Madelyn Cline Has Clearly Transformed Over The Years

The following article includes mentions of eating disorders, mental illness, and an abusive relationship.

Many know her as Sarah Cameron, the Kook-turned-Pogue princess on Netflix's "Outer Banks" who stole John B's heart and found her way to buried treasure. Madelyn Cline skyrocketed to fame with her role in the modern-day adventure series where the affluent (known as Kooks) are at odds with the middle to lower class (the Pogues) in a fight to find centuries-old treasures in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Cline quickly became a household name after the series debuted in 2020, but her journey to fame started over a decade ago when she was just a child. The actor chased a professional career for most of her life, and her pursuits paid off. Before she landed her recurring role on Netflix, the star acted in several television series and films, including a small role in "Stranger Things" in 2017. 

Her big-screen roles may have made her a star, but don't let Cline's red-carpet glamour and stunning beauty fool you. She's just as comfortable in a pair of jeans at a horse stable. "When I'm riding, I feel very centered," she told Vogue. Horseback riding is something Cline does to escape the dog-eat-dog-world of Hollywood, where personal relationships are next-day news. Not only is Cline accustomed to her romantic relationships beginning and ending in the public eye (she dated and later split with her co-star Chase Stokes), but she doesn't shy away from talking about the subjects that make us inherently human. From her journey to stardom, her self-image, her love life, and beyond, Madelyn Cline has clearly transformed over the years.

While most kids were concerned with who to play with at recess and what to wear for picture day, Madelyn Cline had her sights on Hollywood at a young age. The actor grew up homeschooled as an only child, and her independence led her to pursue professional work in print advertisements and commercials when she was just 10 years old. Her parents commuted from her hometown in South Carolina to New York City for Cline's summer jobs, hoping they could rake up a college savings fund down the road. 

"It's hard to put into words because it was such a formative experience," Cline told V Magazine about that time in her life. "Sometimes I wish I could travel back in time just to experience it all one more time and share with my younger self what's happening now and [see] how excited she would be." Her hard work paid off, as Cline landed the cover of popular magazines like American Girl and Parent & Child, as well as ad campaigns for Sunny D, Toys R Us, and T-Mobile.

"I kept auditioning because I thought working on sets was a lot of fun," she told Grazia. "The more I got into acting and the more I was on TV and movie sets, the more I realized, that was where I wanted to be."

As with many other A-listers, Madelyn Cline has dealt with several ups and downs with her self-image. The "Outer Banks" bombshell admitted to Women's Health that she has struggled with her relationship with food and exercise throughout her life. "Self-love is a constant journey," she explained. "When I was younger I did struggle with eating disorders, specifically when I was a teenager. I think I was around 16 when I started working out a lot," she said. "I would wake up every morning at 5 a.m. and I would work out for 30 minutes. It was super rigorous cardio every day."

Cline admitted that she limited her eating in addition to over-exercising. "It turned into not feeding myself protein and not feeding my body what it needed when I was working out so much," she explained. Her desire for a specific body image impacted her whole life, and she experienced bouts of anger until she ultimately accepted that her goals were impossible to attain. "There's nothing wrong with you, you're just not built that way, and that's perfectly fine," she later accepted.

Cline says she was able to get back on a positive path, with the help of her mother. "She would stand there in the mirror with me and we would list out things that I liked about my body," she said. "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. I became so much happier."

Madelyn Cline didn't need a diploma to chase her dreams. The "Stranger Things" star admitted that she dropped out of Coastal Carolina University at the age of 18 to pursue a Hollywood career. "I think one of the most defining moments for me was when I was in college driving back and forth from Myrtle Beach to Atlanta to work on The Originals and Stranger Things, and I realized that something had to give," Cline told Schön magazine. 

Eventually, she had run out of excused absences and was faced with a life-altering decision. "So, I ended up dropping out, packing my car up, and leaving for LA. It was one of those moments where it felt like there was absolutely no going back. It was terrifying and also the most exciting," she admitted. 

But navigating Los Angeles at the ripe age of 19 proved to be a giant hurdle for Cline. "You wouldn't truly be living the LA experience, in my opinion, if you don't move out here and sh*t doesn't hit the fan," she told Glamour. After bouts with bed bugs and weeks of sleeping in her car, the "Glass Onion" star landed a callback for "Outer Banks." She recalled the moment she found out, admitting showrunner Jonas Pete asked her to fly back to South Carolina shortly after the audition. "I hadn't gotten an official word yet, but when he said that I immediately packed everything back up and got on the first flight back. It all happened so quickly — it was so surreal," she exclaimed.

Madelyn Cline's journey from the South to Los Angeles was full of growing pains, and not just in the acting world. The "Originals" star spoke to Glamour about her transition, admitting that a toxic relationship separated her from those closest to her. "When I first moved out here [to LA], I was kind of dealing with [an] abusive relationship and because of that relationship I had isolated myself from a lot of friends, it hurt a lot of people," she admitted. When it ended, Cline admitted she didn't know who or what to turn to in the healing process.

Cline revealed she didn't recognize herself anymore, and felt afraid to apologize to her friends for prioritizing an unhealthy relationship over them. "I completely changed as a person, I feel like for this person," she explained. But the actor eventually smoothed things over by reaching out and asking for forgiveness to reconnect with her core group of friends. "I fully expected to have the relationship and that bridge be burned, and it didn't," she said." ... It's so much easier to have a conversation and ask for forgiveness or understanding and give that, than it is to hold a grudge."

Madelyn Cline's life may seem glamorous, complete with red carpet looks and big screen roles, but the star admitted that behind the scenes she's battled inner demons. The "Glass Onion" star took to X, formerly Twitter, to open up to fans about her mental health. 

One fan got the conversation started, asking her, "Do you struggle with mental health issues sometimes? And why do you think it's so important to talk about it ? Love you." Cline then wrote back: "I struggle with depressive anxiety and for the longest time I genuinely thought that there was something wrong with my brain, and out of fear I isolated myself. Talking about it and knowing that you're not alone is empowering and it only weakens stigmas about mental health."

Cline said that she now uses social media as a platform to inform and raise awareness on not just mental health, but activism around the world. Speaking to Glamour, she admitted: "I want to help educate, basically. I want to help these girls see what is going on in the world ... You have a voice, you can vote. You have the ability to say whatever you want."

After landing small roles in television series like "Stranger Things" and "The Originals," Madelyn Cline got her first breakout role when she starred in "Boy Erased" in 2018. The actor landed the supporting role of Chloe in the film, alongside lead actors like Russell Crowe, Lucas Hedges, and Nicole Kidman. The film, which is based on a true story, follows a young man's experience in a conversion camp, which his conservative parents send him to when they learn that he is gay.

The role cemented Cline's reputation as a formidable actor, with the film earning 49 award nominations, including two Golden Globe nods. But getting to work with such giant names in Hollywood was a surreal moment for the star. "That was intimidating for sure," she told Vogue. "That was definitely a fangirl moment for me but when you're in those situations you don't want to fangirl too hard because they're your co-workers ... we're all collaborating so you kind of have that internal freak out for a second and then, you know, you get back to business."

With seasoned actors to look up to while filming the film, Cline did her best to absorb their acting methods and hone in on her craft. " ... You learn so much just by watching them and being around and being able to pick their brain for a little bit and if anything, it's encouraging and it makes you want to continue to work and improve."

When Madelyn Cline got the call to star in "Outer Banks," it was a full-circle moment. The actor was more than happy to accept the role, especially since it meant she would be returning to South Carolina to film, which wasn't far from where her parents lived in Charleston. "I am home when I'm shooting, which is really fun," Cline told The View. "I get to go to lunch with my parents or I get to go shopping with my mom on my off days which is really sweet." 

Cline added that she had spent a lot of money in Los Angeles for three years before snagging the role of Sarah Cameron, not knowing that the role that would make her a star would be filmed just 30 minutes from her parent's house. "I could've spent all this money moving out [to South Carolina]," she recalled. She also revealed that getting her breakout role in the Netflix series was that much sweeter after years of cut-throat competitions during casting calls in Los Angeles. Coming from South Carolina, Cline had a hard time getting roles in Hollywood without a big social media audience — something directors looked for constantly.

"A lot of times I would go to offices, one of the first things they would ask you is 'What is your following?'" she admitted. Cline said she questioned her decision to move to Hollywood constantly until she landed her first big acting role in the film "Boy Erased."

Everyone loves it when an on-screen love story becomes a real-life relationship, and no one was more excited than "Outer Banks" fans when Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes' professional relationship turned into a romantic one. The co-stars, who fell in love with each other during Season 1 of the Netflix show, started dating in 2020. The pair went on to star in Kygo and Donna Summer's 2020 hit music video for "Hot Stuff" and heated things up at the 2021 MTV Movie Awards by sharing a smooch after winning "Best Kiss." The couple seemed head over heels at the start of their relationship, with Stokes even telling Us Weekly at the time, "She's one of my favorite people on planet Earth." 

The two were able to tap into their roles as Sarah Cameron and John B. Routledge without any lingering real-life relationship problems holding them back, and the couple shared in their aim to keep things professional on-set. "Just as a rule we never bring anything negatively to set," Cline told Entertainment Tonight. She also added that their strong friendship laid a solid foundation for their relationship. 

Whether it was talking through a difficult scene, or giving each other space, the co-stars found a way to successfully navigate their emotions on the set. "It's whatever your partner needs at the time and I really really love that and respect that about him and our relationship," she explained.

Much to the dismay of Kooks and Pogues everywhere, Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes went their separate ways after over a year together in the fall of 2021. The split was seemingly amicable, as the two were seen out and about with friends in the wake of the breakup, leading fans to believe they were still friendly. While their romantic relationship may have ended, their professional one was ongoing. The two co-stars went on to work together for more "Outer Banks" seasons and were able to keep things strictly professional in their roles as on-screen couple Sarah Cameron and John B. 

When asked by People whether working with her ex was an adjustment, Cline replied: "Certainly in some aspects, but at the end of the day, there's always been a safe space with the job." She went on to add: "We've said from day one, our job is always to leave the show and the season better than when we left it last. And everybody is still very much a family. 'Outer Banks' has always been a family. And I'm just happy that we are able to remain professional." Stokes echoed that sentiment, telling Entertainment Weekly: "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."

Cline went on to date musician Jackson Guthy following her split with Stokes, while Stokes has been most recently linked to country singer Kelsea Ballerini. 

Madelyn Cline's chemistry with her cast mates onscreen is just as genuine in real life. The "Originals" star admitted she spent the majority of her time alongside her "Outer Banks" co-stars during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they would often get together for movie nights. "I'm lucky because one of my castmates, Drew [Starkey] lives upstairs. We live in the same building so we're able to hang out and I've got a couple of my castmates bumming it with me right now, so I'm not completely alone," she told Glamour in 2020. 

Cline admitted that having such a close-knit connection with her cast and crew was a win-win situation. She and her co-stars were in relatively similar situations in their careers after landing roles on the show, which allowed them to lean on each other as the show became an overnight sensation. Fans of the show were more than happy to be readily updated on their on and off-screen shenanigans together, as Cline often posted photo dumps featuring her goofing off alongside her cast mates.

"We all kind of started in the same place when we got the show," she explained in an interview with Grazia magazine. "And we just stuck together. We're all going through the same thing and it just helps to have people around you who understand and who are there for you. We keep each other grounded and we hype each other up. We're all each other's best hype man."

Thank you, next? Those may have been the words ringing in the ear of Madelyn Cline as she parted ways with her boyfriend Jackson Guthy in the summer of 2023. After nearly a year of her low-key romance with Guthy, she swiftly moved on with "Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson. The two started dating in September of that year, with their first public outing together at an "SNL" afterparty in October.

The "King of Staten Island" star was fresh off his breakup with actor Chase Sui Wonders, whom he started dating in 2022. Cline and Davidson have yet to speak publicly about their relationship, but Cline first sparked dating rumors when she was seen supporting the comedian at his standup show in Las Vegas. A few weeks later, sources saw the couple holding hands at the "SNL" afterparty. "They seemed very lovey, very cute, but they kept to themselves," an insider told People. 

If you need help with an eating disorder or know someone who does, 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).

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.