Outer Banks follows John B and his quest to find out what happened to his dad. With the help of his fellow Pogues — JJ, Kiara, Pope — they stumble upon the legendary treasure of Outer Banks. The gold from the Royal Merchant has been told around multiple campfires and seems to be something of a myth, until John B’s dad finds irrefutable evidence that it exists. Chased by the law and the wealthy group of seasonal residents called Kooks, the Pogues race to be the first ones to get their hands on the gold before anyone else can.
Before John B, JJ, Kiara, and Pope played today’s version of the Goonies gang, audiences saw these actors in other projects like Stranger Things, The Originals, Black Lightning, Edge of the World, and The Politician. The cast of Outer Banks have become our favorite treasure hunting group of friends, but what other projects have they worked on? What other projects have they been involved in since Outer Banks premiered? Here is a list of Pogues and Kooks, and the projects they’ve been involved in.
Chase Stokes
Netflix
Chase Stokes is John B, the unofficial leader of the Pogues. Outer Banks follows the story of John B and how he searches for what happened to his dad. The search leads him to the legendary treasure of the Royal Merchant, which ultimately leads to a lot of trouble, but $4 million might just be worth the trouble. Outer Banks is Stokes’ breakout role. He was previously seen in a guest role in The First, Daytime Divas, and even Stranger Things. Stokes also had a minor role in a TV film called The Beach House.
Madelyn Cline
Madelyn Cline plays Sarah who is undoubtedly the Princess of the Kooks. Sarah seems to have everything: the house, the money, the boyfriend. However, she feels like she is missing something until she joins the Pogue gang and falls in love with John B. Cline found mild success on shows like Vice Principals and The Originals, where she had a couple episode arcs. She also got her start on Netflix by appearing in two episodes of Stranger Things as Tina. Outer Banks was truly Cline’s breakout role, which led her to landing a role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Rudy Pankow
Rudy Pankow also known as JJ Maybank and John B’s best friend in Outer Banks. JJ is considered as the loose canon of the Pogue group. He is hot-headed and doesn’t think about his actions, but seems to get a pass from his friends and authority figures as he’s had a tough up-bringing. Outer Banks was Pankow’s big breakout role into acting, which he told Pop Culturalist was due to the show’s core value of escapism. Before this, Pankow got minor roles on shows like Solved and The Politician as well as many short films like Muse: Though Contagion, Deviant, and Last Summer. Since landing the role of JJ, Pankow got a part in the blockbuster movie Uncharted, alongside Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.
Madison Bailey
Madison Bailey is Kiara Carrera, who is a Kook turned Pogue in Outer Banks. Every Pogue seems to have a crush on her, and she, in turn, friend-zones them. Bailey had mild success before her breakout role of Kiara. She had guest roles on Constantine, Mr. Mercedes, Murder She Wrote, and Night Club Secrets. Bailey had a brief recurring role in The CW superhero show Black Lightning, where she played Wendy Hernandez. Bailey was also in the Impractical Jokers: The Movie, where she played a bowling alley girl.
Jonathan Daviss
Jonathan Daviss plays Pope Heyward who is the brains of the Pogue operation. Pope is the one that figures out how to get the Royal Merchant treasure and what to do with it once they get it. Pope’s character really begins to develop in Season 2 as it becomes more centered around his descendants and his stake in the treasure. Daviss was previously seen in films like Deliverance Creek, All the Marbles, Edge of the World, and Shatter Memories. However, Daviss landing the role of Pope is considered to be his breakout role, which has led him to be a part of the newest Netflix movie Do Revenge.
Austin North
Austin North plays Rafe’s best friend and Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Topper in Outer Banks. Topper is also a Kook and seems to have a severe hatred towards the Pogues like Rafe. North got his start in television on Disney Channel. He had a one episode appearance on Kickin’ It and A.N.T. Farm, which led him to getting a main role as Logan Watson in I Didn’t Do It. Shortly after his time on Disney Channel, North got the main role in the Hulu series All Night.
Drew Starkey
Drew Starkey plays Rafe, the not-so-lovable brother to Sarah in Outer Banks. EW calls Rafe a boy with daddy and sibling rivalry issues that are taken to a whole new level. Starkey was previously involved in the psychological crime thriller The Devil All the Time, starring Tom Holland. Before that, he had a recurring role on the television series Scream: Resurrection as Hawkins, the friend of the star football player. Starkey got his breakout role when he portrayed Garret Laughlin in the “Simonverse” films: Love, Simon and The Hate U Give.
Charles Esten
Charles Esten plays Ward Cameron (Sarah and Rafe’s father) in Outer Banks. Before becoming Figure 8’s least favorite father, he was seen in projects like The Office as Josh Porter or the hit ABC improvisation show Whose Line is it Anyway? as a series regular from 1999 to 2005. He also played Morgan Ross in Disney Channel’s hit sitcom Jessie, starring Debbie Ryan, before landing his biggest role yet. Of course, Esten is most known for his time on the ABC/CMT drama Nashville as country singer Deacon Claybourne, which had a hand in starting his music career.
