29 Outer Banks Behind-The-Scenes Facts Only True Pogues Would Know

According to Netflix, most of the time, every scene in Outer Banks is shot from three different angles to allow for improv to be incorporated. This way, if the actors did something memorable on their own (which def happens), it can be worked into the final edit if need be.

Despite what her character says in Season 2, Cline actually does know how to drive stick shift. Per Netflix, she learned this skill during Season 2 production. It’s definitely a good skill to have, especially if her character continues to go on the run in future seasons.

Just like their onscreen counterparts, the couple is actually together IRL. After months of fan speculation, they confirmed their relationship back in June 2020. They even won the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss and recreated their iconic Season 1 smooch onstage.

Considering they were on the run for quite a few episodes in Season 2, Cline and Stokes were in the same wardrobe for nearly half of the season, Netflix revealed.

Capt. Lance Julian served as the series’ marine coordinator for both seasons, which is a big deal, since he was also the marine coordinator of Titanic, which won 11 Oscars in 1998.

Although filming was completed in under four months, according to a crew member on Reddit, the days were extremely hot under the South Carolina sun. The most sweltering shot? The one on the tarmac. There was very little shade and the only relief was a military-style air conditioner rigged to a tent for the cast and crew to cool down in.

According to Netflix, the container ship used in Episode 9 and Episode 10 of Season 2 was actually manned by a real crew from Russia. They became friends with the OBX cast and crew through their work together.

Although the series mostly takes place in North Carolina (and was originally planned to shoot there), the majority of it was filmed in the Charleston area in protest of North Carolina's then-support of the "bathroom bill" (HB-142), a law preventing cities from passing laws that protect transgender people's access to public restrooms.

“When we wrote [the first season], it was 100 percent Wilmington in our heads,” co-creator, writer, and director Jonas Pate told the Raleigh News & Observer. Wilmington is a port city known for its scenic riverwalk and island beaches that some compare to the Outer Banks.

Sarah Cameron's (Cline) fictional home — which was originally Denmark Tanney’s fictional home — is actually called Lowndes Grove (or "The Grove") IRL. Built in 1786, the waterfront property is on the National Register of Historic Places and is rented out as a wedding and event venue.

Although he plays a minor, Stokes is actually 28, a decade older than John B. He's the oldest member of the Pogues cast, the rest of whom are in their early 20s.

Julia Antonelli, who plays Sarah's younger sister, Wheezie, turned 18 in April 2021 — which is still too young to learn the hard way that vodka and Crystal Light don't mix.

Fans on social media were very outspoken about one error in Outer Banks Season 1: Chapel Hill is landlocked, so it would be impossible to take a ferry to or from that city like John B. and Sarah did in the middle of the season. But this wasn't just a random gaffe.

“I don’t want people to think that we don’t know Chapel Hill isn’t near the coast," Pate told McClatchy News. “In the original script, they took a ferry from an island to the coast, then took an Uber to Chapel Hill. But that scene of them getting into the Uber and driving to Chapel Hill was cut, and never even shot. We cut it not realizing it would imply Chapel Hill was on the coast."

On the day of filming for John B. and Sarah's first kiss scene in Season 1, Pate, Stokes, and Cline decided the rainy weather was fate. "[We] kinda looked at each other and we were all like, ‘Let’s do it. We gotta do this. This is amazing, this is kismet right now, that is so romantic,'" Cline told Cosmopolitan. "[The crew] was like, ‘Hell yes, we’re doing this, full Notebook vibes.’ And, yeah, so we just dedicated the entire day to making sure we did that scene justice."

The team discussed showing more of the intimate moment between Sarah and John B. during the bell tower scene in Season 1, but decided against it.“In Episode 3, I believe, you see Topper really, really driving that whole interaction with her," Cline told Cosmopolitan about Sarah's other almost-sex scene, which felt pressurized and uncomfortable. “With the scene in the bell tower, we could have taken it further — and Valerie [Weiss, the episode's director] obviously asked if I wanted to. But I told her I really wanted it to be really sweet. I wanted Sarah to be the one driving it so that we see that difference.”

Stokes lived with Rudy Pankow (JJ) during Season 1 filming to really solidify their bond. Plus, they may be enemies on the show, but Jonathan Daviss (Pope) and Austin North (Topper) were roomies IRL, just a few doors down from Stokes and Pankow, with Cline living a floor below them. A five-minute drive away was Drew Starkey (Rafe) and Madison Bailey (Kiara). "On the weekends, everybody would come over, play games, blast music, eat food," Stokes told Nylon.

Pankow, Stokes, Starkey, and Cline were all quarantined together due to the coronavirus panis for about a month and a half — including when Season 1 was first released. "We were all here for our first interviews, and it was honestly like having the greatest support system ever. We’d have our interviews and then we would make mimosas or celebrate and talk about it," Cline told Cosmopolitan.

While filming Season 1 during the summer of 2019, the team was forced to evacuate the city due to Hurricane Dorian. "We dipped and went to Asheville, North Carolina," Bailey told Elite Daily.

Stokes originally turned down the show because he was afraid it was a Goonies rip-off. "The first time I got the audition [information], it was the most bland email I've ever got," Stokes told the Chicks in the Office podcast. Then, once he changed his mind, he originally auditioned for Topper before eventually landing the role of John B.

Even though Pankow wanted to play JJ from the start, the producers were set on him being John B. "I actually read through Rafe, JJ [and], John B. within, like, two weeks," he told Us Weekly. He ended up flying to Charleston for a final reading thinking he was playing John B., only to learn producers wanted him for JJ.

The first time Stokes dove was on set during the Season 1 scene in which John B. investigates Scooter's boat. All he had was a quick tutorial before shooting, which is honestly such a John B. move.

While he might not be able to legally breathe underwater, he is licensed to drive on it. "I didn’t tell any of the creators [of Outer Banks] this when I was cast," he told Refinery29. "When we were in Charleston, I reached in my wallet and pulled out my boating license. They were like ‘Great, that makes everything a lot easier.’"

In addition to Stokes, Cline, Bailey, Daviss, and Pankow can all operate boats IRL. Which is good, considering how much time they spend on them.

Wanna know where all those fab BTS shots on Instagram come from? Chances are, Bailey took them. In a YouTube video for Buzzfeed, her fellow Pogues said she was the most likely to be caught taking selfies during Season 1.

Bailey is from North Carolina and Cline's hometown is Charleston. With roots based around the show, both actors said this aspect helped with their roles.

Also in the Buzzfeed video, the cast agreed Cline has the least in common with her character, spoiled rich girl Sarah — which is interesting, since she's actually from the town where the show was filmed.

After filming ended on the first season, Daviss gave his fellow Pogues matching bracelets that said "Pogues for life." The only problem? He spelled "Pogues" wrong. Still, it's the thought that counts, right?

In the Buzzfeed video interview, the cast of the series all agreed Stokes was the most likely to be found snacking or napping. His fave on-set snack? Cheez-Its.

Although Netflix has yet to officially announce anything, a third season of Outer Banks is a strong possibility. Pate even told USA Today he envisions Outer Banks having four seasons total, so if fans are lucky, there's still a lot more adventure in store for the Pogues and Pogues-at-heart.