Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline talks stardom, self confidence, and her upcoming entry into horror.

PHOTOGRAPHY Lorenz Schmidl
STYLED BY France de Jerphanion

Madelyn Cline for L'OFFICIEL November 2024

Fame has taken some getting used to for <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/madelyn-cline-best-style-fashion-looks">Madelyn Cline</a>. Since the 2020 debut of the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/netflix-s-new-rom-com-series-nobody-wants-this-kristen-bell-adam-brody">Netflix</a> series <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/get-to-know-outer-banks-star-madison-bailey">Outer Banks</a>, it&rsquo;s repeatedly out-charted itself, solidifying its standing as one of the streamer&rsquo;s most-watched shows across the globe and catapulting its stars, including the 26-year-old Cline, to overnight celebrities. One would think it would be exciting&mdash;especially for the Goose Creek, South Carolina native. Instead, Cline likens navigating fame to accepting a compliment. And, according to her, she&rsquo;s terrible at that.
Before she became her Outer Banks character Sarah Cameron, Cline cut her teeth on supporting roles in series, including <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/joseph-quinn-stranger-things-gladiator-2-interview-2024">Stranger Things</a> and Vice Principals, and, later, on the silver screen in Boy Erased, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/glass-onion-knives-out-2-mystery-netflix-details-cast-trailer">Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery</a>. Along the way, she&rsquo;s secured the title of Gen Z&rsquo;s next style icon, snagged an invitation to the Met Gala, and been spotted spending time with Hollywood&rsquo;s sought-after suitors (from her co-star, Chase Stokes, to <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/pete-davidson-dating-history-kim-kardashian-ariana-grande">Pete Davidson</a>). Cline maintains that she&rsquo;s an introvert&hellip; just a girl from a small town doing her best to accept the compliment of fame that&rsquo;s been foisted upon her. On November 4, Netflix <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/11/08/outer-banks-season-5/76110606007/#:~:text=Will%20there%20be%20'Outer%20Banks,about%20the%20show's%20final%20chapter.">renewed</a> Outer Banks for a fith and final season.
Up next, Cline will star in the next chapter of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and has her sights set on her favorite genres: a sci-fi odyssey or an <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/nicole-kidman-the-perfect-couple-netflix-horror-philanthropy">erotic thriller.</a> And, someday, she might even want to be behind the camera. Cline spoke to L&rsquo;OFFICIEL about the success of Outer Banks, growing up onscreen (and off), and how she&rsquo;s defining herself lately.

L&rsquo;OFFICIEL: How does it feel to have four seasons of what&rsquo;s currently the number one series on Netflix under your belt?&nbsp;
MADELYN CLINE: It&rsquo;s crazy to think about how long we've been on this journey, and also how much we've all grown up. We&rsquo;ve shot 40 episodes of the show now.&nbsp;
L&rsquo;O: When you first started on Day One of Season One, did you ever think you would wind up here?&nbsp;
MC: I remember shooting Season One, and it was like lightning in a bottle. It was magical. As much as people loved watching the first season, it was 10 times more fun for us to shoot. We were all kind of on this new adventure together. I remember thinking, You know what? I wouldn't mind doing this for the next few years. I always want to prepare for the worst, hope for the best. I'm a pragmatist. And I never dared to get too excited about the success of the show, but I always hoped. I was like, if we could even do three seasons, that would be sick.
L&rsquo;O: Is it fair to say that seeing yourself on screen over the years is similar to the sensation of looking at old pictures and realizing you should&rsquo;ve been happier with yourself when you hated some part of how you looked?
MC: I was just looking back at high school pictures and I was like, Fuck, I was fit. It's also so interesting because people love the show so much, it's almost like they've gotten so close to our characters that they see us as these characters. Sarah is 19 this year, and I feel like I'm seen as a 19-year-old girl, but I'm 26. People forget that. And I do feel like it is different for men than it is for women.

"I always want to prepare for the worst, hope for the best. I'm a pragmatist."

L&rsquo;O: What do you most love about Sarah&rsquo;s trajectory as she gets older?
MC: What I love about this season&mdash;especially in the first few episodes&mdash;is that Sarah is finally allowing herself, or giving herself permission, to be joyful. These kids have been through it. Me&mdash;Madelyn&mdash;would&rsquo;ve been dead many, many, many episodes back. But Sarah is finally allowing herself to appreciate and enjoy what life is looking like. She's been on such a wild journey with her family and her friendships, so she&rsquo;s coming into her own and not judging herself.
L&rsquo;O: Sounds like there are some parallels to your own life&hellip;
MC: It's growing up, you know? It truly is like a coming-of-age story for all of these kids. What I love so much about Sarah is that she's always been sensitive and soft. She follows her heart, and sometimes that causes us to hold on really, really tightly to things. She's learning that if you love something, let it go. That's a lesson that I have learned alongside her as well.
L&rsquo;O: You&rsquo;ve said in previous interviews that when the first season of Outer Banks premiered in 2020 you were in the depths of self-discovery, as any person in their early 20s is. It must&rsquo;ve been difficult to come into sudden success and attention during that time. How do you cope?
MC: A lot of it is just growing up. The older I get, the more in tune with myself I am. I&rsquo;m listening to myself, and my body, and my mind, and giving myself permission to say No or do what it is I need to do. A lot of times, that is sitting at home, resting and recharging, finding bits of quiet time where I can, and being with people that I love. Or, sometimes it's off. I love to be completely unaccounted for sometimes. And I also really deeply love my alone time.

L&rsquo;O: You&rsquo;ve also spoken about how, for better and for worse, certain online spaces like Tumblr provided the metrics for things like sexuality, autonomy, and body image, and being forced to face your insecurities incurred from that in your work. What&rsquo;s your relationship to confidence look like today?
MC: I was so violently insecure when I was a teenager. I remember my insecurities almost feeling like my voice was trapped in my throat. Actually, I felt like a giraffe who was always kind of tripping over itself; people's perception of me felt like a cage. I never wanted to be seen as weird or different. I wanted to be confident and normal. But when I think about the artists and actors I admire, all they do is embrace being different and the things that make them stand out. I wish I could impart that upon my younger self. Like, be a weirdo. I remember the first time that I really saw that and felt that was when I was working on Vice Principals, Danny McBride&rsquo;s show. I was watching all these actors and how they moved on a set, and they were always cutting up&mdash;so free and so funny and so out of pocket all the time. And I was like, Oh, if I'm not that, then I think I'm doing this wrong.
L&rsquo;O: You recently joined the cast of your first horror film, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Was horror a genre you&rsquo;ve always aspired to?
MC: I&rsquo;ve always said No horror. I was much more drawn to psychological thrillers. But at the same time&hellip;I mean, I love I Know What You Did Last Summer. It's so iconic.&nbsp;

"When I think about the artists and actors I admire, all they do is embrace being different and the things that make them stand out."

L&rsquo;O: In the next ten years, where would you like to see yourself, on screen or off?
MC: I love speaking things out to the universe. I look forward to the stories that I have yet to be a part of telling, and being surrounded by people who love doing what we do as equally as I do.&nbsp; I look forward to the places that I&rsquo;ve yet to travel to. That's the Sagittarius in me. I guess&hellip;shit, I'll be 36. I'd probably like to have a kid or two at least before I'm 40. And I really, really love what Margot Robbie has done with [her production company] LuckyChap, in terms of how many stories she's helped to tell&mdash;even if she's not in front of the camera. I would love to produce and find new women-centric stories, as well. But before any of that, I need to get a house. I really don&rsquo;t live anywhere at the moment.
L&rsquo;O: How does Madelyn Cline define herself?
MC: How would I define myself? Not as someone's girlfriend, firstly. I don&rsquo;t know&hellip;it's ever-changing. People being fascinated with who&rsquo;s dating who isn&rsquo;t new and comes with the territory. It's annoying at first, but I've learned how to tune it out. A decision that I came to a few years back is that people are going to talk, but I don't have to give anything that I want to keep for myself.&nbsp;

HAIR: Marc Mena EA MANAGEMENT
MAKEUP: Jen Tioseco THE WALL GROUP
CREATIVE CONSULTANT: Mariana Suplicy
PRODUCED BY: Danielle Ellsworth 
DIGITAL TECH: Mike Skigen
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LOCATION: The Manner

Madelyn Cline Navigates Fame

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