ET spoke to Esten at the show's season 3 premiere in Los Angeles Thursday.
The Outer Banks set is a magical place to be! ET's Will Marfuggi spoke to Charles Esten at the show's season 3 premiere in Los Angeles Thursday night where he spoke about the immediate bond amongst the cast.
"It's funny, because whenever it has popped, whenever something has happened, I promise you, I always feel a certain magic around it -- I can't put my finger on what it was. In this case, it was the chemistry of the kids," Esten shared. "It was that very first table read. I felt like, I thought maybe they had known each other a long, long time but it turned out they had just met. But that bond, I go, 'I would watch that.'"
He continued, "And then when you see how gorgeous this show is shot -- I don't know any other show, that a higher percentage of it takes place at sunset. It's the most golden, gorgeous show ever, and so between those two things, and the great writing, I'm just hanging on for dear life and loving every bit of it."
Esten, who has played Ward Cameron on the show since season 1, said his character is at a moral crossroads this season.
"I always think -- we don't knock you over the head with it, but it's a bit of a morality play," Esten explained. "At the end of season two, Ward has all the gold, he's got all the treasure, but he's kind of got nothing, so there's an emptiness there. Meanwhile, the Pogues are stuck on a deserted island, they have literally nothing, but they got each other so they have everything."
"So, I think it's gonna be a journey of Ward going, 'Now what?'" he added. "Certainly got to stay a step ahead of the law, but also, I have everything. What is it I really want, and what comes to that relationship with Sarah mostly? So, there's a lot to be dealt with there."
According to Netflix's synopsis, season 3 finds "the Pogues washed ashore on a desert island that, for a brief moment, seems like an idyllic home. Officially deemed 'Poguelandia,' the island’s newest residents spend their days fishing, swimming and reveling in the carefree lifestyle of their temporary dwelling. But things quickly go south for John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) when they find themselves once again caught up in a race for the treasure, quite literally running for their lives. They’re broke and far from home, they can’t trust anyone, Ward (Esten) and Rafe (Drew Starkey) are hungry for revenge and there’s a ruthless Caribbean Don who will stop at nothing to find the bounty. Was the treasure ever within their reach? Or was it all a trap to stop them once and for all? Either way, it’s the Pogues against the world -- and the only way out is together."
While he wouldn't tease much about the show's shocking season 3 finale, Esten did say it's one of those must-binge series' that you're gonna want to watch all in one sitting.
"I just think that we're a long way from that, it's a long ride," Esten said about the finale. "I know this: it's one of those shows, it just is, where if you're on episode six and it's midnight, you're watching 'till four-thirty or whenever it is. You're not gonna stop watching."
Season 4, meanwhile? The actor and musician said fans will just have to wait and see. Off-set, Esten is working on his new music, with the first track, "One Good Move," off his forthcoming debut album, due out March 3.
For more from Esten and the rest of the Outer Banks cast, check out the video below.
Outer Banks season 3 premieres Feb. 23 on Netflix.
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