Madison Bailey

The actor talks with Them about finding queer community and opening up about mental health on social media.

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. But I think I wanted to share so much so that I had the realest response that I could get. I’m so inspired by people I’ve never met and never heard of. I’m not blind to the position that I’m in of being a great influence on people my age, on younger people. I feel like I’ve learned so much and I really see the content that I want. Single-handedly the nicest person I’ve ever met in this industry and otherwise. I love women’s basketball. So the more I’m myself, the more people gravitate towards my energy. Yes, I love it. 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 saw in some interviews that you and your girlfriend met on social media. This position that I’m in is so new to me.

The Outer Banks star opens up to PRIDE about her character's season 3 journey and why she has no room in her life for the haters.

And of course, I would like the honor of doing that and being that representation because, you know, pulling from my own life, and I would be honored to show that representation in our show,” she shares. And a little bit of a battle of her trying to merge both of her worlds into one.” Kiara is one of the few characters who straddle the world between the haves (the Kooks) and have-nots (the Pogues), so discussion of class and privilege inevitably come up in her story. “I feel so empowered playing her and championing the spirit of young people who know what they want and are fighting for what they want. “I’m happy that we get deeper into the history of where the gold even came from. “I think Kiara is where the wind takes her kind of girl,” says Bailey “[Kiara and JJ have] had this chemistry. “And I get the most wonderful messages, comments, DMs, of people telling me how I’ve inspired them and how I’ve shown them that being yourself is the best option.” And has a little bit of that push and pull this season.” As for which character she would like to see Kiara explore her bisexuality with, Bailey doesn’t specify. “I think you can expect more of Kiara following her heart and passion. This season is them trying to figure out what that chemistry means and where that lands them. So it’s less of a decision to come out and more of a decision to be an open book with people,” Bailey tells PRIDE. For some, that kind of transparency and an accompanying vulnerability would have been frightening, but for Bailey, it was a no-brainer.