Outer Banks stars Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline on working together post-breakup

When Outer Banks first premiered in 2020, life imitated art for two of its young stars. Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline, who play star-crossed couple John B and Sarah on Netflix's teen treasure hunt series, began dating in real life while filming the first season. But after about a year-and-a-half, they announced their breakup in November 2021 — only months before starting production on season 3, in which their characters are still very much together and in love.

"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," Stokes tells EW. "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."

Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes on 'Outer Banks'

Cline is proud to look back on the way they they've "always shown up for each other when it comes to work and this show."

"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," she tells EW. "I'm really, really happy and I'm very proud of the work this season, and I'm incredibly grateful for my co-stars and their professionalism and just how talented each and every one of them are."

Stokes also praises Cline's recent turn in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which she filmed prior to season 3 of Outer Banks. "She's an incredible person, a rockstar of an actress, and she's having an incredible moment," he says. "Regardless of now not being together in a personal relationship, I'm still always going to be one of her biggest fans, and I'm super, super proud of all of her accomplishments inside the show and outside the show."

When it came to developing John B and Sarah's season 3 story, the showrunners say they didn't take any inspiration from Stokes and Cline's real-life relationship drama. They promise that the actors' personal lives didn't impact their on-screen arc in any way.

"Honestly, and this isn't just me: they're pros," co-creator Jonas Pate tells EW. "They handled themselves unbelievably on set, and you would never know that they had an off-camera relationship. They were great. It's a credit to Chase and to Maddie, they just put their heads down and did the work, so good for them."

"Yeah, I was just thinking that the other day, they were so good," co-creator Shannon Burke adds. "They were never once a problem. Whatever their off-screen stuff was, they didn't bring it to set, as far as I could tell."

Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix (From L-R): Chase Stokes, Carlacia Grant, Jonathan Daviss, Madelyn Cline, and Rudy Pankow on 'Outer Banks'

So what does season 3 have in store for John B and Sarah? Showrunner Josh Pate teases that there's "an expansion and an intensification," adding that "it's going to expand on their love affair with shocking turns."

Cline laughs at how many times she uses the words "emotional rollercoaster" to describe their relationship, but says it's the perfect term for it. "I mean, look, it's not boring, that's for sure," she adds. "It's been a joy portraying this enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-lovers storyline. It is quite a journey this year, again. We really drove the point home of choosing family, and also relationships and friendships are hard and sometimes it gets messy, but you still care, you still love hard."

Stokes warns that John B and Sarah are about to face their biggest obstacle yet, and the way they each handle it might surprise some fans. "Love isn't supposed to be easy," he says. "It's not supposed to be something that comes naturally. Part of me wants to continue down the road of peace for John B and Sarah, but if there's anything we know about this show, it's that it's going to take you for a wild ride. They're definitely, yet again, going to be tested, and hopefully the fans understand it through the lens of what they're going through and the circumstances that they're put under." Sounds like trouble in paradise ( ... on earth).

For more on Outer Banks season 3 (premiering Feb. 23 on Netflix), check out EW's exclusive preview with the co-creators and stars. Plus, Netflix announced on Friday the debut of "Poguelandia," the first-ever immersive music and fan experience for the series. Kicking off on Saturday, Feb. 18 in Huntington Beach, Calif., the free event includes musical performances from Khalid, alt-J, Surf Mesa, and The Nude Party (with more artists to be announced), plus guest appearances by the Outer Banks cast, interactive experiences, exclusive American Eagle OBX merch for sale, and more. Tickets to the event will be available starting Saturday at 7 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT at www.welcometopoguelandia.com.

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