Lilah Pate Is Ready To Lead

It’s easy to recognize Lilah Pate. The 22-year-old actor has gone viral for her scene-stealing moments in shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty and Outer Banks — and this fall, she stepped into a lead role in the musical drama series The Runarounds. “I love when people are like, ‘Wait, is that the same person? How did she become all these summer shows?’” she says.

The series, which aired Sept. 1 on Prime Video, follows a group of recent high school graduates who spend the summer pursuing music, finding trouble, and making memories. Pate plays Sophia Kinney, an overachieving songwriter and the love interest of lead singer Charlie Cooper.

For Pate, stepping into this kind of role was a long time coming. “I came out of the womb wanting to perform. Luckily, being from a family that is involved in this industry, I got to witness what it was like to be on a set from a very early age,” she says. (Her father, Jonas Pate, is best known as the co-creator and executive producer of Outer Banks, and is also the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for The Runarounds.)

I'll always struggle with a bit of imposter syndrome. It would be crazy for me not to.

Despite her early ambitions, Pate’s parents made her wait until she was almost 18 to start auditioning. “I made a whole pitch. I had a Google Docs presentation on it,” she says. They agreed, but when it came time to find an agent, Pate’s father didn’t call in any favors. Instead, she made the two-hour drive from her home in Wilmington to an open casting call at an agency in Raleigh.

Her second-ever professional audition (and one of the first jobs she booked) was for a small role in The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1. From there, more and more gigs started rolling in — including a small part in Outer Banks as Peeler, a character who fans loved for her pronunciation of “dead body” in the show. “I'm so blessed to have been these tiny parts of these mega hits,” Pate says. “Now, being at the forefront of a summery young adult show is so, so cool. I love it.”

Finding success in this industry has involved a mix of emotions for Pate — pride, but also some self-doubt, thanks to her connections. “I'll always struggle with a bit of imposter syndrome. It would be crazy for me not to,” she says. “I kind of look at it like I was born in front of the door. I've had to figure out how to open it, and I'm going to have to figure out how to stay in the room. But most people can never find the door, no matter how hard they try.”

While the fate of a potential Runarounds Season 2 is still undecided, Pate is keeping busy. Right now, she’s filming a movie in London — she can’t spill too many details, but does reveal that she booked it through a “singing audition.”

Once she finishes, she’ll be meeting up with the Outer Banks cast, who are currently filming Season 5 in Croatia. “I’m going to visit them and stay for a bit, so I'm super excited,” she says. It’s also a chance to reconnect with one of her closest friends, Madelyn Cline. “She's the best. I'm so, so lucky to know her. Half of my closet is at her house in LA. She has housed me, she takes care of me.”

Before heading off for that reunion, Pate dishes on her Runarounds group chat and her aspirations to be Role Model’s next Sally.

Elite Daily: What’s your favorite comfort watch?

Lilah Pate: The Office. I'm currently rewatching it again. I need to try The Paper, too.

ED: Last show you watched in one sitting?

LP: Is it narcissistic to say The Runarounds? It’s only because I've been working so much, so that’s the only show I've actually sat down to watch the second it came out. I was like, "Ah!"

I think in reality, I'd be like, ‘Belly, stand up. There are more men in the world.’

ED: You were in The Summer I Turned Pretty — are you Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad?

LP: No comment. Well... No, I love both of them. For the story, I can't help but want Conrad because I feel like we're made to want him, but I think in reality, I'd be like, "Belly, stand up. There are more men in the world.”

ED: Dream co-star or collaborator?

LP: My dream director to work with would be Greta Gerwig. For actors, I really, really want to work with Florence Pugh — I'm obsessed with her — and Margaret Qualley. I really look up to both of them and hope to have careers like theirs one day.

ED: Do you have a dream role?

LP: I don't think so. I've thought a lot about this. I just want to keep making art that matters to me. A dream would be to act in something that I direct and/or write.

ED: Biggest pinch-me moment?

LP: Definitely the premiere of The Runarounds, when we got to watch the first episode on the big screen at the DGA [Directors Guild of America theater]. Will [Lipton] and I stood up and just looked at each other. It meant everything to us — getting to see a live audience react to it.

ED: Do you have a group chat with The Runarounds cast?

LP: Yes, it’s called “You're Fixing.” The group text goes off almost every day. Almost all the TikToks that are made about the show get thrown in there, like whenever we see people having watch parties. Someone just sent a screenshot of a promposal: "Will you Runaround with me at HoCo?"

ED: Post-Runarounds, what are you manifesting right now?

LP: I’m a big Role Model fan, so being Sally is one of my goals in life.

ED: Any career manifestations — besides being Sally?

LP: I'm also manifesting a couple of projects that I hear are in the works. At the same time, I’m trying to be as grateful as possible. There's this excitement — and also pressure — to be like, "What's the next thing?” I’m always trying to push forward, but I also try to be present.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.