“Break up or get married” Fiona Palomo reveals “Thrilling storyline” for Sophia and Rafe in ‘Outer Banks’ Season 5

With less than a week left until the return of Outer Banks and the conclusion of Season 4, we have a lot of questions. One of them is pondering if Rafe (Drew Starkey) will face repercussions for going all-in with Hollis (Brianna Brown). After backing out originally from going into business with her, he’s advised by his girlfriend Sophia (Fiona Palomo) to invest. But what he doesn’t know is that Sophia is working with Hollis, and the deal is, in fact, a bit of a con.

Of all the different plots Outer Banks has thrown at us over the years, giving Rafe a romantic interest is definitely one of the big ones. We first met Sophia back in Season 3, just in passing, when she hooked up with Rafe at a house party, but as of Season 4, she’s become a full fixture in his life. But unlike his Kook friends — like the perpetually douchey Topper (Austin North) — Sophia is a working girl and a Pogue.

But as we saw in Part 1 of Season 4, her relationship with Rafe has grown much deeper since their initial liaison, and he seemingly trusts her. As the two grow closer, it’s only when Rafe callously speaks down about her to his friends when she’s not around that she agrees to go all in on Hollis’ scheme. But, because nothing can be easy in this show, that doesn’t mean that Sophia is now working against her boyfriend. In fact, she seems more conflicted than ever by the end of Part 1.

We spoke with actor Fiona Palomo about her character Sophia and her complicated relationship with Rafe. We talked about how she and actor Drew Starkey filled in the gaps between the seasons with each other and discussed how Fiona views the leading Pogues of the show. We also discussed her betrayal of Rafe and where her loyalties might lie before Palomo teased just a little about what might be in-store for Part 2.

You can check out the full interview in the video above or the transcript below.

How Did Palomo and Drew Starkey Work on the Relationship Between Sophia and Rafe?

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COLLIDER: When you got this role, did you know that Sophia was going to play such a large part in Rafe’s life, and if not, when did you find out like, ‘Oh, this is a much bigger part than I thought it would be?’

FIONA PALOMO: Oh, that’s cool. I like that question. No, I didn’t. Frankly, you tend to not get a lot of information when auditions come in. So, just earlier on, I had actually auditioned, like, years before, back in 2018, I think I had auditioned for another role in Outer Banks, and then I watched it when it came out. Then I had this audition come in for Sophia, and I was like, “Oh, sure, this show! That’s cool.” And I knew that she would be close to Rafe and everything, but I didn’t know that I would develop like that even in Season 3, I think there was going to be a lot less of her, and it started opening up. So, it’s really beautiful.

How did you work with Drew [Starkey] and formulate this relationship? Because obviously in Season 4, the relationship, there’s a lot more of it, obviously. The relationship is a lot closer too.

PALOMO: Well, Drew is a wonderful person. He’s a great human being and spectacular actor, and he really cares for his craft and, you know, to sit down and kind of break the scenes down, and I very much do, too. So it was very easy to kind of get into that head space together every time, and just every time we were on set and working, we just developed the characters more and more, and then we all got along great from the beginning, I think. So, it was a very nice and smooth, he was very welcoming to me. So it was very easy to just, organically, every time we went to work to say, “Okay, you know, why do you say this? Why do I say that? Does this make more sense?” And kind of break it down until it felt like these characters had a story, almost like in the little limbo between Seasons 3 and 4. Because okay, she just shows up in three, but you know what’s their story? So, we have to give it that kind of weight, I guess, which doesn’t exist, and you just have to make sure it translates to screen. But it’s very easy when people care about their craft, and they’re kind about it, very wonderful.

What Attracts Sophia to Rafe?

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Definitely. I’m curious, what do you think attracts Sophia to Rafe? Because obviously, Rafe, I mean, I guess maybe everybody in that world doesn’t know how kooky Rafe can be sometimes, but he’s, obviously a lot, let’s just say.

PALOMO: [Laughs] He’s a lot, yeah. As she mentioned in Season 3, she’s just had her eye on him. I think it almost, I would say, it began almost from a point of curiosity. I think if she’s used to working at this country club or seeing all these sort of characters and Kooks and everything, she must see so many people, and also from this position of being silent in that world and just seeing everyone around her. I think he catches her eye, and it stems just from curiosity, almost. I think she’s able to see that he’s putting on a face, and that there’s something more to him. And I think she just leans into wanting to understand it and then take care of it and so on. But I think she’s just really set on loving him and bringing out the best in him.

Yeah, I mean she’s a good influence on him, obviously!

PALOMO: [Laughs] Yeah, exactly!

How Much Does Sophia Know About the Pogues?

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What do you think Sophia’s impressions are of the Pogues specifically? Does she have any impressions of them, or is everything she knows from them kind of from Rafe?

PALOMO: I think she must be aware of them. I kind of picture it like a bit of a neighborhood thing where you’re like, “Oh yeah, this is the kid that lives, you know, bit down the street,” or anything like that. Any smaller town, I think, that becomes kind of the dynamic where you’re very aware of other people. But I think she’s probably mostly heard about closer stories through him. So, she’s always looking through different lenses, and she’s like, “Well, is it that difficult of a relationship? Like, why don’t you just do this and everything?” But I think it’s like, a bit innocent, and just she’s in her own corner just watching everyone else.

Well, she kind of was innocent, but now she’s sort of tied in with Hollis and all of that drama.

PALOMO: Oh yeah!

Palomo Teases Big Changes for Both Sophia and Rafe

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So can you talk about how that relationship is going to change now? Especially, I mean, I wouldn’t say she betrays him, but she does kind of betray his trust, I guess, is the best way to put it.

PALOMO: Well, I’m terrified of accidentally spoiling anything. But as for what’s out in Part 1, yeah, I think [there’s] really beautiful tones and changes to play with [that] gives a nice little arc because, you know, they’re coming from such an intimate place where he’s kind of sharing his doubts and questions, and she’s there to support him, and she leans on him too. And then suddenly, I think that face that he had on comes in through and then she ends up doing the same. And, yeah… It gets amazing though, there’s a really cool little change with both characters.

Palomo Jokes About Wanting To Sit Sophia Down for a Talk About Rafe

Obviously, we know Rafe has done some stuff. I’m curious if Sophia knows anything about how checkered his past is. Does she know about it? How does she feel about it? Does she think she can change him? Which, girl, probably not, but…

PALOMO: [Laughs] I think she might be aware of it through maybe stories or things of that sort, but just as a teenager or a very, very, very young adult, I think she just has this kind of thing of being so set on being like, “No, no, I know who you are,” and everything, that she’s happy to look past these things, or maybe not sit down and actually question them. But I don’t think there’s necessarily much logic to it, other than just being really eager to love this other person and support them. But I don’t think she would necessarily have the full truth as to what he has done before.

Can Blackbeard’s Treasure Really Be Found Off the ‘Outer Banks’?

Not every treasure comes in gold.

Right, I mean that’s a lot to tell someone.

PALOMO: She hears it and she’s just like, “I don’t care, I love him!”

I mean, maybe she should investigate into that a little bit more!

PALOMO: I completely agree with you! [Laughs] I would have a talk with Sophia myself, like, “Listen…”

You can’t just ignore some of these things.

PALOMO: Exactly.

There’s like problematic world views, and then, like, drowning your sister. There’s a divide.

PALOMO: [Laughs] There’s a spectrum! A line!

Palomo on Sophia’s Family and What They Think of Rafe

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Where do you think her family stands with her dating Rafe, and will we see any more of their involvement in Part 2?

PALOMO: Um, the family involvement? What family?

Yeah, Sophia’s family specifically. Like her Dad is kind of involved with Hollis as well, I think.

PALOMO: I think a little bit in a way, but I think it’s mostly what we saw, as far as, you know, the whole little family together. I think they’re just letting her have her own, like, I don’t know, kind of go into her own world and decision with it? I think she from the cute little scenes with the family, she always comes in, she’s very sure, she’s like, “I know what I’m doing, it’s fine,” you know. So I think it’s at that age where it’s like, “Just leave me alone, Mom or Dad,” you know, like, “I got this!” But I don’t think they necessarily feel good or safe about it at all. I think it’s an enormous contrast.

Right, right. I mean, like most of the parents and children in this show, there’s kind of a gap!

Palomo Teases a “Thrilling Arc” for Rafe and Sophia

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I just want to touch a little bit on Part 2 and ask you, what you can tease for us. Will we ever see Sophie as, I guess, loyalty to Rafe waiver, or does it strengthen in the second part of the season.

PALOMO: Oh geez. I really don’t want to get in trouble, because I don’t have a proper guideline with that, but I will say it’s very exciting, and there’s a lot of turns, and I think it just gets more like in crescendo, like, it just develops into this really thrilling arc for the characters, I think, individually and together. So I’ll just say that and not get in trouble.

If there’s somebody that you haven’t shared a screen time with, is there a character that you think Sophia would work really well with on screen together, even if it’s a contentious relationship or something like that? Is there somebody that you’re like, “Oh, I wish I had a scene with that character.”

PALOMO: Oh, that’s so hard, because I really wish I got to share more screen time with all my classmates, really. Someone the other day mentioned that we thought that Kiara and Sophia would be an interesting duo, and I guess that’s a nice little one that would be interesting to see. But really, I would love to share more screen time with all my castmates. But that’s a cute little, if you think about it, why they would even end up together. It’s nice. Kiara.

I mean, this show has a tendency to put people together that I never would have thought!

PALOMO: I know! I can’t even find logic in that right now, but someone said it the other day and I was like, “I’m gonna go with that!”

Outer Banks Season 4 Part 2 streams on November 7 on Netflix in the U.S.