“I need them to know who I am.”

Twenty-four year old Madison Bailey has been acting and modeling since 2015, including two seasons as Wendy Hernandez in the iconic queer superhero show Black Lightning. But it’s her role as Kiara “Kie” Carrera in the Netflix teen drama Outer Banks that has become her breakout. Bailey brings passion and verve to Kie, an empowered character who doesn’t take shit from anyone and cares fiercely for her friends.

The second season of the pirate/treasure/island/hot-people-in-boats show left off on a cliffhanger. The five main characters — John B, Pope, JJ, Sarah, and Kiara, along with a newcomer named Cleo — had all abandoned ship, making it to a deserted island somewhere in the Caribbean. While the show itself has no queer storylines (as of now), Bailey is excited to tell LGBTQ+ stories whenever and however she can.

“I haven’t had that opportunity up until this point of my career and I would love nothing more than to tell a real and authentic story,” Bailey told Them in a Zoom interview. “If the right project came along, I would even love to help develop it.”

Bailey herself grew up in North Carolina in an adoptive family. She brings an emotional depth to the character that seems informed by her experiences as a pansexual, mixed-race young person; her journey with borderline personality disorder; and her clear sense of openness and vulnerability. Her TikTok and Instagram (where her girlfriend, UNC-Charlotte basketball player Mariah Linney, often appears), manage to be both playful and genuine, establishing Bailey as a presence on many different types of screens. Whether it’s making a quick video for social media or starring in a hit show, Bailey always has something to share.

“I’m a storyteller,” she told Them. “I have a long list of stories that I want to tell.”

Ahead of season 3 of OBX, Bailey spoke with Them about what’s in store for Kie, what she’s learned in her acting career so far, and watching her girlfriend play basketball.

What are you most excited about for this new season of Outer Banks**? What can people expect from Kiara?**

This season is so packed with adventures. I’m really just excited for the storyline itself of this treasure hunt. I think they’ve written something really, really awesome and I’m excited for the historical aspect of this season.

As for what we can expect to see from Kiara: more of her fighter spirit. She’s going through more of the same, still with the push and pull with her parents and really finding what it is she wants to do. I think her time on the island cleared things up for her. There’s also some romantic chemistry for her to explore this season. A little bit of everything, honestly.

How has being on a show for a longer period of time changed or affected your relationship to acting?

It’s changed so much, because playing smaller roles and being on set for a short amount of time is its own thing. It’s actually really fun to just hop in for a little bit and leave, but really growing with the cast and growing with your crew has been an incredible experience. I feel like I spent my first couple years as an actor really not understanding all of the other jobs on set because I wasn’t there for long enough to ask questions and learn. So it’s kind of changed the way that I looked at it: [first] as work, versus now on season three, returning to a family, returning to our crew. It’s definitely a different feeling.

What kinds of creative projects or acting roles are you interested in moving forward in your career?

I would love to tell a queer story. I haven’t had that opportunity up until this point of my career and I would love nothing more than to tell a real and authentic story. If the right project came along, I would even love to help develop it. I’m a storyteller; I have a long list of stories that I want to tell.

I feel like I have an overlapping Venn diagram of stories that I could tell personally [about] things that I connect to, whether it be because I’m mixed or because I’m queer or because I’m adopted or I’m from the South. There’s so many things in there that could connect to so many different roles, so there’s nothing too specific I’m waiting for role-wise.

“I’m a storyteller; I have a long list of stories that I want to tell.”

Since being public on social media about your pansexuality and your relationship with your girlfriend, do you feel like you’ve gained more of a queer fan base? And in what ways do you find a sense of belonging in queer communities?

The community in the queer space for me has changed a lot. I think mostly due to the pandemic, my community with everyone has changed. I came out very early on just because while I’m gaining a fan base, I need them to know who I am — whose team they feel like they’re joining with the person they’re supporting, you know? I definitely feel like because I’ve come out, I have a different connection to my fan base that’s not only just a commonality with them, but I feel more personal with them because they know a huge part of me.

I’ve been pretty open with people about my mental health and about my sexuality and so much of myself because I want to create a community within my own fan base. It’s been a joy to have so many queer people gravitate toward me, and toward my character, because it’s not necessarily a queer character. I feel like I get to represent on behalf of the show regardless of the character’s relationships.

On your social media, you play a lot with beauty and style and glam. What draws you to that form of creative expression?

I have been the girliest of girls. As long as I can remember, I loved femininity, I loved makeup, I loved fashion. It’s something that I’ve just always loved. I care about my personal style, which is a little all over the place. My space is a little broad: I like cottagecore, I like trends, I like a lot of it. Especially on social media, I’m not the most savvy content creator. My account is kind of vague. And I feel like that’s something that’s easy for me to post. It’s something natural for me to post on social media.

I saw in some interviews that you and your girlfriend met on social media. What is your relationship with social media like now, especially as your visibility is increasing?

Again, another thing that just changed so much because of the pandemic. I feel like so many things overnight switched to being technology and socials. Every app is different. Every form of social media has its own feelings that come with it. Twitter brings me more intense feelings; I try to avoid that on a day that I’m anxious and wait to open that when I have tougher skin or something. I really love TikTok. I feel like I’ve learned so much and I really see the content that I want. I feel like Instagram is where I can try to interact with my fan base the most. I look at my tags a lot and open my DMs and I get a lot of really beautiful stories and beautiful messages from people. I like social media currently, but it all depends. Sometimes you get something random and sometimes you get out of it what you put into it. It’s a wild card.

What feels important to you about being so open and transparent about aspects of yourself that might make you feel vulnerable, or be perceived as vulnerabilities, like your BPD diagnosis and your sexuality?

I’m not blind to the position that I’m in of being a great influence on people my age, on younger people. This position that I’m in is so new to me. It’s so much easier to be yourself. I’ve also been clear with people [that] I’m still finding myself. Self-exploration is a lifelong endeavor and I plan on sharing my journey with people as I’m growing and evolving, which comes with people not understanding. But I think I wanted to share so much so that I had the realest response that I could get. Kind of like, “This is who I am, take it or leave it.” Because if your energy is meant for me, it’ll be here. And if it’s not, it’s not.

I am really not interested in spending my time on social media trying to gain a demographic that I don’t connect with in the first place. So the more I’m myself, the more people gravitate towards my energy. I want to send a message of being yourself and being the truest version of yourself no matter how messy it is, and also acknowledging that I’m not my truest version. Sometimes I have impostor syndrome. I’m a person with all of these feelings and this was an important message for me.

As someone who’s dating a basketball player, are you into women’s basketball or women’s sports in general?

I am. My girlfriend playing basketball has made me watch more basketball than I could have ever imagined that I would. Yes, I love it. I love women’s basketball. Another sport I love because my sister and I did [it] growing up is gymnastics. I think gymnastics might be my favorite sport to watch.

Who are some of your favorite queer artists or creatives right now? Where are you finding creative inspiration or joy whether it’s queer or not?

I’m finding a lot of inspiration on social media. I’m so inspired by people I’ve never met and never heard of. I’m so inspired by the most random videos on TikTok every day.

As for queer artists, oh my gosh, I love Indya Moore. I’m just thinking of them off the top of my head because I met them in Milan for Fashion Week. Single-handedly the nicest person I’ve ever met in this industry and otherwise. I’ve been sweet-talking to them ever since.