are all in this together right now and for a while to come. So, respecting boundaries, remaining safe as much as possible is paramount. But hopefully, once we know more about keeping this disease at bay, we will see the anxiety of meeting in person fade away. 

Vestal __ Do you have any role models? Is there someone that you would like to act next to?

Rudy __ Many. There are many people to learn from and admire. So many that I often forget how many. Some of them are Robin Williams, Adam Driver, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, and Christopher Nolan. I would love to work with any of these people or just work with their energy in my heart.

Photography Kevin Sinclair, Styling Alexandra Deangelis, Hair & Makeup Agata Helena, Talent Rudy Pankow (Portrait PR)