“I cry all the time about it.” Outer Banks is officially coming to a close when its fifth and final season debuts on Aug. 20, and Carlacia Grant is feeling emotional about the end of an era. 

Among the Pogues, Grant’s character, Cleo Anderson, is an indisputable driving force. When she joined the fray in Season 2, it was quickly clear that Cleo would be the member of the group who’d challenge her friends to step up on every occasion — even if that meant getting kidnapped by a mercenary, blowing up the beloved Twinkie, or going back on that “no love club” oath to embrace a budding romantic connection. 

Grant’s Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline insists that she’s always been as much of a “badass” as Cleo — and she nods to one of Grant’s skills in particular that really benefits the whole group. “Carlacia is the queen when it comes to food mapping wherever we go,” says Cline. “She’s got it all planned out, figured out.” But when it comes to saying goodbye to the series she’s been a part of for four seasons, Grant is hesitant to jump into action. And who can blame her? The connection this group of actors shares is more precious than any coveted treasure.

Reflecting on the last day of filming back in December, Grant describes a memory that stands out. After a restless night spent texting her castmates and an emotional drive to set, she and the other Pogues gathered in the hair and makeup trailer, blasting “March Madness” by Future from a portable speaker. “We were in there playing music, dancing, and just like, ‘Wow, this is it,’” she says on an episode of Outer Banks: The Official Podcast. “That was a big moment.” 

It’s not really a surprise that this relatively run-of-the-mill hang is what Grant remembers most of that last day. More than the final take or the tearful on-set goodbyes, this moment is emblematic of what the actor will miss most now that Outer Banks is over — and of what drew her into the fold in the first place. “We have this language that sort of makes sense to absolutely no one,” she explains. “That’s the hardest thing. We have these inside jokes with each other and things that only we can understand.” That kind of singular bond is, of course, a result of working so closely for several years. But Grant insists there’s something slightly more intangible that’s been driving this level of closeness from the very beginning.

Before officially being cast on Outer Banks, Grant first read with Cline, Chase Stokes, who portrays John B. Routledge, and Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ Maybank. Grant says the experience was “love at first sight.” “It was just very cosmic, not only the way that we were able to read our lines together, but the in-between moments of offscreen chemistry and how we were able to just flow into each other.”

While Cleo slowly becomes a full-blown Pogue by proving her loyalty and utility over the course of that second season, Grant joined the group with immediate, undeniable ease. “I just remember how warm everyone was. I was a little bit nervous about where my place was going to be, but everyone went above and beyond, making me feel welcome from the very first day,” she says. “I got invited to the group chat not long after. Like, maybe a couple of days.”

But her co-stars say Grant — with the undefinable energy she brought to the group — made it easy for them to be open. “She’s been the biggest ball of joy to be around,” says Stokes. “Like talk about a quality human being.” Jonathan Daviss, who plays Cleo’s love interest and fellow Pogue, Pope, agrees. “Carlacia Grant kills her part. She had a big task of stepping into an already pretty established group of leads,” he recalls. “But she took it and ran with it, and fans love her. What a great addition.”

Daviss is right that Grant had a big task on her hands. Joining a series where fans had already forged a strong connection to the Pogues through virtual watch parties during the pandemic could’ve been tricky, but the fans instantly embraced Cleo and the actor portraying her. “They were all very curious as to what exactly this new character was when I was announced, but everyone was really, really excited to have her,” says Grant. It wasn’t long before she started getting recognized while grocery shopping, and even now, with the final season out in the world five years later, people regularly shout “cheese on bread” — Cleo’s favorite evergreen exclamation — when they spot her in public. 

Grant is eternally grateful for the fandom’s warm welcome and ongoing love. “It’s always really humbling and exciting that people resonate with my work. At the end of the day, I’m just a girl doing a job that I absolutely love and adore, so to be able to share my love and my dream with the world, and to get that same love and appreciation back — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 

Watch all five seasons of Outer Banks on Netflix now.

Watch the Outer Banks Cast Break Down Their Most Iconic Scenes