Rudy Pankow on Hunting Treasure

Doubling up as the mischievous and carefree JJ Maybank on screen, Rudy Pankow has taken the baton for ‘latest teen heart-throb’ in Netflix drama series, Outer Banks.

King of the waves and labelled ‘Pogue’, his character is hooked on the ongoing dream of finding treasure and escaping his dysfunctional home life. In other words, he’s intentioned to be the perfect dosage of adventurous and troubled in order to capture the hearts of the majority of the hetero female audience. And learning that “who played JJ Maybank in Outer Banks” is one of the most common searches around the series, I’d say it worked...

Now, in search of treasure of our own, we spoke to Rudy about his character and whether surfing really comes naturally to him off-screen.

We’ve heard that you’re known to be a “fitness freak” in Outer Banks, can you see this similarity (or any other similarities) to your character JJ Maybank?

Rudy: I wouldn’t say JJ or myself think of themselves as fitness freaks. But I think both of us would take it as a compliment if we were called that. And I think JJ and I share the same characteristic of wanting to make the most of a day.

JJ likes to surf a lot, is this a hobby you’re into in real life?

R: I would love to be good at surfing. And I am making it a mission to get as good as JJ is… So you could say that we share the same passion for it but not skill level.

Outer Banks really captures that teen spirit, does that energy translate on set?

R: Oh yes. As serious of a set OBX (Outer Banks) is, it can be a jungle gym of fun energy!

Can you tell us about some of your best moments you’ve had on set?

R: I think some of my favorite moments on set were when cameras rolled without us even knowing and then we all would just hop into the scene, while forgetting it was a written scene.

It’s been noted that there is nobody more “quintessentially Pogue than JJ” according to Seventeen magazine. Can you tell us what it really means to be ‘Pogue’?

R: I think it’s for the person who feels they identify as a Pogue to find what that means to them. For me, a Pogue is someone who has nothing to lose.

Since Outer Banks is about a treasure hunt, is there anything you consider to be ‘Treasure’ that you are searching for in life? Whether that be physical, spiritual etc...

R: Oh man, there are so many treasures in life to search for! I think the one I want to find right now is the treasure of knowing how to balance mental and physical health. Which will come with experience. I must be patient.

Lastly, do you see any physical similarities between yourself and Harry Styles? 

R: I’ve heard we have similar feet.

Words / Jessie Pink

This PIBE exclusive has been produced by:
Talent / Rudy Pankow
Photography / Jerry Maestas
Styling / Alexander Shera
Grooming / Julie Cuomo