Who plays JJ in ‘Outer Banks?’

Everyone’s aware of the rising buzz and excitement over the release of Outer Banks‘ season three trailer. The waiting is over for the show’s diehard fans, and the upcoming season is going to premiere on Feb. 23. There’s been more eagerness to catch up on the new episodes after the last season ended on such a surprising and promising note.

We learned that the Pogues ended up on a deserted land, which they named “Poguelandia,” after they escaped from the “Camerons.” Then there was Cleo’s acceptance as the newest Pogue member, and the shocking revelation of John B’s father being alive.

Ever since its release in 2020, the show’s cast members established their position as fan favorites. This includes the leading male character John B (Chase Stokes) who’s the leader of the working-class groups, the “Pogues.”

While John B is tied to the Pogues, he is not the group’s heart and soul. That title belongs to his best friend, the headstrong J.J. Maybank. The actor who plays the character is 24-year-old Alaska native Rudy Pankow. Despite sharing a shorter screentime than his co-star, fans have expressed their interests to know more about Pankow. Let’s shed some light on the same.

Who is Rudy Pankow?

Born on Aug. 12, 1998, Pankow was raised in Ketchikan, Alaska. Speaking about his hometown, he mentioned that he finds a lot of similarities between his birthplace and North Carolina, where the fiction town of Outer Banks is set. While Pankow has leaped headfirst into fame, acting was not always his future career choice.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled in culinary school but later decided to move to Los Angeles to study acting. He claimed to be confident about his decision and mentioned that it was the right route for him. “I had the opportunity to stay with some family friends in L.A. for a little while to see if it was the place for me, and after my first acting class in L.A., I knew it was the route I was supposed to take,” he told Wonderland Magazine.

While auditioning for Outer Banks, settling for the role of J.J. was not on his mind at first. Pankow said that he went to the audition with the hope of landing the role of John B. He auditioned for three roles: John B, J.J., and Rafe. Speaking to Us Weekly, he stated, “The first chemistry read, I was John B. I actually read through Rafe, J.J., and John B. within like two weeks. They were not sure which character, and they flew me out to Charleston (South Carolina) saying, ‘You’re going to be one of these characters, but I didn’t know which one.’”

Later, he chose J.J. because of the similarities he found between himself and the character. “I thought he was somebody completely unlike myself, but I saw similarities. I really relate with this character and his arc through the show. It’s so much deeper.”

Although this may be the first time fans are taking notice, Outer Banks was not Pankow’s debut in the world of acting. Prior to gaining recognition as J.J., he also starred as an extra in the Netflix’s The Politician as well as the horror series, Sunny Family Cult. He also appeared in the music video for “Though Contagion” by Muse and acted alongside the MCU star Tom Holland in the 2022 movie, Unchartered, where he played Young Sam.

Pankow has a promising career ahead of him, and this was implied by none else than his co-star. Gary Weeks was inducted into the world of MCU where he debuted as Agent Foster in Spider-Man: Homecoming and then reprised his role in the 2021 film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. In an interview with The Direct, Weeks suggested that Pankow might be suitable for one of the main characters for the upcoming Marvel movie, The Fantastic Four as the Human Torch/Johnny Storm.

As the new season of the series approaches, fans are eager to see more of J.J. and as well as Pankow’s engagement in upcoming ambitious projects.