Warning: Spoilers ahead for Netflix’s Outer Banks season 1. Those who have seen Netflix’s latest teen drama, Outer Banks, may be curious to know how old the cast is IRL. While they’re playing 16 year olds, Netflix’s Outer Banks cast’s ages are a little north from the ages of the characters they’re playing. (And for some cast members, their ages are waaay north.)
Anyone who’s obsessed with teen shows (*raises hand*) knows that the ages of the cast can run the gamut, from an actual teenager (looking at you Pretty Little Liars‘ Sasha Pieterse) to an actor in their early 30s (a.k.a. Riverdale‘s Ashleigh Murray.) Outer Banks, which premiered on Netflix on April 15, centers a teenage boy named John Booker Routeledge (John B. for short) and his friends named the Pogues in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The series follows John B. and his friends as they investigate the disappearance of his dad, who vanished at sea a year before the events of the show. Along the way, they discover that John B.’s dad was tied to a $400 million treasure, but of course, danger lurks ahead. As the Pogues uncover more secrets, they become the target of dangerous force who also wants the money.
Ahead, find out how old the Outer Banks cast is IRL.
Chase Stokes (John B.)
Character age: 16
Actor age: 27
Stokes plays John B., the leader of the Pogues whose father went missing at sea a year before the events of Outer Banks. While Stokes plays a 16-year-old on Outer Banks, he’s 11 years older than the character IRL.
Madelyn Cline (Sarah Cameron)
Character age: 16
Actor age: 22
Cline plays Sarah Cameron, the princess of the Kooks, an elite, wealthy community who are the opposite of the Pogues. Sarah is also the daughter of Ward Cameron, John B.’s former boss. John B. and Sarah become close when he asks for her help to find a clue linked to the treasure hunt. Given that Sarah is a member of the most well-connected families in the OBX, she helps John B. for a cut of the treasure. The two spend the whole day together, and at the end, they realize they have feelings for each other and kiss. Sarah is the same age as John: 16. But IRL, Cline is 22.
Madison Bailey (Kiara a.k.a. Kie)
Character age: 16
Actor age: 21
Bailey plays Kiara (Kie for short), the only female Pogue. Kiara is known for her sarcastic, take-no-shit attitude. Early in the season, John B. kisses Kie after she helps him on the treasure hunt, but Kiara tells him that Pogues can’t “mack” on other Pogues. However, at the end of the series, it seems like Pope and Kiara start something after they kiss in the finale. Bailey is 21, while her character is 16.
Jonathan Daviss (Pope)
Age: 16
Actor age: 21
Daviss stars as Pope, John B.’s best friend who will do anything to help him. At the end of the season, Pope confesses his feelings for Kie, and while she turns him down at first, Kiara later kisses him. Books wise, Pope is the smartest member of the Pogue and is on the road to attend an Ivy League university to leave the Outer Banks. Daviss is 21 IRL, while his character is 16.
Rudy Pankow (JJ)
Character age: 16
Actor age: 21
JJ is John B.’s other best friend who’s a bit of a wild card. The series sees JJ get into a lot of trouble when he makes promises that he can’t keep. JJ is also one to fight with the Kooks, which lead him and Pope into some trouble with the local law later in the season. As for his age, Pankow is 21, while JJ is 16.
Austin North (Topper)
Character age: 16
Actor age: 23
Topper is the king of the Kooks and Sarah’s ex-boyfriend. Sarah breaks up with Topper when she realizes her feelings for John B. This causes Topper to go ballistic and push John B. off a lighthouse balcony, which almost kills him. Topper also gets into some trouble with JJ and Pope due to the feud between the Kooks and the Pogues.