Ahead of the premiere of Prime Video’s brand new YA series, The Runarounds, I had the pleasure of talking to stars Will Lipton, Zendé Murdock, Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, Jeremy Yun, Lilah Pate, Kelley Pereira, Marley Aliah, and Director Jonas Pate for an exclusive junket conversation.
The Runarounds takes place in Wilmington, North Carolina in the same universe as Pate’s hit show Outer Banks, and follows the story of a high school band attempting to achieve fame and success in the music industry following graduation.
Making this show extra unique is the fact that The Runarounds are also touring and releasing music as a real life band outside of the show. Will Lipton, who plays lead singer Charlie Cooper, spoke about how when the five of them first met during the audition process for the show, they clicked instantly and becoming a real band was the natural next step. Make sure to check out their upcoming show dates at https://therunarounds.com/#tour.
Lilah Pate, who plays Sophia Kinney, said that she’s excited to see fans root for the relationship between Bender (Aliah) and Neil (Ellis) and that Bender’s character is a great example of knowing your worth. Pereira also talked about the excitement of joining the legacy of iconic teen shows filmed in Wilmington, especially Dawson’s Creek.
Jonas Pate explained that after having the idea to create the show, he started off by putting the band in an episode of Outer Banks. This was most of the members’ first acting role, and Pate felt it was important to cast people who were musicians first, and then help coach them to grow as actors. They were all up for the challenge, and have been able to grow into the characters throughout the first season.
Season 1 of The Runarounds is streaming in full now, exclusively on Prime Video.