Madelyn Cline is heading to a very different, and far more dangerous, coastal area as she heads to Southport for I Know What You Did Last Summer. Cline first rose to stardom with her main role in the Carolinas-set Netflix teen adventure series Outer Banks, which just recently began filming its final season, as well as starring in Glᴀss Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The horror legacy sequel isn’t her only major project coming out this summer, either, as Cline can also be seen in the upcoming romantic drama The Map That Leads To You alongside Riverdale vet KJ Apa, which is coming out on August 20.
Cline stars in I Know What You Did Last Summer as Danica, one of a group of five friends who have lived with guilt for the past year after inadvertently causing a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly car accident and covering up their involvement. Though coming back together with her friends to celebrate her upcoming wedding, the group’s attempts to put the past behind them are eschewed when Danica’s fiancé is murdered, and they begin receiving threats from someone who knows what they did. As things continue to escalate, the group turn to returning characters Julie James and Ray Bronson for help.
In anticipation of the movie’s release, ScreenRant interviewed Madelyn Cline to discuss I Know What You Did Last Summer. The star opened up about her fears about bringing back one of the franchise’s most iconic scenes for the legacy sequel, her sweet interactions with the returning cast of the original film, and offered an update on Outer Banks season 5, as well as her feelings on bringing the Netflix show to a close.
I Know What You Did Last Summer’s Note Scene Was A “Scary Moment” For Cline
She Also Had Fun Playing It Through Her Character’s Eyes
Across the first two movies, the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise has included a few consistent scenes, particularly that of one of their protagonists finding a handwritten note with the тιтular message. While Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Julie James was typically the recipient of the letters in the original films, the 2025 legacy sequel sees Cline’s Danica as the one who gets the note, this time during a party hosted by her and her fiancé, at which her friends are also in attendance.
Though Hewitt was a part of the sequel’s production, reprising her role of Julie, Cline reveals she didn’t get the chance to discuss the scene with the returning star prior to filming, especially given it “was also my first week of filming“, making it even more of a “scary moment” for the new star. “It was like, ‘No pressure. No pressure at all. Just a major moment in the movie.’,” Cline said with a laugh.
Despite her initial fears about the scene, Cline went on to find it “interesting to play it through Danica’s filter“, as there was a duality between her and her character as there was “the pressure of having so many people watching” as she read the note. Explaining how the basis of the scene is that “her friends are back in town after so long” and that her “life has been turned upside down“, determining how to add “its own little Danica flair” was a treat for the star, given her character is “so fun and spiky and chaotic“.
Both Eras Of Cast Were One Big Family During Shooting
“…It Was Really Special And Kind Of Iconic…”
As is the case with other legacy sequels of late, particularly the Scream franchise’s revival, the new I Know What You Did Last Summer brings back original characters to build a bridge between original fans and newcomers, in this case being Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray. With Prinze Jr.’s real wife and former co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar also involved as a creative consultant, the pair “brought the whole family to Australia“, making for a rewarding experience for Cline as the film became “a family affair“.
They walked, so we could run, so it was nice to have their energy around.
“We had dinners together, and they hung out on set, and they just kind of became a part of the family,” Cline shared. “As they should, we’re here because of them. Yeah, it was really special and kind of iconic to share this experience with her, and with Freddie, and everyone who came back. It was a dream. Again, we are doing this because of them.“
The Outer Banks Cast Are “In Such A Good Mood” Filming Season 5
Cline Would Also Love To Return For A Spinoff Of The Show
Looking to the future, Cline is currently in the midst of shooting Outer Banks season 5, even being on location in North Carolina at the time of our interview, but making sure to take time to celebrate I Know What You Did Last Summer‘s release. Opening up about filming the Netflix show’s final season, Cline expressed that “everyone’s in such a good mood” during production, clarifying it’s not an “oh my God, we’re so excited to be finished” feeling, but instead are all “enjoying the experience“, particularly since it’s “our last go-around“.
Describing season 5’s filming as “every day is our last time doing this“, Cline went on to share that she, her co-stars and the crew are “really soaking in this last chapter of this novel of our lives that has spanned six years“. However, while filming the final season is fun for the Outer Banks cast, Cline also lamented the natural conditions of the Carolina coast in the summer, saying “it’s f—ing H๏τ” and recalling the challenge of filming a particular swamp scene.
“Yesterday, they put us in the swamp, and I was like, ‘Oh hell, where’s the good atтιтude?’,” Cline pondered with a chuckle. “Because right now I’m covered in 10 pounds of heat, swamp water, mosquitoes, sweat, and fake tan. My sensory issues are going crazy.“
With her being part of a legacy sequel in I Know What You Did Last Summer, we expressed our hope for an Outer Banks sequel show to happen in the future, which Cline is similarly ready for. The star went on to share that she “would love to come back and do a little cameo” and has told co-creator/co-showrunner Jonas Pate that, if he does “anything in the Outer Banks universe“, he allow her to “come back and do something really fun and silly“.
Stay tuned for our other I Know What You Did Last Summer interviews with:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon
- Freddie Prinze Jr. & Co-Writer/Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
I Know What You Did Last Summer hits theaters on July 18.
Source: ScreenRant Plus
