‘Outer Banks’ cast: Things you didn’t know about the stars

Outer Banks cast is a family, and have much more to their lives that the popular Netflix series.

The show is set in a town on North Carolina's Outer Banks and follows a gang of teenagers known as the Pogues as they search for hidden treasure.

The breakout cast has risen to popularity as a result of their roles on the series, much as the show has received critical acclaim for its action-packed story lines.

They're back in action with the highly anticipated third season of the show, which premiered on February 23.

Here is a little insight into the lives of the Outer Banks actors.

Chase Stokes as John B.

The 30-year-old Maryland native, born James Alexander Chase Stokes, began his acting career with minor roles on Stranger Things and Daytime Divas.

The actor previously recalled on an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live how he first turned down his Outer Banks breakout role. "I was like, 'That's The Goonies. That's for sure The Goonies. I don't want to destroy that.' So I passed on it ... I was like, 'Nope. Not doing that,'" he said.

While his main priority has been the Outer Banks for the past few years, he made a brief appearance on TNT's Tell Me Your Secrets in 2021 and is expected to play with Joey King and Laverne Cox in the Netflix film adaption of The Uglies, which concluded filming in Atlanta in late 2021.

It was also confirmed in June 2022 that he will star in the new feature film Music Got Me Here.

Stokes was previously in a relationship with his co-star and on-screen partner Madelyn Cline. They dated for about a year before calling it quits in November 2021.

The actor was most recently linked to country singer Kelsea Ballerini after the two were seen being close at a football game in early January.

Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron

Madelyn Cline, 25, grew up in Goose Creek, South Carolina, near Charleston, mainly where Outer Banks movies are produced. Before Cline was cast in Outer Banks, she had recurring appearances on shows including Stranger Things and The Originals.

Cline has continued to work with Netflix since her breakthrough debut as Sarah Cameron, most recently in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, opposite Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

Cline started a real-life romance with her on-screen boyfriend Stokes during filming the first season of Outer Banks. They dated for about a year before calling it quits in November 2021.

Cline started dating speculations with Jackson Guthy in June 2022 when they stepped out together several times in California.

Months later, Cline declared she was "happily taken" for her February 2023 Cosmopolitan cover story.

Madison Bailey as Kiara

Madison Bailey, 24, is a native of North Carolina, just like her Outer Banks character. Her adoptive parents raised her in Charleston after she was born in Kernersville, North Carolina. Bailey aspired to be a singer when she was younger, but she switched to acting when she was about 13 or 14.

In 2015, she began her professional acting career with appearances in Mr. Mercedes and Constantine before winning the role of Wendy Hernandez on The CW's Black Lightning in 2018. She was cast as Kiara on Outer Banks after playing the part for two seasons.

Bailey joined the American Horror Story franchise in between Outer Banks episodes, portraying Kelley in an episode of the show's spin-off series American Horror Stories.

Since 2020, Bailey, who is pansexual, has been dating basketball player Mariah Linney.

Jonathan Daviss as Pope

Jonathan Daviss, 23, grew up in the south despite not being from North Carolina like his Outer Banks character. The actor grew up in Conroe, Texas, and played football in high school. He and his family went to California after college to seek a career in acting.

Daviss landed his breakthrough role as Pope on Outer Banks after appearing in films such as Deliverance Creek and Edge of the World. Daviss, like several of his co-stars, has continued to work on Netflix films, most recently in Do Revenge with Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke.

Daviss has kept his dating life secret, but he has formed a tight friendship with his Outer Banks co-stars, frequently attending award shows and sporting events with Stokes, Austin North, and others.

Rudy Pankow as JJ

Rudy Pankow, 24, comes from Ketchikan, Alaska, which he believes is very similar to the show's main setting of the Outer Banks.

"Both are fishing, tourism towns," he revealed to Wonderland. "The biggest difference is the temperature. It was fun to be on boats and catch people off guard when they noticed I already knew how to drive a boat and tie it up and be comfortable on the water all day."

Pankow considered going to culinary school after high school but changed his mind after staying in Los Angeles with friends and taking an acting class. "I knew it was the route I was supposed to take," he said.

Pankow booked JJ on Outer Banks, which, like many of his cast colleagues, has been his breakout role, after doing a couple of short films and having appearances on shows such as The Politician and Solved.

Pankow, like many of his co-stars, found love on the set of the hit Netflix series. He's presently dating Elaine Siemek, who works as an assistant to showrunner Jonas Pate behind the scenes.

Austin North as Topper

Austin North, 26, was a Disney Channel star before playing Sarah Cameron's ex-boyfriend Topper from the rival Kook group. In 2011, he appeared in the Disney XD comedy Kickin' It, but he is most recognized for his role as Logan Watson in the Disney Channel sitcom I Didn't Do It.

He has also appeared on shows such as Jessie and All Night before landing the role of Outer Banks on Netflix.

He previously dated Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson, but they parted in 2018 after four months of dating. North doesn't reveal much about his dating life, but he frequently posts pictures of himself with his co-stars and fellow Disney Channel alum Dylan Sprouse.

Drew Starkey as Rafe Cameron

Drew Starkey, 29, from Hickory, North Carolina, studied Stage and Screen at Western Carolina University. After graduating in 2016, he relocated to Atlanta to look for a career in acting.

Starkey was cast as Sarah Cameron's gruff brother Rafe Cameron on Outer Banks after performances in Love, Simon, Ozark, and Scream: Resurrection.

Since then, he's been busy booking TV and film jobs. In 2022, he co-starred in Hulu's Hellraiser revival with Odessa A'zion and had a regular part in Chris Pratt's Amazon Prime Video series The Terminal List.

In addition, he is going to co-star with Josephine Langford and Archie Renaux in the Netflix romantic comedy The Other Zoey, which was just filmed in North Carolina.

Carlacia Grant as Cleo

Carlacia Grant was promoted to series regular in season 3 after joining the cast in season 2. Sheen magazine reported that she began her career in the industry by performing in shows and pageants before realizing her love for acting at the age of 13.

She made her television debut in the History Channel adaptation of Roots in 2016, before appearing in a few additional shows such as Greenleaf and The Resident. Outer Banks, on the other hand, is her first starring role.

"The fan base is just so intense," Grant told Elle of joining the show’s cast. "Even to get the response Cleo was getting before the show came out...Yeah, it's a really, really, really big job."

Charles Esten as Ward Cameron

Though Charles Esten, 57, is most known for his dramatic performances these days, he began his career with humorous roles. He was a recurrent cast member on Drew Carey's hit improv series Whose Line Is It Anyway? in the 1990s.

Following guest roles on shows such as Married... with Children, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The Office, Esten gained critical praise for his part on Nashville, which aired from 2012 to 2018, opposite Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.

Esten has garnered a whole new fan base as Ward Cameron, the father of Sarah and Rafe.

Charles Halford as John Routledge

Long before playing John B's father on Outer Banks, Charles Halford, 42, was a veteran TV and film actor. Though he has a long list of credits, he is most known for his roles as Chas Chandler on the NBC show Constantine, Earl in Logan Lucky, and Sammy Wilds in Bad Times at the El Royale.

He has also provided voice work for a number of notable video games, including Rise of the Tomb Raider and The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.