Taken from our Spring 2023 issue, order your copy here.

Have you ever felt third-wheel syndrome so potently that you almost leave your own Zoom call? No?

I hadn’t either until I dial into a call with Outer Banks star, Chase Stokes, who chose Vikings’ Alexander Ludwig to question him on life, career, mistakes and goals. After plenty of compliments are exchanged over Stokes’ freshly shaven face, I watch the pair talk for over an hour. Banter is rallied, deeply personal stories are shared and love is exchanged.

From hitting rock bottom to working with bucket list directors, finding family in colleagues and transforming failure into happy mistakes, Stokes and Ludwig leave no stone unturned. More candidly than ever before, it’s time to hear the story of Stokes.

ALEXANDER LUDWIG: Hey Chase, Alexander here. Let’s start this off with a very easy question: who is your favourite actor you have ever worked with in your history of acting?
CHASE STOKES: That is a very valid question. I would say it has to be between Paul Newman and Harrison Ford, I also did this little film called Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean [Laughs.] No, my favourite person I have ever worked with would have to be Alexander Ludwig.

AL: Good answer!
CS: Yeah, we did this film called Marked Men which we just wrapped. I just saw it, by the way.

AL: Oh you did? And what did you think?
CS: It’s so good. And I’m not just saying that.

AL: I know that! If there’s one thing people should know about you it’s that you never talk yourself up. You’re very hard on yourself and your work. You’re an artist and take everything you do very seriously. So if you’re saying it’s good, I trust that.
CS: Oh, for sure. Nick Cassavetes [the director] and I were crying together.

AL: Oh my God! For Nick to cry, that’s impressive. More importantly, it means the world to me that you asked me to do this. You mean the world to me, you’re like family!
CS: Love you!

AL: Let’s go for another easy one. Why don’t you explain how we first met?
CS: I was actually in Vancouver the first time I heard your name. This film, Marked Men, came up and Nick had just rewritten the script and there was one other name that was in the ether of playing my older brother which was the one and only Alexander Ludwig. We both had a lot of hesitation going into this project – there’s always hesitation going into anything new – and we made it to Bulgaria and signed up for this rollercoaster of a situation. But as for first impressions, man, I’m a big energy person, I feel like I was gifted that from my mother. You and I immediately realised there was a little bit more than a surface-level thing here. We developed this beautiful — I wouldn’t even call it a friendship, I consider you a brother, now. Honestly, it sounds like I’m in love with you.

AL: [Laughs.] I love you! What I really want is for the readers to get an in-depth look at you. So, take me through your teen years. What was life like for Chase Stokes before all of this?
CS: I had one passion and one passion only: hockey. I played ice hockey super competitively until I was 17, and a couple of injuries and doctor visits later, things kind of shifted. I was taking television production in high school and I fell in love with the process of how things just fall together. I was making little commercials and somehow fell into doing the weather, and my teacher at the time asked if I ever thought about getting into acting. Then a friend of mine who was also in production had a younger brother who looked a lot like me. He ended up getting sick so she asked me to step in to film a Disney catalogue. I remember going into it thinking it would just be a fun adventure and make a couple of hundred bucks. Then I realised I wanted it to be my career. So I just invested 100% into it. I tried to get into little commercials in the local area and then I became obsessed with cinema. I realised that if I wanted to do this, I had to do it at the highest level. I made a fake Gmail account and pretended to be a manager and emailed every agent at AA, ICM, UTA, APA, all of them, saying, “Hey I’ve got this kid from Florida, here are some headshots, you should give him a shot.” No one responded, except for one guy, he gave me an opportunity and I sent the craziest self-tape I have ever sent — I didn’t even know what one was at that point. And he connected me with an agent in Florida and six months into it he said, “If you really want to do this, you need to move to L.A..”

AL: What I really want people to know is how Outer Banks came to be… I’m so jealous of this story because it’s so inspiring, you’re living proof that when you want something and you refuse to give up, the universe will eventually act in your favour. So let’s tell everyone about it.
CS: This goes back to my Stranger Things situation, which back then was called Montawk. I had auditioned for quite a few parts — one, in particular, being Steve Harrington. I had the traditional read, call-back and meet with the Duffer Brothers. I got to the studio lot, went in to do the audition and froze. I didn’t say a single line. They didn’t let me try again, so I had to drive the eight hours back to Florida afterwards, just beating myself up. I went on a backpacking trip with my brother when it came out and I remember flicking to my part and seeing it had been completely cut. That’s just the way the industry works. Then I got to see the show turn into the global phenomenon that it is, and would continue to beat myself up over it. No one could have done it better than Joe Keery, and that’s just the reality of how these things work. There’s another side to this story that I think is pretty inspiring and really cool for me to look back on. I had done a show called Tell Me Your Secrets, and after I finished the show I vowed to myself, “I’m not going to make any money unless it is from my craft.” I was so broke. I maxed out every credit card I had in my name, but I still made that choice. When I finally read the [Outer Banks] script they just said, “If you don’t hear by Friday, you didn’t get it.] Then a few days later, I got a call that said, “You’re going to Charleston tonight. Here are 14 pages of dialogue, we want you to be off-book, you’re on seat 33B on the plane and you’re taking the red eye straight to the production office.” So I packed a bag, got on a plane and memorised my lines. I tried to get an Uber when I got off the plane but it got declined — I had reached rock bottom. I left my car in the parking lot with the engine overheated and had an eviction notice on my door and made a promise to myself that if I couldn’t make this work, then I was finally done. I walked into the room, did the audition, and Jonas – our lovely show runner – said, “Hey, come back tomorrow, we’ll go through the materials with the director.” I was like, “Yep, cool, I can do that. Do you have $20 so I can get some dinner?”

AL: [Laughs.] No way!
CS: Yes way! So he gave me some cash, we got an Uber back, I ate at this little sports bar next to a Holiday Inn. And I woke up the next day assuming it was going to be a workshop situation. Jonas pulls me aside and says, “Oh, we are actually doing the final auditions today. I just didn’t want you to overthink it.” So I pick my head up and, low and behold, it’s the same guy that I bombed in front of for Stranger Things. I looked around and said out loud, “Well I’m not getting this job.” I did the first read with loads of other cast mates until I reached the solo auditions. I was getting so frustrated that I couldn’t connect to a scene that I walked out of the room. I sat outside of the production office and I was a mess. I was crying. I thought, “I’ve fucked it up again.” Then Jonas, for whatever reason, came outside and found me. He said, “I don’t know what you’re going through, but that right there is the emotion that I believe in. Take as much time as you need then come back in and do it again.” And so I did. Shortly after that, we all packed up and headed back to the hotel. My phone rings and it’s Jonas saying, “You got the fucking job dude, congratulations!” The next day I told the crew I needed to go back to L.A. and pack my clothes, and they were like, “Yeah, you can’t get home. You’ll have to buy new stuff.” I said, “I don’t think you understand, I have no money.” So they sent me to the wardrobe department and Emmy, the brains behind all of the looks of the entire show, gave me some clothes that ended up being John B’s jeans that I still wear consistently. Then the journey began.

AL: I think anybody that has been in a situation similar to yours can take something from that. As actors, the one word you get used to is the word no. That story to me is something I’ll never forget because it’s about unrelenting drive, no matter how many nos you get. It’s the perfect example of, “Dreams do come true.” On that note, I finished season three of Outer Banks, and now I understand why so many people are so moved and enthralled by the show. I feel like you get to know John B on a deeper level. For those who haven’t seen it, what can we expect from season three?
CS: We do a lot of world-building and treasure-hunting throughout this season. We all collectively realised that we needed to discover what happens after the catastrophic events that all of these kids have gone through in such a short span of time. Every single character has experienced a lot of loss in not a lot of time. People have fallen in love with these characters but we haven’t spent extensive time with them as individuals. This is the season we get to peel the onion of each character and get to know everything about them. This whole story starts at the core of John B being on his own because his dad left. But now his dad is back and we know that that dynamic is going to be compelling because John B has been on a relentless pursuit to find him. So now there’s the question of: what will that do to their relationship? He’s idolised this person for a long time and he might not be the person he initially thought. When you create distance from an individual – whether you love them or hate them – the idea of that person starts to spin as time progresses, you latch onto either the good or the bad depending on how that relationship ends. And with John B, when you’re presuming your dad is dead, he latches onto the good. Did he have a good memory of who his dad was or is he creating a false narrative?

AL: What was your favourite part about season three? For me, the relationship between John B and his father was amazing, it made me want to go back and rewatch the whole series. I wondered what it was like for you?
CS: I can speak as a young man, one of the things we really value is having an older male companion — a figure in your life who is going to teach you right from wrong. And John B had it, but we slowly start to learn that it wasn’t as present as he makes out in the first two seasons. He just wants his family. So tackling that isolation and having a chosen family whilst also feeling lost in yourself is the line that runs throughout the season. It has a beautiful friendship at the core of it but
there’s a lot of uncertainty and confusion at the same time. It was hard to watch and it was hard to go through, but it’s fun to play that sort of story because it’s real. It shows younger audiences that everyone is somehow seeking validation from their parental figures.

AL: One thing I realised from an acting perspective is there is no right way to do anything. What is yours? What do you do to feel centred within John B and how much of Chase Stokes do we see in the character?
CS: As a 30-year-old and looking at John B who is 17, I think the similarity we share is our want to please others. He’s always trying to lead with love and his follow-through is pretty subpar — and I think we share that to an extent, too. Sometimes, my intentions are great but my follow-through can miss. But that’s what I love about him. He’s a human being and he is flawed, but he owns up to his shit. He realises quickly when he goes wrong and he tries to redeem himself. That’s another trait I connect with: when I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I’ll be the first to apologise.

AL: The qualities that make John B so magnetic and exciting are also the qualities I see in you as a friend. How do you adapt from one character to another?
CS: This year was particularly challenging because I finished Outer Banks on my 30th birthday, then left for my next project the next day. I had to dive into it pretty fast. I don’t know if I’ve figured out how to switch from one project to the next, other than to allow myself the mental freedom to just dive right in. I have the chronic issue of being a workaholic — I’ve developed a bit of insomnia and anxiety because of it. But I’d rather experience things like that knowing that I’m putting in the time and effort than getting a full night’s sleep and coming into work unprepared.

AL: I think that comes from the fervent appreciation you have for the opportunities you’ve been given because you went so long without them. On that note, what projects are you excited about in the future? Is there anything you would like to do that you haven’t done yet?
CS: I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve spent the last 16 months straight working — if you had told me that five years ago I would never have believed you. And that’s not just filming Outer Banks, I also did an amazing film adaption for Netflix called Uglies which I’m legally not allowed to say much about because a sniper’s red dot will appear on my forehead all the way from the Netflix offices. I also just left the studio from another project I am co-executive producing and starring in, which is called Valiant One – a military film – and my character is the highest-ranking official who survives a plane crash. And finally, I’m not just saying this because it’s you interviewing me, but Marked Men is something I am really looking forward to. After watching it yesterday and all of the experiences I had making that film with my bucket list director, it was just beyond all of my expectations. And to answer the second part of your question, I try to operate under the mindset of not expecting anything and just hoping for things. What’s beautiful about art is that it is ever-changing. I think for me, I just want to tell authentic stories with great actors, great writers and great producers. I just want to let the universe give that to me and lead with my best foot forward. Whatever happens, happens.

AL: That’s such a great answer. The mistake is trying to replicate the people or things that have inspired us. If you try to do what someone else has, it’s going to drive you crazy. Do you have any ambitions outside of acting?
CS: Prior to getting into acting, I fell in love with cameras. I thought initially I was just going into television production. So I really want to get into the director’s chair and develop my own content. I want to continue my working relationship with you, especially, to create stories that I find intriguing. Another thing that I’ve always been big on is poetry, I think it’s the most cathartic release. I’d love to release a book in the next year or so.

AL: I love that, dude! I can’t wait to read it! My last question is: what advice would you give to your younger self and our readers?
CS: If I were to look back at myself across my career, I would just tell myself, “It’s all going to be okay, buddy.” I also love the word “luck” because at face value it can be the demise of you or the best thing for you. In this industry, hard work, dedication and luck all intersect. I am very lucky based on all of the things that I have put forth in my life. So for anyone who is reading this and thinking it’s an overnight success story, just remember, it’s not. It’s a combination of those three things. There are going to be great things that happen and not so great. I don’t believe in failure — it’s a happy mistake. Only from failure can you learn a lot about yourself. Stranger Things was a happy mistake. Be okay with them.