How old is JJ from ‘Outer Banks’? Answered

There is no debating the cast of the Netflix hit show Outer Banks is a group of teenage heartthrobs, and none more so than JJ Maybank. Yet the question is — is this robber of teenage hearts actually a teen himself? Here’s the down-low on JJ, both the character and the real face behind him.

JJ Maybank is the real hothead of the Pogue crew. Coming from a dark background and tough childhood, he has become quite the bad boy of the group, and who doesn’t love a bad boy? He is one of the most popular characters on the show with his hellraiser attitude and his rugged demeanor. From swearing to stealing alcohol, he is every straight-laced teenage girl’s (or guy’s) rebellious dream. So what’s the real deal behind this too-good-to-be-true bad boy?

JJ Maybank is 16 years old on the show, although his complex character can often seem much older than that. Yet his hot-headed decision-making does ring true of adolescent angst. However, the real-life actor behind the beautiful face is actually 23 years old.

Yes, it’s true. JJ Maybank is played by 23-year-old Alaska native Rudy Pankow. Not only is Rudy far away from home, but he is also far from his character’s age by almost an entire decade. However, Rudy is not alone in that, many members of the cast are a far cry from their young character’s age. Rudy’s co-star, 25-year-old Austin North, plays 16-year-old Topper Thornton, and fellow 27-year-old actor Drew Starkey plays 19-year-old college dropout Rafe Cameron. That is the wonder of movie magic.

Rudy was cast to play JJ after spending a lot of time in theatre, starring in such plays as Mary Poppins, Oliver Twist, and The Nutcracker. He also landed some guest roles in the hit shows The Politician and Solved, although his starring role in Outer Banks is by far his most well-known acting credit. With good reason — the show is constantly at the top of the Netflix streaming charts.

While JJ’s character may be a heartthrob, unfortunately in both the show and in real life, he is off the market. In the series, JJ is entangled in a love affair with the character Kiara Carrera, and in real life, the actor Rudy is also entangled with another Outer Banks staffer, although one that is behind the scenes. Rudy is dating Eileen Siemek, an assistant on the show. While the couple themselves seem to be going strong, some of Rudy’s recent Instagram posts reveal that there is trouble in paradise, at least from the outside world. The post explains that while Rudy may not post much about it on social media, he is very happy in his relationship and doesn’t appreciate some of the viewer backlash against his girlfriend. He finishes the post saying he would “be grateful if we all would move forward in positivity.”

A young love, star crossed lovers, a community that doesn’t understand it… that certainly sounds like an Outer Banks plot line! Yes, it seems Ruby might have more in common with his character than we thought, despite their age difference. As 16-year-old JJ navigates his teenage romance, 23-year-old Rudy navigates one of his own. We can’t wait to see how the storylines for both the character, and the “real life” JJ unfold as the new season sets sail on February 23rd, only on Netflix.