‘Outer Banks’ star Rudy Banks is also shocked by JJ’s storyline

Between dives into shipwreck treasures, cover-ups of murders and love triangles, even moments later External Banks, the Netflix series about teenage treasure hunters operating off the coast of North Carolina is hard to find. So when filming for the second half of season four moved to the west coast of Morocco, Rudy Pankow, who plays the daredevil JJ, took the opportunity for a quick trip to the Sahara Desert. Impressed by the sand dunes that resembled snowy hills and the sun setting behind rolling hills that stretched for miles, he calls the visit “one of the most magical experiences of my life.”

Just like JJ this season, the 27-year-old Pankow didn’t have much time to catch his breath. On October 6, the Alaskan-born actor wrapped up his theater debut as Romeo in Cheese and guava at the American Repertory Theater in Boston. He is among a crop of young Hollywood stars to have performed in the Shakespeare classic this year: Tom Holland wrapped up his run as Romeo at a London theater in August and HeartbreakerActor Kit Connor kicked off his Broadway performance last month.

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“I would love to ask Tom, I would love to ask Kit so many questions about Romeo,” says Pankow, calling Shakespeare the gold standard of theater. “And that part, what did you think? What was the first thought (you had) when you said, ‘Oh, blessed, blessed night?’”

Earlier this year, Pankow played a Harvard dropout who became oil in the light-hearted film Accidental Texanand he went for gold (again) in the 2022 film Unknown alongside Mark Wahlberg and Holanda. But it’s his role External Banksas part of a blue-collar crew of modern buccaneers who call themselves the Pogues – a group that includes leader John B (Chase Stokes), JJ’s love interest Kiara (Madison Bailey), and genius Pope (Jonathan Daviss) – this It’s done he’s a fan favorite.

The first part of the fourth season was pivotal for Pankow’s character. As JJ gets closer to the reward, he makes a personal discovery that is much more significant: in the cliffhanger final episode (warning: spoilers ahead), he discovers that his abusive father, Luke (played by Gary Weeks), is not his biological father. Instead, a man named Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), introduced in the first episode of this fourth season, is his father by blood. The turn of events shocked even Pankow himself.

Here, he talks about his character’s surprising arc, playing an abuse survivor, and where JJ is headed in season four, part two, arriving November 7.

JJ is complex: a little hot-headed, a little irrational, a little player. What attracted you to the character?
I love how he masks so much with humor. I think a lot of people do this because it’s protective and very effective, and I connected with it immediately.

How are you using humor to mask other emotions?
I sometimes do the same thing myself, but at the same time it comes from a place of caring and JJ cares a lot. That’s what I see most in JJ, he’s a very attentive guy.

JJ suffers physical abuse at the hands of his father, Luke, who is addicted to gambling and drinking. How do you travel to these dark and traumatic places as an actor?
It’s a responsibility. (I) talk to people – obviously I’m going to keep it private, but I think you have a huge responsibility when you play something as dark as this, whether it’s substance abuse, whether it’s physical abuse. As an artist, you don’t want to talk about any of that.

It’s something that people need to look up to and have hope and, “OK, I can get through this.” So you go deep and try to portray it in the most raw way possible.

In the final moments of episode five, JJ chases Luke to a lighthouse to evade the police and get more information about the hidden treasure. It’s also at this moment that we discover that Luke is not JJ’s biological father. How challenging was that scene to film?
The scene was difficult because it was a big shock, and we had to do it at the right time (crisis). I mean we had two hours that day to actually flesh out that scene, and Gary and I, fortunately, were prepared to bring it in that day.

We were in a very difficult location, with a sunset we needed to catch. The entire crew had to reach the top of this lighthouse. We filmed most of it with a drone. You can’t hear it because of the wind and the drone, but then you have to deliver this big news. We were both focused on each other. We would go into the lighthouse, shoot the scene, then go out, shoot, film and come back. It was really technically difficult.

Were there a lot of people going up and down at the lighthouse?
I did this four or five times from bottom to top for a wide shot that they probably used.

How did you react when you discovered that scene?
I was shocked. I called Gary right away and was like, “Hey, this is happening,” and he hadn’t gotten the script yet, so we talked about it. So we thought, “OK, what does that mean?” In fact, we’ve come to the conclusion that not only does this explain a lot about JJ, it also explains a lot about Luke and his behavior. (He acts) like he’s been doing JJ a favor his whole life.

This is very important for your character. It’s an ensemble cast, but you can be the main character this time.
I talked to the writers a little bit about JJ’s storyline being too submerged in the plot and what the Pogues are going for. That’s the beauty of this series, is that the writers give (each) of the characters their season. John B obviously shines in the first season, Pope shines in the second season…

At the beginning of this season, the Pogues win their last reward and JJ throws it away. Does JJ have the potential to change in season four, part two, and if so, how?
I definitely think he has the potential to change. Every character in every season has this bridge, like, “OK, are they going to cross it?” and JJ has a big problem this year. It’s starting with (his more solidified relationship with) Kiara, and that’s a new dynamic between the two of them. But then also his father and Groff appeared, and he lost his identity with Luke. (We’re) trying to figure out where he is now. Even though it’s so shocking, there’s a huge opportunity for JJ to grow.

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