Madelyn Cline & The Rise of the Perfectly Chaotic, Chill “It Girl”

Madelyn Cline has been making headlines and social media ‘for you pages’ since early last year, extending her reach and name recognition from beyond just avid OBX fans—and for all the right and best reasons. Cline is the newest Hollywood ‘it’ girl, who earned her fame with years of hard work before she got her seemingly overnight success with Netflix’s Outer Banks and a movie blockbuster debut with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Now, Cline is taking screens, magazine covers and red carpets by storm.

Much of Cline’s charm seems to come from just being herself with a touch of Hollywood glam; she is authentically goofy, kind and real about real things, all while executing the perfect formula of engaging with the Gen-Z audience on her socials and showing off her fashion style, which often take years for celebrities to curate.

Madelyn Cline for *Who What Wear*, January 2023. (Photo / Jonny Marlow)

On Instagram she shares unfiltered behind-the-scenes snapshots of her life on set, on press tours and everything in between in the midst of editorial photoshoots and magazine covers. She showcases her friends and coworkers often accompanied by her characteristic nose scrunch and inside jokes. Her TikTok is less curated, and in her bio she even admits to her lack of TikTok skills and almost exclusively uses it to promote her partnership with American Eagle, but even there you see her feeding stray cats and living in an ordinary, messy twenty-something-year-old girl’s apartment as if she is not one of the most talked about women in Hollywood right now.

In a “24 hours with Vogue” segment from 2021, she smiles so wide it takes up her whole face and her whole body brightens, but she talks about how overwhelming getting her part in The Glass Onion was and later recounts her experience dropping out of college to move to California and pursue her career. She states so seriously that she had to get real about knowing herself, finding the self confidence that wasn’t there before and facing anxiety, imposter syndrome and self sabotage. Even in an era of Hollywood and social media where influencers and celebrities place emphasis on mental health and awareness almost to an oversaturated amount, Cline’s genuine recognition and self-awareness just hits her audiences differently. It doesn’t feel forced or manufactured to get you to sympathize; it's just genuine, and it lets you feel like you know her and that she would know you too.

Madelyn Cline for *Interview Magazine*, December 2022. (Photo / Ladislav Kyllar)

Even the characters she plays show an authentic side to her, although the argument could be made that she plays the ‘popular’, ‘hot blonde’ ‘it-girl,’ the reality is each role is intended to be multidimensional. As Sarah Cameron in Outer Banks she plays a strong, creative, bold character that doesn’t just hang and go the distance with the boys, but also portrays herself as a girls’ girl, where relationships are complicated and still resonate with the real struggles of teenage girls. In Glass Onion, she plays Whiskey, the arm piece to a YouTuber star who appears vapid and focused solely on her appearance, but halfway through the audience learns that she has been using him to build her brand to achieve much more serious aspirations. Cline didn’t build her career by being the hot or dumb blonde, but by being more than just a body and a good actress. Following in the footsteps of other actresses like Jennifer Lawerence, who also had the very traditional Hollywood appearance, Cline took it so much further by taking on serious and multidimensional roles.

Madelyn Cline OBX Season 3 Premiere, February 2023. (Photo / Gilbert Flores for Variety)

Madelyn Cline in Tom Ford, October 2022. (Photo / Jeff Spicer)

Madelyn Cline in Courreges, Styled by Mimi Cuttrell. (Photo / Getty Images)

One of the most noteworthy things about Madelyn is her impeccable style. She dresses bold, trendy, but also effortlessly like herself. Cline has gotten a great deal of recognition for her style and has appeared wearing high fashion fits that often take years for celebrities to curate relationships for and get to. She works primarily with celebrity stylist Mimi Cuttrell who is known for also styling the Hadid sisters, Maude Apatow and Lily-Rose Depp, amongst others. Despite her large clientele, it's clear that Madelyn has been her closest client all of fall 2022 into spring 2023 and has been a major supporting factor in the midst of her career surge. The pair love to play with vintage pieces and accessories to complete the look but always go by the rule that less is more. The sparkling blue Stella McCartney dress she wore to the Outer Banks season 3 premiere was a major stunner and was a moment comparable to Kate Moss’s signature sheer dress of 1993.

Cline dreams of being a Versace girl - but is flourishing right now without being tied into any brand partnerships. Her must wear on any day is sunscreen. Her street style and editorial photo shoots have been one of the most notable celebrity moments in the past year and is very influential in trend setting, which has made Madelyn the one to watch.

Madelyn Cline for Cosmopolitan, February 2023. (Photo / Janet Upadhye)

It's not clear what's next for Madelyn Cline, although Outer Banks has been renewed for Season 4. She personally wants to explore the role of a villain and voice acting, but regardless of what she does, she will be the one to watch.

As Madelyn Cline’s career begins to progress, it will be noteworthy to see if she follows the trajectory of Jennifer Lawerence who was the latest Hollywood “chill it girl” known for being a knockout on runways and on screen but staying genuine and goofy. Lawrence began to be criticized in the media for the same things they originally liked and celebrated about her. Many people started calling her a “pick me girl” before she decided to take a backseat in acting and appearances.

There are many differences between Lawrence and Cline in their careers, but they both faced instant breakout roles that resonated with teenage audiences and got blockbuster movies soon after. It is hard not to fear that Madelyn Cline will eventually face the lashback from the media that women before her in Hollywood have faced; like Jennifer Lawrence, Katherine Heigl and Angelina Jolie once they reached the top. There’s so much open to Madelyn Cline and she’s just started on her rise to the top, here’s to many more years of the world’s favorite chaotic, goofy, it-girl.

Sources:

Baty, E. (2023, February 7). Madelyn Cline's hot streak. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a42620872/madelyn-cline-outer-banks/

Herndon, A. (2023, February 17). Madelyn Cline Masters party dressing in sparkling blue dress at Netflix's 'Outer Banks' season three premiere. Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/madelyn-cline-netflix-outer-banks-season-3-premiere-1235533741/

Lent, C. (2022, December 12). Madelyn Cline on bizarre auditions and Daniel Craig Dinner parties. Interview Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/madelyn-cline-on-bizarre-auditions-and-daniel-craig-dinner-parties

Liao, M. (2023, February 21). 'Outer Banks' actor Madelyn Cline will be fashion's next it girl. The Zoe Report. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.thezoereport.com/culture/madelyn-cline-red-carpet-style

Longeretta, E. (2023, February 15). 'Outer Banks' actor Madelyn Cline on how she's discovering self-love as Sarah Cameron finds her voice. Variety. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/madelyn-cline-outer-banks-season-3-glass-onion-1235518221/

Siddiqui, Y. (2023, January 4). Beneath the surface of Madelyn Cline. Who What Wear. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.whowhatwear.com/madelyn-cline

Siddiqui, Y. (2023, January 4). The lessons Madelyn Cline learned while on the set of Glass Onion. Who What Wear. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.whowhatwear.com/who-what-wear-podcast-madelyn-cline

Vogue. (2021). 24 Hours With Madelyn Cline | Vogue. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ohyHjJy3M

Vogue. (2022). Outer Banks's Madelyn Cline’s Guide to Siren Eyes & Lip Contouring | Beauty Secrets | Vogue. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uxPYlvOlrE

Written by Trinity Gates

Copyedited by Mia Romans

Graphic by Ritika Sharma