‘Outer Banks’ Stars Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline Talk “Emotional Journey” of Season 3 and Franchise’s Future
The Pogues are back.
On Thursday evening, the cast and crew of Outer Banks gathered at Westwood’s Regency Village Theater for the show’s season three premiere. This season, the Pogues face yet another dangerous treasure hunt, and after spending the last two seasons looking for the lost Royal Merchant gold and the Cross of Santo Domingo, this season’s focus will be on El Dorado, the lost city of gold.
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“It’s very overwhelming and so exciting,” Drew Starkey, who plays Rafe, told The Hollywood Reporter about reuniting with the cast for the premiere. “I’m shaking. It’s always great to get some familiar faces back together, and seeing everyone here is very humbling.”
“Chemistry is something that you can find, but to continue to facilitate and to nurture it is another thing, and I feel like this cast does that really well,” added Madelyn Cline, who plays Sarah Cameron. “I think it really shows up in the work and I’m so proud of it.”
In past seasons, protagonist John B. (Chase Stokes) has been fueled by the search for his missing father. At the end of season two, it was revealed that John B.’s father Big John (Charles Halford) finally returns, flipping John B.’s world upside down.
“We spend the entire first two seasons trying to figure out what his motive is,” Stokes said about his character. “We chase the gold, then we chase the cross, and all of these things really lead to one thing, and it’s where his father is. It’s sort of the tangible items that really lead to the emotional journey of trying to reconnect with his father. It’s the major through line in season three for John B.”
As for the most challenging part of this season, Stokes said it was “the emotional journey,” above all. “This one hit close to home for me, as a child of divorce,” Stokes shared of his personal connection to the story. “Not really having a father figure in my life, that was something that I really had to dig deep and figure out myself and understand that dynamic. It was tough. There was a lot of days where I would go home and I would be in my head, and I would really have to take some time to get out of there. There’s a lot of relatability and a lot of similarities in that moment for me.”
When asked about what fans can expect this time around, the cast remained tight-lipped.
“If you do expect anything, it’s gonna go down a different path,” Starkey warned. “It’s very surprising.” Meanwhile, Cline says it’s her “favorite season” yet. “I think it is the most entertaining and the wildest season we’ve had yet,” the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actress said. “It’s all gas, no brakes, and I love that.”
With three seasons in three years already in the books, Stokes says he’ll come back for as many seasons as they’ll let him. “I love this show,” Stokes said. “I love my cast. I love the world that we’ve created. So however long they want to keep doing this thing, I’m down to rock with that.”
“My whole thing is, it’s not about how the plane takes off, it’s about how you land it,” the actor continued. “As long as the writers and Netflix get it right, that’s my main concern. I want to make sure we end this show on the right note and tell the right story, and not extend it too far that it gets wishy-washy. I think you see that in TV often, so I want to tell the right story and end it on the right note.”
Outer Banks season three premieres on Netflix on Feb. 23.
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