Jonathan Daviss (Pope Heyward) and Carlacia Grant (Cleo) spoke about their work on Outer Banks. Daviss, who’s been a part of the series since its first season debuted in 2020, recalled his hopes at the beginning that Outer Banks would become a hit. With the series going on to greatly increase its popularity, Daviss finds himself surprised every year by how much of a phenomenon it has become.
“I think when you are in the industry, and you get these shows, you’re like, ‘Okay, I hope this can do something,'” Daviss said. “You don’t expect [it]. you hope for something like that, but it’s just like, you don’t feel it until you really star to feel it. And even when it came out, I as like, ‘Hey, people are watching it. That’s pretty cool.’ Then when I found out how it spread, and how many people were watching it, and how globally it reached, I’m still surprised. I get surprised every year how much reach the show has.”
Carlacia Grant Was Welcomed Into the Fold in Season 2
Grant didn’t debut as Cleo until the show’s second season, and she has since become a much bigger part of the series, given the blossomed romance between the ccharacter and Daviss’ Pope. For her part, Grant admitted that she wasn’t yet aware of the series when she landed her role, but it wasn’t long before the cast and crew — along with the fans — made her feel welcome.
“It’s been amazing,” she said. “When I first auditioned for the show, I never even watched the show. Never heard of it, because clearly I live under a rock. So, just going through that process, and getting the job, and being able to join in with the cast and such a successful franchise, and just great people, and the fan base. The fan base is so, so amazing, and they support us through everything… We have the greatest fandom, so, it’s amazing. I don’t take it for granted. I don’t take it lightly. I know that it’s a phenomenon, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
“The fan base is so, so amazing, and they support us through everything”
Grant also recalled how she further realized how big the show was when she’d be recognized randomly by fans in different places in the world. She noted how she and Daviss “had fans outside the hotel rooms” when they were filming of the new season in Morocco. It was another reminder of how global the show has become since its early days on Netflix.
