The Real Reason You Recognize John B From Netflix's Outer Banks

If you don't know who Chase Stokes is, then you'd better get familiar. As of this writing, the actor has three million followers on Instagram and stars as John B. on Netflix's Outer Banks, which premiered in April 2020. The action-packed series, which takes place on — you guessed it! — the Outer Banks (off the coast of North Carolina), is about a group of four friends looking to find John B.'s father, who was in the midst of trying to find a treasure worth $400 million before he vanished.

Even though Stokes is quite famous now, he revealed he originally wasn't interested in the role. "The first time I got the audition, it was the most bland email I've ever got," he said on Barstool Sports' podcast, "Chicks in the Office" in April 2020. "It was four friends on a treasure hunt, Netflix, and the character's name was John B. So, I was like, 'This is f***king Goonies. It's a Goonies reboot.' I said no."

Luckily, Stokes changed his mind, and the rest is history. However, the Netflix star has actually appeared on the small screen before — let's take a look.

Before Chase Stokes appeared as John B. — yes, he's always called by his first name and last initial, despite there being no other Johns on the series — on Outer Banks, the actor had a small role on Netflix's hit show Stranger Things in 2016. During the first season of the sci-fi series, Stokes popped up in an episode as one of Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy Wheeler's (Natalia Dyer) class mates at Hawkins High School. However, he only had one line and appeared for a quick second in a car.

"Here's me in a time warp in a strange place called Hawkins, Indiana" Stokes captioned a short Instagram video of his time on the show via Instagram in October 2017. "I think I was chasing tornadoes or something idk. it was many moons ago."

Additionally, two of Stokes' Outer Banks costars also had small parts on Stranger Things — but at different times. Stokes told IMDb in an interview that he wouldn't be opposed to seeing Outer Banks and Stranger Things collide one day. "I'm going to throw a little fanfiction out into the world," he said. "I had a little bit in Stranger Things. [Madelyn Cline] was in Stranger Things. Caroline [Arapoglou], who plays Rose, was in Stranger Things."

Over the course of his brief career, Stokes has also appeared on Daytime Divas, The Beach House, and The First before Outer Banks made a splash (yes, pun intended) on television. 

Luckily, Chase Stokes didn't need much time to prepare for his role on Outer Banks — which takes place in North Carolina, but was filmed in Charleston, S.C. — since most of the scenes were filmed out at sea. "I'm a water child. I grew up all along the eastern shore, I spent my time surfing," Stokes told Refinery 29 in April 2020.

"My grandparents lived on the eastern shore in Maryland, and there is a huge boating community there, so I've grown up on boats, I've grown up driving boats," he added.

In fact, Stokes' previous experience with water sports came in handy while on set. "I didn't tell any of the creators [of Outer Banks] this when I was cast: When we were in Charleston [where the show filmed], I reached in my wallet and pulled out my boating license. They were like, 'Great, that makes everything a lot easier.'"

Outer Banks ended with a cliffhanger after season 1, and while, as of this writing, Netflix hasn't confirmed season 2 just yet, the show's writers told Entertainment Weekly in April 2020 that they are already "working" on new scripts. 

It's safe to say that quite a few people fell in love with Chase Stokes' character, John B., on Outer Banks when it premiered. Not only did fans enjoy John B's adventures with his pals, but his romance with Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) was just too sweet. So, is the Maryland native like his character in real life? "I've always been a bit of a wild child, a rebellious soul," Stokes admitted to Refinery 29 in April 2020.

"Ultimately the thing that I relate to with John B. is his love for others," he added. "Sometimes it bites me in the ass, but I always try to put others before myself and make sure everybody is okay and taken care of. With John B. and his friends, this is the first time these kids have had to go all-out for him."

The cherry on top is that Stokes and his costars actually hung out when the cameras weren't rolling. "On the weekends, people would come over, and we would blast music and play games and shoot the s**t," the actor revealed. "We just liked being close and we wanted to spend every second of our time together because we were just so thankful for the opportunity at hand. Work didn't feel like work."

One thing is for sure — we can hardly wait for John B. to appear on our screens again!