Page 92 - Flaunt 175 - Diana

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Like each and every flower in the midst of a hopeful spring, we can either choose to bloom or to wither. So how do we reach our greatest potential? As time advances, many of us have bits of our past we
wish we could keep not just in our hearts, but in our pocket, to take with us wherever we go, to sprinkle atop our new experiences and encourage a contin- uous blooming. For 22-year-old actor Rudy Pankow, it’s that period before he relocated
to Los Angeles—time spent as a kayak guide in his hometown of oceanside Ketchikan, Alaska—that nurtures each new iteration
of himself. In those expansive moments were hoped for, but very rare and surreal, exchanges between man and whale. Pan- kow shares that to truly experience a creature of such magnitude in its natural environment is something indescrib- ably humbling and grounding. He shakes his head and remarks on the experience, “You can’t ask for it. It just happens.”
Pankow’s light-
hearted demeanor
radiates through the
computer screen for
our interview as the
sun outside nears its
daily peak. The actor is
inside his Los Angeles
home, posted up in
front of his bedroom
shelves, which are
stocked with a record
player and various records and books. He remarks that he’s immersing in a recent phase of calm in his world, “We have been getting ‘organized’, as I would like to put it.” Indeed, a time of recuperation is warranted and deserved following Pankow’s completion of filming the sophomore season of Netflix’s massive coming-of-age success, Outer Banks.
The ten-episode Netflix original—co-created and executive produced by Shannon Burke and Jonas and Josh Pate—fol- lows a tight-knit group of friends on a journey of adventure and mystery (and a buried treasure pursuit, naturally) along the North Carolina coast. Pankow plays the quick-witted and often mischievous JJ, one-fourth of the infamous Pogue quartet. At first read, JJ is the always-ready comedic relief, easy going and
GUCCI jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes.
carefree. As the drama unfolds, however, the layers of his perso- na melt, and in turn, expose a truly raw, complex, and empathet- ic character layered beneath the playful quips and outlandish
persona.
Outer Banks de-
buted in mid-April 2020, amidst the bewildering onset of the global pandemic. Nothing, not even an unprecedented halt of the planet, could stop the show from be- coming a viral phenom- enon. It reached #1 on Netflix hastily after its premiere and amassed a fervid following. On the series’ success, Pankow confesses, “I think,
for me, it was always escapism. It really clicked with people in terms of freedom.” This makes a lot of sense,
as every episode has viewers holding their breath, watching secrets unfold as the adventure increasingly intensi- fies. Pankow hopes the show’s steely attitude and bravery may inspire and dare viewers to do what they have always wanted to accomplish when called to do so, encouraging, “Do it. Do whatever that is.”
Like many artists, Pankow takes a mimet- ic approach—where
art imitates life—as he discovers his own sense of escape and affinity for adventure. He notes how challenging it can be—when overwhelmed with what’s happening in the outside world—to mind what’s going on
with ourselves on the inside. Instead of becoming lost in the clutter, the actor turns towards the outdoors for introspection and healing. “We need to take it in and just really digest,” he shares on how nature has helped him pilot this strange period, “I would say that I am now more connected with people, and also the outside world.” He adds that he wakes up every morn- ing and partakes in a new conversation within himself, citing that this calibrated inner monologue has helped him with prob- lem-solving and understanding his own psyche. “Sometimes we are so busy with the outside world and not thinking about what problems we can solve inside,” he shares. “Doing so can really give you a new opportunity, a new perspective to help yourself.”
It is in this same way that Pankow approaches a role.
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