Chase Stokes Calls Mental Health Journey ‘Evolving Battle’ (Exclusive)

Chase Stokes is taking charge of his life.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the actor, 33, says that staying grounded and prioritizing his mental wellness while being in the public eye has “been an ever-evolving battle.” Alongside the success of his role in the Netflix television blockbuster Outer Banks, he says the “one thing” he’s learned to do now is to set his boundaries.

Stokes explains that, through his role as John B. Routledge, he’s fostered “beautiful” connections with fans of the show. After all, it premiered and gained popularity at the “right place, right time, and in a very unfortunate time in the world [during the COVID-19 lockdown]. And so many people have taken it into their homes and watched it countless, countless times.”

But at the end of the day, “there is a human behind the character and more times than not, people will come up to me and say, ‘Can I get a photo?’ ” he says, emphasizing wanting to have genuine conversations with viewers. “That means they’ve invested in my work, they know the character, they know the show. I’m so proud of that. But one thing that I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older and standing a little more firm on my own two feet is that I’m not just a zoo animal. I don’t just exist for a photo.”

“I’m hyper-aware and not tone-deaf to the fact that I’m super fortunate that in the early chapters of my career, I have had a show that’s been a global hit,” he adds, but “just because people feel so connected to it, it doesn’t mean that I’m just still the face on their phone or the face on the iPad. I’m a human.”

With the fifth and final season of Outer Banks slated for 2026, Stokes anticipates the next chapter of his life to have “a lot of unknowns.” It’ll be “difficult” and “tough” moving on with the show not being a “pillar” in his life for almost a decade, but he knows that leaping into this phase will go hand in hand with his “lifelong journey” of working on his mental wellness.

“At 33, I’m actively doing that. I’m in therapy every week. I’m asking the right questions, challenging myself to be better and just understanding that every day is going to be a different journey,” he says.

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Destigmatizing mental health and advocating for accessible resources have been big in Stokes’ off-screen initiatives, especially through his work with eyewear brand, Zenni Optical.

Last October, the soon-to-be director, who first partnered with the online retailer in April 2024, took part in the Vision of Wellness campaign, which donated proceeds of up to $25,000 to Bring Change to Mind, a youth-oriented nonprofit co-founded by Glenn Close and created to raise awareness around mental health education.

Stokes has been a part of the organization for years and created special-edition glasses with Zenni Optical to celebrate its mission. This past May, Stokes and the brand reunited for the “I Run For…” campaign launched during Mental Health Awareness Month.

“I grew up in a time where [mental health] wasn’t destigmatized. [Seeking out resources] was very much [perceived as], ‘you’re giving up’ or ‘you’re not strong enough to handle it,’ ” he says. Now, Stokes wants to encourage others to take the subject seriously as he’s done over the course of his own life, noting that “it’s a part of me and it’s part of who I am.”