A grin spreads across Chase Stokes's face as he lowers himself onto a folding director's chair on the set of his shoot, which was at a studio in Los Angeles at the beginning of August.
"Something that stands true on every film set is these canvas, uncomfortable seats," he told PEOPLE Magazine. "Every time I sit in this chair, I get a little bit giddy because it's either the start of a new chapter or a new relationship."
Therefore, it is not surprising that the actor is about to start what he refers to as "chapter 2" of his successful career. Having spent the past five years portraying the cherished character of John B. Routledge on the teen drama "Outer Banks" on Netflix, Stokes is now prepared to take on new challenges.
According to him, now that he is 32 years old, it is kind of that moment. He has already begun to make moves: he will next be seen opposite Joey King in the film adaptation of "Uglies" on Netflix, which is based on the dystopian novel that was published in 2005 and will premiere on September 13.
Additionally, he will portray a tattoo artist with a fiery temper in the upcoming romance "Marked Men" directed by Nick Cassavetes, who is also the director of "The Notebook," and he will play an army captain in the thriller "Valiant One" in the year 2025.
"There really isn't anything off-limits," Stokes stated, who also intends to produce. "I'm making sure that I'm really attacking my career with no restraints."
Stokes was motivated by Glen Powell's "Anyone but You" and "Twisters" box office success, despite the fact that there has been a lot of discussion in recent times about the scarcity of genuine cinema stars and whether or not a single actor can still attract audiences through their performances.
"I don't think the movie star will ever die," Stokes said. "If you look at the generation before us, I mean there are four different Chrises that are massive movie stars; you've got multiple Ryans. I want to shoot for the moon and land somewhere among the stars with those guys."
Stokes still has a little more time with John B., despite the fact that he has dreams of appearing on the big screen. The launch of the fourth season of "Outer Banks" is on October 10.
"This season in particular is our biggest yet, scope-wise," he said.
Ever since the second season, Stokes's character has been married to Sarah Cameron, who is portrayed by Madelyn Cline, who was previously his girlfriend, as per E! Online.
Despite their split in 2021, "we don't skip a beat in the world of John B. and Sarah, and I think that's rare," Stokes stated. "It was a great relationship, and now we're exactly where we started: incredibly talented costars."
Stokes was born in Maryland to a mother who had been a stay-at-home parent and had later become a pharmacy technician, and a father who was an entrepreneur in the fitness sector. In 2017, Stokes relocated to Los Angeles and lived in his car for a period of time while he was attempting to establish a name for himself as an actor.
"I probably called my mom every three weeks like, 'I'm done. I can't do this,’" he said. "She was like, 'Nope, keep going.’"
By the time he learned that he had the opportunity to become a member of "Outer Banks," he had already borrowed money from his mother in order to travel to South Carolina for the audition. Needless to say, he did an excellent job, and following the premiere of the show in the year 2020, "Outer Banks" became a huge success, which altered the course of his life.
"It's been a big, beautiful chapter, and I will forever be thankful for it," he stated.
The life that Stokes is leading at home with his fiancée of one and a half years, country music superstar Kelsea Ballerini, is the most important thing to him as he contemplates the future. Ballerini, who was 31 at the time, reached out to Stokes through direct messages in December of 2022.
"We don't BS each other," he says of their relationship. "If we need to make the effort to show up when one's across the country, we do it."
Despite the fact that the high-profile couple typically divides their time between Nashville, where Ballerini resides, and South Carolina, where Stokes shoots "Outer Banks," the couple has temporarily established a home base in Los Angeles. This is because Ballerini is currently coaching her first season of "The Voice" full-time and is getting ready to release her new album, "Patterns," on October 25.
When they spend the evenings together, they often cook together; Stokes's go-to dish is skirt steak accompanied by a handmade chimichurri, and they watch "Lost" in its entirety.
"We have big careers and a big world around us, but we like to keep it very simple and very small [at home]," he says. "It's really about building a life together."
