While everyone else is obsessing over Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in the age-gap, boyband rom-com “The Idea of You,” we at Hey Alma love the movie for another reason: Ella Rubin. Ella, who plays Izzy, is an up-and-coming Jewish actress and we cannot wait to see more of her.
So, in honor of that, here are 18 things to know about her.
1. Ella Rubin was born on Sept. 2, 2001 in New York City to a Jewish family.
2. She was an adorable kid.
3. She’s a Virgo!
4. She studied at the Professional Children’s School.
5. Ella has an older sister named Evan. Here’s a photo of them together which Evan seemingly posted in honor of Ella’s bat mitzvah.
6. She started acting when she was 11 and one of her first roles was playing Jojo in “Seussical.” Listen to her talk about the experience in the “Little Known Facts” podcast.
7. “The first thing I ever did was a movie called ‘The Rewrite’ where Marisa Tomei played my mom,” she told MTV. “That ended up being a funny, full-circle story because, seven years later when I made my Broadway debut in ‘The Rose Tattoo,’ she played my mom, as well.”
More on screen moms later…
8. She finds acting inspiration in character work and art.
“When looking for inspiration, I go more specific to the character. I’ll journal in character, I like to make playlists, and I watch other performances. Like how reading makes you a better writer, by watching films and TV, I feel like I become a better actor,” Ella said in an interview. “And also, looking at art — visiting museums can unexpectedly draw out a spark. I love the photographers Nan Goldin and Guy Bourdin.”
9. Ella’s career aspiration include challenging herself!
“I want to be a really versatile actor who gets to try and do everything,” she told Teen Vogue. “I would like to work on stuff that fulfills me creatively. I really want to explore new avenues, new characters, things that would challenge me and characters that would be scary to play.”
10. She played Dafna, a young student who tries to befriend a professor played by Jay Duplass, in “The Chair.”
11. She starred in “The Chair,” a show about a university, while she was in college studying filmmaking at UCLA. You can listen to her talk about it below.
12. She once wrote a 25-page paper on “Legally Blonde” as a final for a college class about women in literature.
“I decided to write about the way femininity is portrayed in movies and how it can often be demonized, and how Legally Blonde is a shining example of not doing that,” Ella told The Newsette. “Elle Woods can be stereotypically feminine, wear a lot of pink, enjoy ‘girly pursuits,’ and also pursue her law degree and be seen as an intellectual without having to sacrifice either.”
She added, “My professor called it more of a manifesto than an academic paper.”
13. Other shows she’s starred in include “Gossip Girl” and “The Girl from Plainville.”
14. Speaking of “Gossip Girl,” she was a huge fan of the show as a kid.
“Growing up in New York City, it was something my friends and I were all excited about, so getting to be on it is definitely wish fulfillment,” Ella told an interviewer.
15. Can you guess Ella’s top four favorite movies? Watch this Letterboxd TikTok to see if you got them right!
@letterboxd Four Favorite films of The Idea of You’s cast: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, and Raymond Cham Jr. As well as one of the film’s producers, Gabrielle Union. The Idea of You will be available on Amazon @Prime Video, tomorrow, May 2. #fyp #foryou #filmtok #movietok #letterboxd #movie #fourfavorites #annehathaway #nicholasgalitzine
16. Ella plays Anne Hathaway’s daughter Izzy in “The Idea of You.”
“When you’re an actor, you’re the vessel for your work. So if you’re not putting yourself first, filling your own cup and taking care of yourself, your work will suffer, and to do your best work you have to feel your best,” Ella said, explaining that Anne gave her the advice to take care of herself. “She helped me in a way that didn’t make the work any less important. She helped me lower the stakes a bit.”
17. Ella has arguably one of the best lines in “The Idea of You.”
mom why would you breakup with a talented kind feminist 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ceJnzlHIce
— sydney (@speaknowsydney) May 3, 2024
18. Her next role after “The Idea of You” will be in “Fear Street: Prom Night.”
“It’s based in the ‘80s, and I think that that’s such an incredible era to do horror because it really lends itself to fun gore and absurdity that’s somehow also grounded which is my favorite type of work to get to do,” she has said.
