Outer Banks showed Sarah telling John B about her pregnancy at the end of season 4 — but how would her ex-boyfriend Topper react to the news?
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly following the season finale on Thursday, November 7, Austin North revealed whether his character will officially let go of his feelings for Sarah (Madelyn Cline) now that she’s expecting a baby with John B (Chase Stokes).
“We would hope that this is the final nail [in the Topper and Sarah coffin] and that’s it,” North, 28, told Us. “If anything, [Topper] just wants the best for [Sarah]. He just wants to see her safe and happy.”
North pointed out that Topper’s concern comes from Sarah always being involved in high-stake adventures. “He just continuously sees her get in these dangerous situations and it’s all because of the Pogues and getting wrapped up in that lifestyle,” he added. “I think people think Topper is more like, ‘Oh, don’t hang out with the Pogues because of where they are from.’ But it’s more about how Sarah is risking her life all the time.”
Ahead of season 5 — which will be the Netflix series’ last — North expressed hope that Sarah’s pregnancy will convince her to slow down.
“Especially now that there’s a kid involved, Topper more or less just wants her to be safe and find a more calm and normal life,” he added before recalling his initial reaction to the Sarah and John B story line. “Sarah getting pregnant is definitely a curveball. And it is right in the middle of the treasure hunt, too. It’s like, ‘All right, perfect timing.’” 
When Outer Banks premiered in 2020, Sarah and Topper were in a relationship. That quickly went downhill when Sarah noticed a spark between her and John B — and chose to pursue it. Topper later made his issues with all of the Pogues quite clear amid Sarah’s romance with John B.
“In season 4, some time has passed and Topper is trying to get over his love for Sarah. He’s trying to move on,” North said about Topper’s season 4 arc. “He’s got a new girlfriend, Ruthie (Mia Challis), and she’s probably not the best influence on him. I don’t know if she’s the best fit for him, but he’s trying to move on.”
Topper’s attempts to move forward don’t keep him from forgetting the past, however.
“[His behavior throughout season 4] makes sense. It makes sense mainly because Topper has become the bigger person, which is seen in episode 4 on the beach [before the argument with the Pogues]. That’s just an example of that maturity and that Topper doesn’t really want to start some drama,” North noted to Us. “That was a big moment for him. But then JJ [Rudy Pankow] cuts him off out in the surf break, and that paired with Ruthie egging him on led him to getting roped into stuff that he’s not interested in getting involved in.”
The actor continued: “All this stuff brings back these emotions to Topper to where he wants to go after the Pogues. He wants to go after Poguelandia and take it from them. I think anytime he sees Sarah — and sees Sarah with John B — it brings up the past. … Any moment he gets to mess with the Pogues [is interesting] and he has a fair reason. John B took his girl and Pope [Jonathan Daviss] sunk his boat and there’s beef that is always going to be there.”
After playing Topper for nearly five seasons, North has found it helpful to see where his character is coming from.
“I definitely try to justify every decision that he makes. I try to humanize every character that I’m playing. Obviously, the world of Outer Banks can be a little extreme,” he added. “This guy has just been going through it and love can make you do some pretty crazy stupid stuff. … But I try to humanize everything.”
Outer Banks is currently streaming on Netflix.
