Before "Outer Banks" made her famous, Madelyn Cline worked for years in the
entertainment industry, making her way up the ranks on the way to a leading role.
Here's what you never knew about the star who plays Sarah on "Outer Banks."
Madelyn Cline started working when she was just 10 years old,
beginning her career as a model by the time she was in the fifth grade.
While she was still a student at Pinewood Preparatory School,
she spent her summer vacation honing her skills in front of the camera.
Cline and her mom traveled to New York during her summer break from school, and she went
on to book nine different jobs modeling for department stores, magazines, and catalogs.
Speaking to the Charleston, South Carolina-based newspaper The Post and Courier in 2008,
Cline's mom praised her daughter's work ethic, telling the paper that she and
her dad were really proud of her maturity and professionalism as she began to pursue a career.
Cline booked jobs for the likes of Toys "R" Us and T-Mobile, as well as some department
stores and pharmaceutical companies, laying the groundwork for her later debut on TV.
Even at 10 years old Madelyn Cline seemed to understand the demands of the industry that she
was trying to break into. She was quoted in the Post and Courier making the astute observation,
"It's a very competitive business."
She started booking work as a background actor, and even picked up ballet and dance classes,
as well as voice lessons, to round out her skill set. She also started
getting on-screen acting work in commercials, and then movies and TV.
Some of her work before "Outer Banks" included the role of Chloe in the
tragic drama "Boy Erased," starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Joel Edgerton,
as well as a small role in the second season of "Stranger Things." She also
made a few appearances in the fourth season of the CW series "The Originals."
Of course, "Outer Banks" is what really put Cline on the map,
and her time on the show has certainly catapulted her to new heights.
After "Outer Banks," she scored a role in the anticipated "Knives Out 2,"
the sequel to the hit mystery film from 2019.
Los Angeles is still the place to go to try to make it in the entertainment industry,
and Madelyn Cline relocated there with that dream in mind. But Cline found out the hard way that despite
the name, L.A. is no city of angels. And though her parents had been supportive of her earlier
aspirations as a model, they didn't necessarily support her uprooting her life to chase her
dreams in California, especially since she didn't see immediate success. In a 2020 interview with
Glamour UK, Cline elaborated on her experience moving to the city that made her into a star.
"LA is a harsh city to be in when you're a little girl from the South, and you have absolutely no
idea what you're doing and you are thinking, 'Am I making, have I made a massive mistake? I
don't have money to move back home. My parents are not on board with this. What do I do?'"
"It was everything they didn't want, I think at the time, they didn't want their child to do."
Cline shared that, at the time, her early days spent going out on auditions were highly
discouraging, with her friends seeming to get more callbacks and jobs than she was able to.
She described it as a time of constant no's. But despite the difficulties,
she kept pushing. Looking back on the experience, she said,
"You have to convince yourself that, you genuinely have to believe that it's, 'when,' not, 'if.'"
It seems as though her high hopes and hard work paid off.
"It's very exciting. And, um… it's really f---ing cool."
Being a teenager is ridiculously tough. From high school politics to social media to living
up to what you think is right, the years spent as a teen can be some of the most life-defining
and challenging times. For Madelyn Cline, her days as a teen were plagued by some
rather unfortunate experiences with food and exercise, and she divulged what her
experience with eating disorders was like in a 2020 interview with Women's Health.
"When I was younger I did struggle with eating disorders, specifically when I was a teenager."
She recalled at the age of 16 developing an obsession with working out, lifting weights,
dancing, and doing rigorous cardio multiple times a day. At the same time she began aggressively
cutting calories to the point that she was depriving herself of essential nutrients.
She shared that she was so angry that she wasn't achieving what she thought she should look like.
"I was angry. And I
was harming myself in the process -- and starving myself in the process of trying to achieve that."
Cline's mom took her through an exercise that significantly helped her recovery,
and all it involved was the two of them standing in front of a mirror
and naming what Cline liked about her body. She recalled,
"After that repetition those things became solidified in my mind. I like my curves,
I like my hips, and after a while I started to love my body."
Positive affirmations really can make the biggest difference.
A big number of super-successful actors didn't finish school — it seems as though
they found the one career path that doesn't require a bachelor's degree.
Madelyn Cline took the cue of those who came before her, boldly deciding to follow her heart,
and chase her dreams without delay. In an interview with Glamour UK,
she spoke about her momentous decision to drop out of college in pursuit of her acting career.
Cline revealed that she had saved just enough money that she could move on her own accord,
despite her parents' wishes for her to stay in school,
and so she took the plunge. She said she was "completely miserable" in school,
and took her dissatisfaction as a sign to just go for it as an aspiring actor. She shared,
"I called my mom and said [...] 'I know this is what you guys want me to do,
but it's not what I want to do, so I'm going to drop out and I'm going to move
out to LA and I don't need help, but I just would wish for your support.'"
Her mom said that she would "handle" Cline's dad regarding the decision,
and the actress packed up and moved. As she recalled,
"It was difficult, but we wouldn't be sitting here right now had I not followed my gut."
Fortunately for all of us, the coronavirus pandemic happened to coincide with the release
of a lot of really good television. While many of us were cooped up inside, waiting for what seemed
like forever for restaurants and in-person events to start back up again, we turned to Netflix. On
April 15, 2020, streamers were met with a brand new show called "Outer Banks," and it was an
instant smash hit. The show marked Cline's big breakout role as the character Sarah Cameron.
We've all seen the stereotypical queen bee character play out on-screen before,
but thanks to Madelyn Cline, her character of Sarah Cameron on "Outer Banks" is far
more deep and complex than your average popular girl. It was through Cline's own
work that Sarah became the multi-faceted character so many of us enjoy watching.
Cline told V Magazine that when she initially read the script for "Outer Banks," she got a
"one dimensional" impression of Sarah, so she set her sights on the show's creators
and expressed her desire to give the character more depth. She said,
"I really wanted there to be something about her that was endearing,
something that made you feel like maybe she doesn't quite belong in this world.
I wanted to add some depth and some quirkiness to Sarah to make her feel not so stereotypical."
What was fantastic for Cline was that "Outer Banks'" showrunner Jonas Pate was very much
on board with Cline taking the character and running with her development. According to Cline,
"We were all on the same wavelength and they told me,
'We trust you and we want you to run with this.'"
Everyone's familiar with different techniques that actors use to get into character.
Madelyn Cline sourced inspiration from her own insecurities when it came to
playing Sarah Cameron on "Outer Banks." She told V Magazine that in a unique way,
channeling her own doubts into her character was "cathartic," and she was
able to recognize many similarities between herself and Sarah. She said of her process,
"It's almost like I was giving advice to myself
and telling myself that it's okay to feel these things."
When it was time to really dive deep and bring out her character's pain and turmoil, Cline turned to
a more emotionally-taxing method of getting in character to help get the job done. She said,
"For heavier scenes, you could catch me sitting in a corner and crying just trying
to get in the headspace. Especially for a lot of the later scenes in the show, I really had
to create the betrayal and the pain that Sarah was going through in those moments for myself."
The cornerstone of any good romantic drama is the on-screen dynamic of the star-crossed lovers.
Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes - who play love interests Sarah and John B
in "Outer Banks" - worked overtime to get into the mindsets of their characters. Cline said,
"Our goal from day one was to really sell John B and Sarah's relationship. We really had to start
at our own friendship and find that friendship in John B and Sarah for the love story to sell."
By the time the cameras were filming the two on set,
Stokes and Cline had created a real-life friendship that directly transferred into
their characters. It also developed in a real-life way they may not have expected.
Joining the ranks with such pairs as Lea Michele and Cory Monteith,
Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron, or Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.,
Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes started dating off-set after meeting thanks to "Outer Banks."
Cline shared a bit about the relationship with Entertainment Tonight. Calling the Netflix show
"a pretty big life change," Cline shared how she and Stokes' lives were altered overnight.
Adding an extra element to the whole experience was the fact that as the two were developing
their relationship, they were also quarantining due to the coronavirus pandemic. If anything,
the time spent isolated allowed them to further explore their personal connection
without immediately letting the world know that they were falling in love.
"We were just wanting to kind of give it some time and enjoy it while it's, you know, new and fresh."
While "Outer Banks" is very clear on its setting off the coast of North Carolina,
it's actually shot in Charleston, South Carolina. This presented Madelyn
Cline with an amazing opportunity, because Charleston just so happens to be her hometown.
After moving to Los Angeles, her profession brought her back to the place that started it all.
Filming the show, Cline said that she "fell back in love" with where she's from,
and it allowed her to develop a new sense of appreciation. She told V Magazine,
"Shooting a show and a love story in that whole ecosystem with the most amazing people, our
cast and our crew, I fell back in love with that area because I was so in love with the project."
She also shed a light on her love of the real Outer Banks and the robust ecosystem it plays
host to, while highlighting how global warming is threatening the place she's called home.
"A huge thing for me is our environment. It's not called the low country for nothing.
If we don't start paying attention to conservation in our environment,
the water levels are going to rise and those areas are going to start disappearing."
It seems that as Cline's own star continues to rise, she'll also continue to raise
awareness of the things she cares about. We can't wait to see what she does next.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the
National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).