NEED TO KNOW
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Keen Ruffalo initially pursued fashion design in college before the pandemic disrupted his plans
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He turned to acting after experiencing depression during COVID-19 and seeking a new direction in life
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Keen is currently starring in the Prime Video television series Sterling Point
Keen Ruffalo wasn’t always going to be an actor.
In fact, the 25-year-old son of Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise Coigney initially went to school to be a fashion designer. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, things changed when Keen was sent home from his freshman year of college.
“It was around COVID, and it got to that point where everyone’s really burning out from being inside,” Keen, who stars in the new Prime Video television series Sterling Point, remembered while appearing on a Friday, Aug. 7 episode of Today. “I was starting my freshman year of college just before COVID happened and I was going for fashion design originally, and I dropped out not long after.”
“We ended up kind of separating for COVID, and yeah, I got the COVID depression, as many people did,” he continued. “And I needed a change, and I was lost at the time, and so I saw that acting made my dad so happy and I was like, ‘Listen, I need to try something new.'”
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As for whether his famous dad was supportive of Keen’s career change, the actor says he had just one question.
“Yeah, he was definitely supportive, but he was like, ‘You sure you want to do this?’ ” Keen said with a laugh.
Alongside Keen, Ruffalo and Coigney share kids Bella Noche, 21, and Odette, 18.
Last September, Keen chatted with iHeartRadio Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his film Nimrods and shared the biggest piece of advice his dad gave him about pursuing a career in Hollywood.
“Consistency,” he told the outlet, after admitting it was a hard question to answer. “You have to do so many auditions, eventually you are going to land one.”
Keen Ruffalo and Mark Ruffalo
Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock
“I’ve had to go through so many before I got even this one, and it’ll start to pick up after that, but it’s a lot,” he said his dad advised him. “It takes a lot, and it sometimes sucks, and it’s hard to keep that up after you get told no so many times, but it’s after however many ever you are going to find one that’s perfect.”
In June 2024, Ruffalo shared a series of photos on his Instagram as he celebrated Keen’s 23rd birthday. The proud dad included a few throwback photos of Keen from when he was a toddler, standing in a field and smiling with Ruffalo.
“Happy Birthday, Keen. Love you so much and proud of all you have accomplished this year. Keep going,” Ruffalo wrote in his caption.
Read the original article on People