Why Chase Stokes almost turned down Outer Banks

Outer Banks only has two seasons under its belt, but the teen drama is working its way toward icon status as one of the best television shows to grace screens.

The treasure hunting adventure has steadily garnered an audience deeply invested in John B. and the rest of the Pogues’ quest to find the Royal Merchant gold. Star Chase Stokes, however, nearly wasn’t a part of the series.

Stokes, who plays Outer Banks‘ lead John B. Routledge, initially thought the show was going to be a reboot of The Goonies because of a vague audition email and didn’t entertain the idea of going up for the role.

He shared the story in 2020 while doing an interview on Barstool Sports’ Chicks in the Office podcast with co-star and girlfriend, Madelyn Cline.

Decider reports Stokes’ shy away from Outer Banks wasn’t due to an aversion to the ’80s classic but a desire not to mess up a beloved story. He said the following to hosts, Ria and Fran:

"The first time I got the audition it was the most bland email I’ve ever got. It was four friends on a treasure hunt, Netflix, and the character’s name was John B. So I was like, ‘This is f–ing Goonies. It’s a Goonies reboot.’ I said no…I don’t want to touch a piece of iconic cinema and destroy it. I was like that’s my worst nightmare is doing a bad reboot."

So, Stokes declined to audition for the role of John B. However, an opportunity later presented itself to audition for another part. It came at the right time since the actor was unemployed but, for fans of Outer Banks, the role he could have landed instead is a bit surprising.

Chase Stokes could have been Topper on Outer Banks

It’s hard to picture the show’s leading man as Topper, but that’s who Stokes was up for though the audition didn’t go well. He bombed it so bad that he thought his agent was going to drop him.

Despite this, Stokes must have been meant to be a part of the Outer Banks family because a casting director he’d worked with on the Vh1 show Daytime Divas got him to rethink turning the role of John B. down.

After he read the script for the pilot, Stokes recognized his error in judgement and, while the rest wasn’t history as there was still the audition to nail, the Outer Banks star was well on his way to becoming the John B. OBX fans know and love.