If you’ve been binging a lot of Netflix during quarantine, you may be familiar with the show Outer Banks. Featuring a cool ensemble cast of young actors, the teen drama first dropped back in April 2020 and instantly won viewers over with its twisty plot and colorful main characters. Along with on-screen love interest John B, Sarah Cameron has become a fan favorite. Here’s an in-depth look at the fun-loving Outer Banks character, as well as the actress who plays her, Madelyn Cline.
What Is Outer Banks About?
Outer Banks is a coming-of-age drama that follows the adventures of a group of teens living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The show’s main protagonist is John Booker Routledge (played by Chase Stokes), a charismatic 16-year-old who grew up in a poor area of town called The Cut. Nicknamed John B, his best friends are fellow working-class teens JJ, Pope, and Kiara, and together, the group calls themselves the Pogues.
Sarah Cameron, also 16, is from a wealthier area of town and part of an upper-class social group dubbed the Kooks. The action begins when Sarah joins John B and his friends on a quest to find his father, who’s been missing for nine months.
Since the show’s debut last spring, Madelyn Cline has turned many heads as the vivacious and fun-loving Sarah Cameron, and people want to know more about her.
Madelyn Cline Stars As Sarah Cameron
When season one of Outer Banks begins, Sarah is in a relationship with Topper, a handsome, nationally ranked surfer and fellow wealthy Kook. Played by Austin North, Topper is a jealous and possessive boyfriend—and an enemy of John B and the Pogues. Things get messy when Sarah starts to fall for John B and must decide if she wants to stay with her overbearing boyfriend or embark on a new relationship.
While the character of Sarah is just 16-years-old, Madelyn Cline—who was born on December 21, 1997—is 22. And despite being raised in Goose Creek, South Carolina (Outer Banks is shot in nearby Charleston), Madelyn admits that she’s never actually been to the North Carolina islands on which her show is set. She told Hollywood Reporter:
So I have actually never been to the Outer Banks, but I’d love to go at some point. My dad grew up going to the Outer Banks; my mom has also been, but it’s just something I never ended up getting the chance to go do. But usually, for accurate portrayal and things, we look to [co-showrunners] Josh and Jonas Pate. Even though we aren’t shooting in North Carolina, they do their best to accurately portray their childhood summers growing up and vacationing in the Outer Banks. They wanted to shoot in North Carolina, but the show is their love letter and homage to growing up and spending time in the Outer Banks. So we do our best to honor that portrayal as much as we possibly can.
When Cline was a kid, she appeared in a number of print ads and TV commercials, including spots for T-Mobile and Sunny D. After graduating from high school, she attended college for one year, but decided to leave to pursue acting full time. While she’s had small parts in a few movies and TV shows, Outer Banks has been her biggest—and steamiest—role to date.
That’s because the chemistry between Cline and her co-star, Chase Stokes, is impossible to deny. Fans have loved watching the relationship between Sarah and John B develop on the small screen. And as it turns out, the actors didn’t have to work too hard to make it seem like they were in love—Cline and Stokes are actually dating in real life!
At first, the couple kept their relationship private. “I think we were just wanting to kind of give it some time and enjoy it while it’s new and fresh and just kind of keep that to ourselves,” Cline told Entertainment Tonight. But this summer, the duo decided to let the cat out of the bag. “It’s cool to share this experience with your favorite people and also your favorite person. I feel very happy,” Cline gushed.
In an interview with HollywoodLife.com, Stokes revealed that the couple were friends first and got together after they finished filming the show’s first season. “Everything between us took place after we wrapped Outer Banks because we just were so busy and had such a great friendship throughout the filming process that it just kind of turned into what it is.”
“It’s been a memory for the books, that’s for sure,” he added. “To go through this with your partner and somebody that you love and care about… it’s been such a cool experience. To go through it together and watch our little baby of a project Outer Banks come to life and to continue to hopefully work together in the future for years to come, we’re just so thankful.”
What Else Has Madelyn Starred In?
If Madelyn Cline looks familiar to you, it may because she appeared in two episodes of the second season of the Netflix hit Stranger Things. The actress played Tina, the popular high school student who dressed up like Madonna and threw a big Halloween bash. Cline also played Taylor Watts on the HBO series Vice Principals and appeared in the movie Boy Erased as Chloe. More recently, she teamed up with co-star and real-life love Chase Stokes to star in the music video for Kygo’s version of Donna Summer classic ‘Hot Stuff.’
(Netflix)
Is Outer Banks Renewed For Season 2?
Outer Banks fans will be thrilled to know that the show has been renewed for a second season and Madelyn Cline will be back as the stunning Sarah Cameron. In fact, the cast is currently hard at work on location in South Carolina, despite the challenges of filming a TV show during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Yeah, [season two] has been going really, really well,” Cline recently told the Hollywood Reporter. “We’re definitely having to find a different kind of rhythm and we’re definitely having to find our footing. But for the most part, it’s been going really well. I’m super proud of our crew for working with us and bearing with us through all of this. I know it’s not easy, but everybody’s been working really hard to keep each other safe. As cumbersome as it sometimes feels, it’s definitely strengthened the bond between cast and crew, and I’m super grateful for that.”
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Sarah and John B in season two! And we’re sure we’ll be seeing Madelyn Cline in many more roles to come—this talented actress’s star is clearly on the rise! In addition to season one of Outer Banks, you can also watch Cline in the indie thriller The Giant, which is available to rent online. If you’re a fan of suspenseful films, Cline says you’ll probably like it.
“It definitely feeds this pressure-cooker type vibe that the story has,” she says of the movie. “It always feels like you’re waiting for something to happen. It’s almost like you’re waiting for a jump scare. You’re not sure what’s about to happen, and also, as an actor, it was really fun to play that direction from him because there’s so much that lives in silence between two people. And being able to discover what that means in a moment, especially in a moment you’re creating with someone like Odessa who’s so incredibly talented, is really, really fun. You’re able to create what that moment means and feed the story.”