‘Outer Banks’ Chase Stokes Calls Working with His Partner Madelyn Cline “One of the Best Things You Can Ask For”

When your favorite show gives you a perfect couple, all you want is for those actors to start dating in real life. And that’s the exact gift Outer Banks has given us. Shortly after the Netflix original premiered in April of 2020, star Chase Stokes revealed on Instagram that he was actually dating his co-star Madelyn Cline. Their indisputable chemistry even earned the couple Best Kiss at the MTV Movie and TV Awards.

According to Outer Banks‘ showrunners, Stokes and Cline’s chemistry was apparent even before they were cast as John B and Sarah Cameron. “When they came in for their first audition, they had a chemistry between the two of them,” Jonas Pate told Decider. “They were sitting next to each other. They put their knees inside, sort of interlaced between each other’s knees in very close proximity, like right out of the gate. He puts her hand on her knee, and I just kind of think to myself, ‘Well, OK, there’s a little chemistry.'”

“I remembered when they went out, and we all looked at each other and we said, ‘Well, we know who Maddie wants to get the role,” showrunner Josh Pate recalled. “I think she actually maybe sabotaged the audition for Chase to get the role. Honestly, they’re so cute. They’re incredibly good-hearted people and hardworking, and they’re really affectionate with each other…. We have long hours and sometimes high pressure situations. I’ve never seen them be anything but gentle and kind to each other.”

That chemistry certainly carries over into Outer Banks Season 2. The second installment picks up right after Season 1’s finale with John B (Stokes) and Sarah (Cline) running through the Bahamas in search of the shipwreck’s gold. Stokes emphasized to Decider how great it was to have Cline by his side while shooting this intense season in the middle of a global pandemic.

“To have your partner with you throughout a COVID world and the stuff that we were working on, it’s daunting. You know, you go to work. You’re getting tested before you can even get a coffee in your hands. You have face shields, you have face masks. Everything is distanced. And so working together and having her as sort of a support system has been kind of one of the best things you can ask for,” Stokes said.

The actor also noted that sense of support applied to the Outer Banks‘ cast as a whole. “We’re all incredibly close. So on the weekends when we had time off, we would all sit around and drink a beer and check in with everyone. Like, ‘How are you? Are you doing OK? Are you able to have the time to talk to your family?’ and whatnot,” Stokes said.

Working so closely together also caused Stokes and Cline to really consider how they were different from their characters. “There’s been a lot of attention on our relationship outside of the show in the off season. We recognize that. And we recognize that it’s incredibly important to separate ourselves from the characters,” Stokes said. “This season was a lot of thought for her and I to make these characters different. They are 16 and 17 years old, and they are young in love. They’re gonna make mistakes. As people in our 20s, we’re gonna think before we speak sometimes. So we definitely made sure that there’s a difference between the two, especially as we go through our careers. We don’t want to be seen as just single-minded or linear. We want to be multi-faceted and be able to do things outside of John B and Sarah. So it’s great, but I think we’re very conscious of making sure those characters live in a different world than Maddie and Chase do.”

One of those major differences had to do with John B’s impulsivity. “He acts so irrationally, and he doesn’t think before he does things. Obviously, we see that a lot at the beginning of Season 2. He doesn’t really concern the safety of others before himself,” Stokes explained.

That mindset differs greatly from the star’s personal philosophy. “I am very much a forward thinker of others before I am myself. I learned a phrase over the past two years that has helped me be a little more like John B in thinking about myself, which is ‘You have to help yourself before you can help others,'” Stokes said. “I spent a lot of my life, especially my family as being the oldest, always putting others first and always thinking of others emotions before I ever got in touch with myself. So I think that’s a major difference.”

As for how Cline differs from Sarah Cameron, Stokes pointed to her sense of humor. “She is so fucking funny. Like she is one of the funniest people you will ever meet,” Stokes said. “Sarah is such a character who is going through a multitude of emotions, going through not trusting your family, her brother’s a psychopath, her little sister is sort of caught in the wake of all of this. There are all of these elements that are tangled in Sarah’s world that she’s having to balance. And you meet Maddie outside of work, and she’s like the most fun, care-free, hilarious human being with the most loving personality.”

Season 2 of Outer Banks premieres on Netflix Friday, July 30.

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