Tangled Magazine

In the new thriller, The Ruins, the movie has young hot stars Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey and notably, 25-year-old Jonathan Tucker who has become more recognisable to audiences in the recent years. However, he is actually an old hat when it comes to acting.

The Boston-raised actor started at 14 years old, with his work ranging in mainstream films (Sleepers, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage, The Valley of Elah), to indie films (The Virgin Suicides, The Deep End, Cherry Crush, Criminal) and television (the short-lived NBC series Black Donnellys).

Based on the best selling novel by Scott Smith, The Ruins tells the story of a group of friends vacationing in Mexico where they meet a fellow tourist whom they accompany on a archaeological dig in the jungle and things begin to unravel for the worst.

Jonathan was first interested in working with first time director Carter Smith after seeing his short film Bugcrush, saying, “It disturbed me for days.” Carter originally worked in fashion and short films. For his first time effort as a movie director, he says, “He knows how to create a world, and to let his actors play in it.”

The movie may seem like another horror movie but he begs to differ. “It’s more of a physiological, sci-fi king of thriller. Terrible and frightening events transpire.” As for his character, Jeff, he describes him as a “pragmatist. He thinks long-term, but remains in them moment.”

Shot on location in Queensland, Australia, the cast and crew unfortunately did not get much downtime but he had nothing but praise for everyone who worked on the set. “We had a tremendous crew, both in regards to talent and personality.”

Aside from acting, Jonathan has been involved with The Pegasus Fund, and received $50,000 for the charity when he won at the CNBC’s Celebrity Dollar Portfolio Challenge. “I started it with friends from our high school alma mater, The Thacher School,” he says. “We felt that our education and experience there was a rare privilege, and that with any great privilege comes responsibility. In this case, it was a responsibility to bridge the social divide scholarship students discover at private secondary schools. The idea came from Robert Ansons’ “Best Intention; the Education and Killing of Edmund Perry.”

It is included in every biography of him online that he attended the Boston Ballet and was in the production of The Nutcracker as Fitz. Fortunately he hasn’t forgotten about his past, “I still keep in close contact with my former ballet teacher, Ms. Leonard.”

The Ruins opens in the US April 4, and in Australia on April 17.