‘Outer Banks’ actors Daviss and North talk new season

By Arman Saxena and Juliana Lightsey     10/29/24 11:13pm

The Pogues are back. This latest season of “Outer Banks” kicked off Oct. 10 with the first half of the fourth season out on Netflix now. Fans of the show don’t have to wait too long: The second half reaches audiences Nov. 7. Stars Jonathan Daviss and Austin North — who play Pope and Topper, respectively — spoke with the Thresher about the North Carolina teenagers’ forthcoming adventures.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Rice Thresher: ‘Outer Banks’ has introduced new villains and allies alike this season. How have you prepared to interact with these new characters, and how have they impacted your characters’ journeys?

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Jonathan Daviss: I think a big part about the new villains is always the mystery that’s around them. So, the cool part is really just figuring out how these new villains are going to relate to us and impact the plot.

The main thing with the villains is just really figuring out where they come from. 

There was a big moment this year in the first half of the episodes, where one of the characters has a major person in their life die due to one of the villains. You get to see how dangerous they are and what their connection is to the treasure. Really ups the stakes.

Austin North: I think it’s what makes the show. It adds that suspense factor, and there’s got to be the enemies coming after the gold.

RT: How has your approach to embodying your character changed throughout the seasons, both as you’ve grown older and as your characters have developed?

JD: When we started, we put so much of ourselves into these people, definitely tried to make them feel as realistic as we possibly could. And then as the plot happens and we learn things about the characters, and the events of the series unfold, we try to find new ways to keep it fresh.

AN: I think season one Topper was a little one-dimensional, in the sense that he was kind of the rich kid Kook who didn’t get along with the Pogues. In season two I wanted to show a little bit more personality, a little more me in the character.

RT: Pope’s leadership qualities have grown a lot, as the show has gone on. How do you see his role in the group evolving?

JD: I don’t think Pope was one-dimensional, but in that first season it definitely read like he was the nerd. You know, when I was in high school, I kept straight A’s, I was in all the accelerated classes, and I was also an athlete and did football. Just because you’re smart doesn’t make you one-dimensional.

Being able to take a character who started off very meek and unassuming and goody-two-shoes, and being able to unfold his psyche … He’s actually pretty layered.

RT: You two deal with a lot of action, and physically exerting scenes, particularly in this season. Do those scenes help in the acting process, by allowing you to immerse yourself completely in the moment, or is it a bit more difficult to act while also engaging your full body?

AN: In the first episode, that big dirt bike race was so much fun to film. Working with this incredible stunt team, we took two weeks to put that together. Switching from the stunt work to having the dialogue with the Pogues, with JJ and John B, you’re a little exhausted at some points. But we know how to balance it out and save our energy.

JD: From our fights in season one to now, in episode five of this season we’re crawling through rats and tunnels. There’s something about being really physical that just takes yourself there mentally, so you don’t have to push too hard when something’s happening. It’s like if you feel cold, you’ll play cold on screen. It’s just like your body reacts.

RT: The treasure hunts in ‘Outer Banks’ often involve intricate puzzles and historical references. Did you do any special research or preparation to bring authenticity to these scenes?

JD: A lot of pronunciation things. But we did look into the history of the Berber people … We shot a lot in Morocco this season, that will be in the second part. Being able to go to that country, I think just always enveloping yourself in the history of it is cool. Seeing where the fiction comes in and where the fact comes in, what’s real and what’s not. I think that’s something the writers have a lot of fun playing with, when trying to tell the story. 

AN: I’ve got to give props to [Daviss] too, because it’s just a lot of information to retain. I feel like Pope’s kind of the brains of the operation, and I know as an actor it’s not easy.

JD: Exposition is the worst thing to act, by the way.

AN: Right. Everything has to be so spot-on, otherwise it just won’t make sense.

RT: ‘Outer Banks’ has been very successful, amassing millions of views with every new season. Compared to shooting the first season, before knowing it would take off, do you feel like the show’s enormous success adds to the pressure on your performance?

JD: When we were shooting the first season, we had no idea what was going to happen. Shooting [the first], we’re like ‘We hope we get a second season.’ Felt a lot of pressure for that second season to deliver. Once the second season did well, I felt like everything from there was icing on the cake. We’re happy that people were still resonating with these characters. Always want to give them a great season, always feel like we want to put our best foot forward. But we’ve been doing this for five years now, we really kind of just slip into it when we do it.

AN: I felt the most pressure probably in season one. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into or what the show was going to be. I had never done single-camera [shows], I had always done multi-camera sitcom stuff, so that was a whole other learning experience. Season one came out and it was a success, and I was like ‘Alright, let’s just keep doing what we’re doing. It’s working.’

It feels like there’s a lot of freedom on set. The director and producers give us a lot of freedom to improv, or bring our own to the scene, which I think takes a load off as an actor. You can be a lot more creative in that sense. I think that’s part of why the show’s successful as well.

RT: With the show’s success, you’ve gained a large fanbase. What has been the most memorable fan interaction you’ve had?

AN: For me, it was the season four premiere in Charleston. It was a big fan event, and just felt like a thousand fans were there, just hanging out. Getting to meet them one-on-one, face-to-face was really special. That was the highlight for me, honestly.

JD: Rudy [Pankow], Chase [Stokes] and I were able to go [to Brazil] and meet a lot of the fans in São Paulo and Salvador, and they were just amazing. The amount of love that city showed us was just incredible. I had never seen anything like it. It was a completely different country, a completely different language, and I think the idea that the show has popularity that can spread all over the world into different countries — that is a testament to something that truly hits you in your heart.

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