'Outer Banks' Star Madison Bailey Teases Kiara and JJ's Relationship in Season 3: 'They're Kindred Spirits'

Madison Bailey knew Outer Banks was going to be special early on.

Since its premiere in 2020, the Netflix series has amassed a huge following as well as jump-start the careers of its young stars.

"From our first few couple days on set, I knew we had something," Bailey, 24, tells PEOPLE.

"I'm just so grateful that what we knew was special other people felt was special," she adds. "I think this third season is really going to catapult all of that."

With the show's upcoming season, Bailey teases that there are plenty of new adventures and romances in store, including JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Kiara (Bailey) finally "going there" with their relationship.

Following Kiara's failed romances with John B. (Chase Stokes) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss), the actress says she knew there had to be something different with how they tackled Kiara and JJ's relationship.

"I'm really happy with the way that it played out," she says. "You see a little bit of their struggle with trying to find their common ground. There's chemistry, but how do they make something more out of chemistry? I thought it was cool to play with the back-and-forth of this season. Kiara is very much fighting for him to see that she cares. She wants to be seen and for him to know that she has his back."

She adds that the characters always felt like "kindred spirits," which is why she feels like they're a good fit for each other.

"Kiara sees in him the life that she wants to live and is pulled back by her parents for the life that they want for her," she says. "She sees a certain freedom in him."

With all the lighthearted moments this season, there is also a lot of conflict and struggle, taking the characters to some dark places.

For those intense moments, Bailey says the cast really leans on each other behind the scenes. "We all do different things to get into character, and a lot of times in these heavier scenes we are pulling from real things," she explains.

"[We just try] to be there for each other and give each other space and know that even when we call, 'Cut,' we are still in a certain head space and just remaining respectful in those moments. I know Chase has come up to me after a scene and calmed my nerves to get out of that dark place. We all just have each other's back of being like, 'Hey, you're safe here. You're good.'"

Bailey adds that she's incredibly grateful for the close-knit bond she and her costars share off screen, supporting each other in their personal lives and professionally.

"All of us started this project in the same position," she says. "We were all on a grind and then we all got this saving grace of a project, in a way. "It means the world to me to have people who I can lean on, who are going through the exact same thing as me."

It's that same theme of friendship that Bailey feels is the pinnacle of the show. "I hope you can turn [the show] on, escape your problems, get into our character's problem, but relax and get the overall message. The meaning of life is such a theme in our show. A good takeaway away would be [that] friendship and loving people is better than any type of currency."

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Outer Banks season 3 premieres Thursday on Netflix.