Getting RealChase Stokes and Madelyn Cline Get Candid About Working Together on ‘Outer Banks’

Keeping Work a ‘Safe Space’

“In some aspects” things felt different but “at the end of the day, there’s always been a safe space with the job,” Madelyn explained to People in February 2023.

“We’ve said from day one, our job is always to leave the show and the season better than when we left it last,” she added. “And everybody is still very much a family. Outer Banks has always been a family. And I’m just happy that we are able to remain professional.”

No Crossover on Set

“We always said that the job remains untouched. Nothing else, personal or negative, will touch the job. And while that’s not always easy, our job is to leave the show better than we found it, to leave the season better than we found it. And I’m really appreciative of that,” Madelyn explained to Cosmopolitan in February 2023, noting that she doesn’t “owe anyone an explanation.”

Overall, she had some regrets about showing the relationship online.

“Making my relationship public made it everybody else’s business,” the actress added. “And I realized the negative side effects of that while going through the breakup, realizing I had let people in and then felt like I couldn’t get anybody out. It just hit me like a freight train. I wanted us both to move on and be happy.”

Returning for Season 3

“Mads and I have been working together now for 30 episodes, and we made a promise to each other before we even started dating that the work was always going to come first,” Chase told Entertainment Weekly in February 2023 about their past relationship. “And that no matter what happens in our personal lives, and the ways that life sometimes takes you in different directions, that we’re always going to honor the work. That stayed 100 percent truthful this season.”

Madelyn, for her part, added, “We had a working relationship before we had a personal relationship, and our job from day one has always been to leave the show better than we found it. I’m really, really happy and I’m very proud of the work this season, and I’m incredibly grateful for my costars and their professionalism and just how talented each and every one of them are.”

Keeping It Professional

“We’re both professionals. We always have been since day one,” Madelyn told W Magazine in August 2022 about working alongside Chase. “Outer Banks is a big family, and at the end of the day, we show up, we’re professional, and we do our jobs.”

On the Same Page

Madelyn explained that the couple “laid the groundwork first and foremost” before heading back to set.

“I was like, ‘This is a big priority to me, and you know, from what I know based on how you work, it is for you too. But I want to make sure that we hold each other accountable and that we don’t bring anything personal that could potentially distract each other or our fellow castmates on the day,’” she said during an August 2021 appearance on The Talk. “So, it wasn’t hard at all, and I really respect that about him and our relationship.”

Separating Work and the Relationship

During the same talk show appearance, Madelyn noted that “my workspace was incredibly sacred.”

“It’s very personal to me and I do not like to bring any sort of personal troubles to my workspace,” she explained. “I’m kind of notorious for even turning my phone off and not answering it for hours, or just like leaving it in my trailer, because I like to focus on what’s in front of me. I’m very much of a one-track mind kind of person.”

No Issues on Set

“Madelyn and I are very transparent about our relationship and we keep our personal stuff at home,” the heartthrob told Fashion Week Daily in August 2021. “Obviously, we spent a lot of time together, so there’s definitely some that leaks through! And that’s totally fine. But it’s fun to create characters that are not ourselves, and then make different decisions than what we would probably normally make. So it’s fun; it’s a lot of fun to sort of dive into a different world.”

Differentiating Their Real-Life and Onscreen Romance

“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,” Chase told Decider in July 2021. “This season was a lot of thought for her and I to make these characters different. … 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.”

A Great Relationship

“We have a very healthy relationship because it started with the work first,” Chase explained while chatting with V Man in July 2021. “For season 2, as soon as we get to work, we’ll support each other. We’ll be scene partners and take care of each other when it’s an emotional moment. But it doesn’t mean that if I don’t believe you, that I’m not going to call you out and she holds me to the same standard. Then, as soon as we get back to our trailers and we’re taking off our makeup and character clothes, it’s like that world disappears. I’m very thankful for her and the journey we’re on, it’s been awesome.”

Getting Into Character

“Whether you’re an accountant, whether you work in marketing or you’re an engineer, if you work with your partner, you kinda gotta put it all aside and just go to work and do your job,” Chase explained to Life & Style in July 2020. “It works out.”