Outer Banks has been a major hit with viewers, having first premiered on Netflix in April, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. But lead star Chase Stokes, who plays John B in the show, has revealed that the series could have turned out very differently, as he was very close to turning down the part! Talking to his co-star Madelyn Cline, who plays his love interest Sarah Cameron in the programme, on Barstool Sports' Chicks in the Office, Chase revealed he was unsure about the initial description of Outer Banks. "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 the Goonies. It's a Goonie's reboot.' I said no."
Outer Banks nearly had a different John B as Chase Stokes wasn't convinced about the show!
He continued: "I don't want to touch a piece of iconic cinema and destroy it. I was like that's my worst nightmare doing a bad reboot." While Chase had decided against Outer Banks, the role of Topper came through his agent, and while he was still against the idea of the show, he was in need of money. "I was like, 'I don't care at this point. At least I'm not one of the main kids in the show,'" he said. While the star forgot most of Topper's lines in his audition, the show's casting director convinced him to give the role of John B a chance. "I read the pilot and I'm like 'Oh my god, this is not The Goonies. I screwed this up so bad," he said.
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The rest is history, with fans being unable to imagine anyone else portraying John B. Chase also revealed recently that he could have had a very different acting background, having nearly landed a major role in Star Wars back in 2018. The actor had auditioned for the role of Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which he lost out to Alden Ehrenreich. Chase opened up about how different things could have been during a video chat with his castmates on a BuzzFeed YouTube channel during lockdown.
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Chase said: "I don't know if I've told you guys this, but when they did the Han Solo reboot I got pretty deep in the casting to play Han Solo. I think I read five times for that. And then they cast a 35-year-old guy so…" The actor didn't quite get the age of Alden right, as he was in fact just 28 when he auditioned for the role, but it all worked out for the best in the end!
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