I would like to see more of Keen Ruffalo, please.

      One of our most popular TikTok videos of 2026 features actor Keen Ruffalo arriving at the Dior cruise show in Los Angeles. Wearing a slouchy deep-V gray sweater from the fashion house, a blue button-down shirt, and light-wash jeans, and showcasing his floppy haircut, the 25-year-old posed nervously for the cameras, exuding a boyish charm. The video swiftly garnered 1.5 million views and over a thousand comments, with adoring fans deeming him "awkwardly cute" and pleading to "put him in a rom-com right now." A star was born. Unbeknownst to everyone at that moment, Ruffalo, the son of Mark Ruffalo and Sunrise Coigney, would emerge as the breakout star of the upcoming teen drama, Sterling Point. This latest installment in Prime Video's immensely popular YA summer series, created by actor-turned-writer/director Megan Park (My Old Ass and The Fallout), is a coming-of-age romantic drama that follows 17-year-old Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin) and her twin brother Connor (Ruffalo), whose lives change when they learn that their estranged grandfather left them a small island in Canada.

      After binge-watching the first eight episodes of the show, I came away with a new obsession that I'm eager to share with everyone, coupled with a desire to see more of Ruffalo, whose emotionally complex Connor brings some of the show's funniest moments. Fortunately, the actor's road-trip buddy comedy Nimrods is also set to release this month. A scene-stealer with aspirations for a future filled with indie dramas—perhaps even a period piece or two—Ruffalo is undoubtedly a Hollywood breakout star to keep an eye on.

      I don't know if you're aware, but readers went crazy over a video of you from the Dior L.A. show earlier this year. I saw that. I didn’t really check my phone the day after the event, and when I looked at my Instagram two days later, I was surprised to see I had gained a few hundred new followers. I was totally confused. Then a friend sent me the TikTok video about ten minutes later, and I thought, “Oh my god, what is this?!”

      Did you enjoy the show? Yes, I had a great time. It was my first fashion show, and I was really anxious—I didn’t even know there was a red carpet.

      When did you start taking acting seriously? Were you young? Well, I grew up around my dad doing it. My sisters and I were kept fairly separate from it all. I lived on a farm, so I didn't really understand the whole thing until probably the Marvel movies. I had kids coming up to me asking, “Can you have your dad sign this Hulk toy?” And I was like, “No, that’s mean.” For a long time, I didn’t see the appeal. I was much more into what my mom was doing. She was into fashion and similar things. For a while, I was focused on fashion and jewelry-making.

      Tell me more about that. I attended college for jewelry-making, but when COVID hit, I dropped out because I lost access to the tools. Then I found myself questioning everything during the pandemic and wondering what I wanted to do with my life. I started to feel COVID's depression and thought, “I need to try something new.” Acting makes my dad happy, and he loves it, so I figured I might as well give it a shot. I began taking online classes, which was a strange way to learn. I started to really enjoy it, eventually doing Zoom classes with a tutor. I decided I wanted to attend an actual conservatory to study techniques, so I went to HB Studio in New York for the Uta Hagen program. That's where I truly fell in love with acting, performing in front of others. What attracted me was the chance to be different characters. I think everyone sometimes wants to be someone else, and it was a great way for me to escape myself.

      I became really invested in acting techniques. Now that's my main focus. Every time I meet an actor, I ask, “What technique do you use?” I studied at all the major conservatories in the U.S. because I wanted to learn all the techniques. I even spent some time at RADA, and around 2023 or 2024, my dad watched a play I was in and said, “I think you’ve worked hard enough; it’s time to start auditioning.” He encouraged me. He’s an old-school actor and believes in tough love; he thought I should have a mentor who would challenge me. After a year of auditioning, I finally landed a small role in Nimrods, a film related to Green Day. Actually, I was still filming Nimrods when I auditioned for Sterling Point.

      Did that first year of auditioning feel