Photo:Hutton Supancic/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty
Hutton Supancic/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty
Get to knowCamila Mendes' boyfriend.
TheRiverdalestar surprised her followers in November 2022 when she posted a photo on social media of Rudy Mancuso kissing her on the cheek. However, Mendes didn’t make her romance with Mancuso Instagram official until Valentine’s Day 2023.
“meu valentine. te amo so much,” she wrote alongside an image of the couple kissing.
Mancuso, like Mendes, is a multi-hyphenate with a music and acting background. Prior to his work in traditional media, the creator found initial success on Vine in early 2013. There, he uploaded brief clips of comedy sketches before transitioning to morelong-form videos on YouTube— catering to his audience of nearly 7.4 million subscribers and racking up over one billion views.
More recently, Mancuso teamed up with Amazon Studios and Wonderland Sound and Vision to pen and directMúsica, a coming-of-age film mirroring his life. He also stars in the project opposite Mendes.
In February 2024, Mendes spoke with PEOPLE about her initial attraction to Mancuso.
“I had a little crush, but I didn’t know if it was just a work crush or if it was real,” she recalled. “And when I met him in person, it became very clear to me that it was real.”
From finding success to working withJustin Bieber, here’s everything to know about Mancuso.
He speaks several languages
Rudy Mancuso/instagram
Although Mancuso was born and raised in the New Jersey town of Glen Ridge and pursued a higher education at Rutgers University in Newark, Mancuso lived in Rio de Janeiro for some time during his youth.
There, he learned to speak Portuguese and is now fluent in the language. As the son of a Brazilian mother and an Italian-American father, Mancuso is multilingual.
He’s a talented musician
Mancuso is a multi-instrumentalist and a musical prodigy, having taught himself to play the keys at a very young age. “My parents say I walked over to the piano when I was just about 5 and started playing. I think it made sense to me,” he toldBillboard.
While the self-titled performance artist’s passion for entertaining stems from music, he quickly tapped into other areas of creating — specifically in the storytelling space.
He’s an Internet personality
He initially made an impact with his video productions, initially on Vine and eventually YouTube, and gained an audience with his musical and comedic storytelling. Notably, he’s behind the many voices inAwkwardPuppets— a YouTube series featuring conversations with stars likeJustin Bieber,Mike TysonandFloyd Mayweather.
He directed and stars in the filmMúsica
Camila Mendes/instagram
Mancuso wrote, directed and stars inMúsica —a coming-of-age film for Amazon Prime Video.
Mancuso also composed an original score and soundtrack for the film, perThe Hollywood Reporter.
In April 2024, Mendes, the movie’s leading lady, and Mancuso talked with PEOPLE about filmingMúsicawhile simultaneously falling in love.
“It’s safe to say there waschemistry from the moment we metand it certainly was visible onscreen,” the actor said. Mendes added: “I don’t think either of us expected it to be as intense and move as quickly as it did. It felt like I’d known him for so much longer than I had.”
He’s collaborated with notable artists
Rudy Mancuso/twitter
The self-taught musician has also taken his talents from the screen to the stage, havingopened for Justin Bieber on the Purpose Tourin his native Brazil. “My friendship with Justin, I’ve treated it as any other close friendship I have,” Mancuso told PEOPLE in 2017.
He added: “To be quite honest, I don’t have a lot of close friends, and I actually would consider Justin to be one of those friends, and it’s only because pretty much after the first time we hung out a couple years ago, he wasn’t anything more than ‘that cool kid Justin with a good heart.”
Mancuso also performed at the Hollywood Bowl for Disney Pixar’sCoco Live-To-Film Concert Experienceopposite fellow Internet star, singer and friend Lele Pons. Furthermore, he’s collaborated with artists like Alesso, Poo Bear, Cierra Ramirez and ex-girlfriendMaia Mitchell.
He walked in a major fashion runway show
Venturelli/WireImage
In 2017, Mancuso made his fashion week debut. He was selected to walk in Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 2018 show in Milan, showcasing the luxury Italian house’s menswear collection.
He and Mendes celebrated their one-year anniversary in July 2023
Camila Mendes Instagram
Mancuso and Mendes celebrated 365 days together in July 2023.
A couple of months later, the twostepped out alongside each otherat the Giorgio Armani “One Night In Venice” event in Italy in September.
He and Mendes attended Vas Morgan and Michael Braun’s Halloween party in October 2023
Shutterstock / SplashNews
source: people.com
