Madelyn Cline and Madison Bailey of ‘Outer Banks’

Ariana Biondi-Copeland Deputy Guide Editor

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day? Maybe you were alone in your dorm watching “The Notebook” or hanging out with some friends discussing the limitless benefits of being single (seriously, I really needed this time to work on myself). Or perhaps you were one of the lucky few who was actually on a date! However you spent this often anticlimactic holiday, I can guarantee that my Valentine’s Day has yours beat: I spent it with Madelyn Cline and Madison Bailey.

Don’t get too jealous though, because you get something out of it too: an inside look into the upcoming third season of the hit Netflix show “Outer Banks,” (OBX) as well as both actresses’ personal thoughts regarding their characters and filming the show. How do the characters’ relationships evolve? Will the show build on the action-packed momentum of the second season? And most of all, what are Cline and Bailey like behind the camera?

While the actresses were understandably hesitant to disclose details regarding season three, they did divulge their hopes for the audience’s general reaction to the new episodes. Bailey emphasized the power of Kiara’s resilience to inspire change, stating that her main message is to “fight for what you want and fight to be seen.”

Cline spoke on her character’s arc contending understand that you’re not exactly what people tell you you are is difficult, but it’s an important and empowering part of growing up.”

Despite taking months off between filming seasons, both Cline and Bailey said it has been easy to transition back into playing their characters, finding comfort in how much they personally relate to their characters:

“I feel like that was me fighting my parents when I was 16 and hanging out with my friends and fighting for what I wanted,” Bailey told The Hoya. “I relate a lot to being young with a strong voice.”

Cline said the writers on the show put a lot of trust in them to bring their characters to life, even asking for their opinions on what their characters are feeling and doing.

“I think they saw something in us that they wanted us to bring to the table,” Cline said. “There are parts of ourselves that we do infuse into the character.”

When asked which member of the cast is most like their own character, they both laughed and immediately agreed on Chase Stokes, the actor who plays John B.

They said most of the cast is fairly unlike their character, but agreed that Drew Starkey, who plays the role of Rafe Cameron, does a particularly impressive job at transforming his demeanor: “he’s obviously not a murderer, but he does a really great job at playing one,” Bailey said.

Both Cline and Bailey spoke at length about their relationships with the cast and how important the entire crew is in the making of the show. Cline said the set is a “very familial environment,” given how close they have all become in the creation of all three seasons.

Bailey added that they have even developed their own lingo and “sense of comfort” due to the first season airing during the pandemic, quickly launching the show and cast to an intense level of fame.

“The show and ‘Left Hand Free’ (the OBX theme song) brings a sense of nostalgia to the time,” Cline said. “It had such a big impact because it was a time when we all really valued friends and family and personal connection, and the entire show revolves around friends and family.” with understanding herself.

“I think Sarah has a bit of a similar journey but doesn’t realize who she is just yet,” Cline stated. “She’s beginning this journey of selfrealization of what she wants and how to speak up for that, and I think that taking the time to invest in yourself and learn who you are and how to go inward and feel what’s right and

Bailey said the release date of the show allowed viewers to feel closer to the actors, as they were all in the same boat during lockdown.

“I feel grateful that our show came out when it did … we have a different relationship to our fans because of it, a kind of relatability,” she said.

The end of season two left us all on quite the cliffhanger, with the Pogues stuck on an abandoned island after a thrilling journey at sea. Out of all the scenes and locations they filmed in for the first two seasons, both Cline and Bailey said “The Coastal Venture” was by far the most exciting episode to shoot.

Coastal Venture, the ship the characters were on, was completely real and unfathomably huge, and that the cast was actually filming in the middle of the ocean. Such unfamiliar conditions, including filming in tight spaces and being atop a moving ship, led to more camaraderie among the crew and some extreme stunts.

“We were really all in the trenches together on that one,” Cline said. “We ate together, we slept on the boat … it was everyone, the whole cast, whole crew and even the actual crew of the boat itself.”

Bailey said some aspects of this set felt almost too real — at one point, the lifeboat she was on actually broke during filming.

“I was waiting to hear ‘action’ in three-foot swells in the middle of the ocean, with Rudy on my shoulder,” Bailey said. She confessed that having one of the most authentic Pogue stories,” Bailey said. “She lived the Pogue life the way we thought we were living the Pogue life.”

Cline said her favorite character often changes, but she always comes back to Pope (Jonathan Daviss).

“He’s reliable, he’s trustworthy, he’s smart, he’s a good friend and he’s so unintentionally

Stokes had to jump in and save her during all the commotion.

As extreme as this all sounds, Bailey confessed that “there’s even more to say about this next season … it’s full of insane stunts and scenes.”

In the final episode of season two, we are reintroduced to the newest member of the Pogues’ ensemble, Cleo (Carlacia Grant). While we initially met her earlier in the season, the trailer for season three indicates that she establishes a more permanent role.

Bailey said Cleo is her favorite character, and that her joining the team launched a new era on the show.

“She’s someone we knew we needed on the show to tell a different story … she brings a crucial perspective to the Pogue and Kook story, funny!” Cline said.

They also agreed that Topper (Austin North) plays a hugely underrated role in the show and that knowing how much North brings to the character truly makes you root for him in the end.

By the end of the interview, I was pleasantly surprised that my biggest takeaway had nothing to do with season three spoilers or secret on-set romances. Instead, my ultimate revelation was much more significant: Cline and Bailey are just people. Yes, they are the incredibly talented, beautiful stars of one of the most popular Netflix original series ever, but like their characters, they’re just like the rest of us.

Sitting down and talking to them — away from cameras, special lighting, and everything else that makes them appear superhuman on screen — added a crucial depth to their humanity that people often forget exists. While their number of Instagram followers or impressive magazine covers may suggest some kind of innate inimitability, their goal is to inspire the opposite: if you fight to achieve what you want like Sarah and Kiara, no obstacle will be insurmountable.

So if Madelyn Cline can compliment my sweater on a random Tuesday afternoon, then you can ace that midterm. Making it on the cover of Vogue may take a little longer, but no such setback would stop a true Pogue.

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