Ella Rubin moves with the understated force of someone who has been sharpening their instincts for a long time. While still in high school, long before appearing on film, she was stepping onto a Broadway stage opposite Marisa Tomei—an early introduction into discipline, stamina, and the rhythm of performance.

“Theater shaped my work ethic, but film definitely has shaped my impulse,” Rubin reflects. Where theater demanded rigor and repetition, film has taught her to loosen her grip. “My instinct is to try and surprise myself as much as possible… to be open and in the moment.”

That openness has made way for a career grounded in specificity. From Gossip Girl to Masters of the Air, and Academy Award winner Anora, Rubin has gravitated toward culturally sharp projects and characters with an edge. “I try to look for the hair out of place and lean into that,” she says. Lately, that’s meant craving roles that feel riskier: “I’d love to play more sharpened or prickly characters… unlikable characters or a villain or popstar. Mainly roles that scare me.”

Her latest slate leans into genre and intensity. In Until Dawn, the film adaptation of the beloved video game, Rubin stepped into the thrilling and intimidating reality of a world with a built-in fanbase. “I wanted to do the fans justice and create an emotionally faithful adaptation,” she explains, grounding the chaos by building an internal emotional reality for her character. “Behind the monsters and gore there is always a very human goal.”

Soon, she’ll step into a new chapter with Megan Park’s Sterling Point, taking on a leading role in a long-form series centered on sisterhood, identity, and emotional truth. The project stood out to Rubin for its balance of humor and vulnerability. “It feels rare in that it’s both so unafraid of emotion and so genuinely funny,” she notes. Creatively, the experience marked a shift. “I got to shape and inform my character… It was a gift and a massive learning experience.”

Along the way, Rubin has absorbed wisdom from women she deeply admires—including Anne Hathaway, who she thanks for encouraging her to stop over-apologizing on set. “It was creating a weird self-fulfilling prophecy of weakness… That advice really stuck with me.” Off-screen, her creative compass still points toward visual art.

Once convinced she’d become a painter, Rubin continues to circle back to that part of herself. “As a child I felt so uninhibited artistically,” she says. “I’m trying to get closer to that version of myself always.” If Ella Rubin’s career so far has proven anything, it’s that her evolution isn’t about playing it safe—it’s about staying curious, staying specific, and chasing the roles that feel just a little terrifying.

This story appears in the pages of V159: on global newsstands now!

Photography Dario Castillo

Fashion Tabitha Sanchez

Interview Aaron Royce

Makeup Marco Campos (Forward Artists)

Hair Andrew Chen (The Only Agency)

Editor Kev Ponce

Fashion Market Editor Copelyn Bengel

Photo Assistants Loul Rafael, Luna La Sirena

Styling Assistants Spencer Bronfman, Angelina Aliano, Juliet Bernard-Rovito

Production Assistant Payton Liddell, Sarine Gabriel, Chase Williams

Location PARAGON