Emerging as one of Hollywood’s most exciting young talents, Ella Rubin has already made her mark across Broadway, film, and television. At 24, the New York-born actress has built an impressive résumé, from her Broadway debut in The Rose Tattoo to roles in The Idea of You. Now, she has stepped into her biggest role yet as Annie Jacobson in Prime Video’s Sterling Point. As her star continues to rise, here is everything you need to know about Ella Rubin.
1. Ella Rubin is New York born and bred
Ella Rubin was raised in Manhattan and comes from a family with ties to the entertainment industry. Her mother is a talent manager, while her aunt is a prominent commercial casting director. She attended the Professional Children’s School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where she studied theatre while balancing her early acting career.
2. Ella Rubin made her Broadway debut at 17
In 2019, Ella Rubin made her Broadway debut in The Rose Tattoo, playing Rosa Delle Rose opposite Marisa Tomei, who played her mother. At the time, Ella was still in high school, balancing her studies with eight performances a week on Broadway.
Her film career began even earlier. At 13, she made her screen debut in The Rewrite, playing the daughter of actor Hugh Grant’s character, with Tomei once again playing her on-screen mother. The pairing marked the beginning of a recurring creative relationship between the young actress and Tomei.
3. Ella Rubin takes inspiration from the visual arts
Ella’s interest in filmmaking and visual storytelling extends beyond acting. When preparing for a role, she immerses herself in her character’s world through journaling, creating playlists and watching other actors’ performances for inspiration. She also draws from the visual arts, citing photographers including Nan Goldin and Guy Bourdin among the artists she admires. Her approach to acting reflects her wider interest in storytelling, with fashion, photography, film and performance all influencing her creative process.
4. Ella Rubin is a lifelong Gossip Girl fan
Having grown up in New York, Ella watched Gossip Girl with her friends long before she joined its world herself. She later appeared in HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot as Pippa Sykes, with a recurring role spanning 2021 to 2023. For a New York native who grew up watching the series, landing a role on the reboot was something of a full-circle moment.
5. Ella Rubin was cast in an Oscar-winning film
From prestige television to big-screen horror, Ella has already explored a remarkable varied range of roles. She appeared in The Girl in Plainville and starred alongside Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You, playing Izzy, the daughter of Anne’s character.
She also appeared in Sean Baker’s Oscar-winning Anora, before venturing further into horror with Fear Street: Prom Queen and Until Dawn. Her growing collection of genre roles has established her as a rising screen queen, while her dramatic performances continue to showcase her versatility.
6. Sterling Point marks Ella Rubin’s biggest role yet
Ella stars as Annie Jacobson in Amazon Prime Video’s Sterling Point, her first leading role in the television series. The coming-of-age drama follows Annie after the death of her grandfather leaves her and her twin brother a property in Canada, where she discovers she has a sister.
While Ella and Annie may differ in many ways, the actress has said there are elements of the character that feel deeply familiar to her. She also had a hand in shaping Annie’s wardrobe, incorporating some of her own pieces, including her own flats, and working closely with the costume team to reflect the character’s emotional journey through clothes.
7. Ella Rubin once wrote a 25-page Legally Blonde manifesto
Ella’s love of film extends into academia. While studying at UCLA, she wrote a 25-page paper on Legally Blonde for a class examining women in literature.
Rather than simply analysing the film, Ella explored its portrayal of femininity and the way Elle Woods challenges the idea that femininity and intellectual ambition are mutually exclusive. Her professor was so impressed by the paper that they reportedly described it as more of a “manifesto” than an academic essay.
Editor
Tanya ParmanandCredit
Lead Image: @ellarubin1 via Instagram
