Grab Your Walkie Talkies and Catch up With the ‘Stranger Things’ Cast, Plus the Latest Scoop on Season 5!
Plus, learn the latest season five news
In the realm of television, very few shows are as fun, dangerous and nostalgic as Stranger Things. The series is set in the 1980s and follows a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana, trying to get to the bottom on their friend’s disappearance. Along the way, the Stranger Things cast discovers different dimensions, creatures known as Demogorgans, people with powers and so much more.
Stranger Things has won 12 Emmys and was the most-watched show of 2022. It’s aired for four seasons, with a fifth and final one set to release in 2025.
To learn who is set to star in season 5 and what the Stranger Things cast really thinks of the show, keep reading!
Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
Candian actor Finn Wolfhard was only 13 when, in 2016, he was cast as Mike Wheeler — his first starring role — in Stranger Things.
Before heading off to The Upside Down, Wolfhard appeared in an episode each of The 100 (2014) and Supernatural (2015).
Wolfhard has appeared in all four seasons of Stranger Things and is set to star in the fifth, though he hopes his character will be a bit more involved this time out. In season 4, his storyline mainly revolved around driving across the country to try and find Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
“We really didn’t shoot very much for the first few months of production, because they were so focused on all the Hawkins stuff. So I was really jealous,” Wolfhard told The Hollywood Reporter. “Even when I finally watched the show, my favorite part was watching the other guys in Hawkins. I just liked that storyline so much. So, yeah, not being around everyone all the time was definitely a bummer about filming season 4, but 5 is the opposite. We’re all together all the time.”
When he’s not fighting Demogorgans, Wolfhard can be seen starring in It (2017), Dog Days (2018), It Chapter Two (2019) and the new Ghostbusters films (2021 and 2024).
Did you know? Wolfhard had to film his audition tape for Stranger Things in bed because he was sick at the time.
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Noah Schnapp as Will Byers: Stranger Things cast
If it hadn’t been for Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) disappearance, Stranger Things would not have existed. After all, the vanishing of Will sets the whole storyline in motion.
Schnapp’s earlier credits include Bridge of Spies (2015) and voicing Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie (2015), which was followed by Stranger Things.
In the show, Will is perceived as being gay, and because of that storyline, Schanpp felt the courage to come out himself.
“Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,” Schnapp said in 2023. “I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have the will to portray myself and embrace and help myself accept myself. I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.”
Schnapp is set to star in season 5 of Stranger Things. He is also working on earning his degree in entrepreneurship and innovation from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is set to graduate in 2026.
Did you know? Despite season 1 of Stranger Things revolving around Will’s disappearance, Scnhapp wasn’t in the show’s opening credits until season 2.
Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
Broadway star Gaten Matarazzo only had one film and TV credit to his name before becoming Dustin in 2016. And while Matarazzo has been in every season and episode of the show, sometimes he wishes that wasn’t the case.
“It might sound messed up, but we should kill more people,” Matarazzo said in 2024. “This show would be so much better if the stakes were much higher, like, at any moment, any of these kids can kick it. I feel like we’re all too safe.”
Outside of Hawkins, Indiana, Matarazzo does a lot of voiceover work. He can be heard in The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) and My Father’s Dragon (2022).
Did you know? Matarazzo was the first person to be cast in Stranger Things.
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair: Stranger Things cast
Similar to Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin started acting on Broadway in The Lion King. He also had a few one-episode stints on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Unforgettable (2014) and Forever (2014).
Then he became the slingshot-wielding Lucas Sinclair, which changed his life forever and even earned him a pair of NAACP nominations.
“Stranger Things has been a big part of my life,” the actor admitted in 2023. “I have been able to travel the world and meet lots of different people. It’s given me opportunities to be in films like Shooting Stars and to meet my idols. It’s had a big impact on my life and where I want to be in my career.”
Outside of Stranger Things, McLaughlin has made quite a name for himself, working on things like High Flying Bird (2019), Shooting Stars (2023) and The Book of Clarence (2023).
Did you know? In season 4, Lucas joins his high school basketball team and wears the number 8 jersey. This was chosen by McLaughlin to honor the late Kobe Bryant.
Mille Bobby Brown as Eleven, AKA Jane Hopper
English actress Mille Bobby Brown was perhaps the most well-known child actor coming into Stranger Things. Brown was in Intruders (2014), Modern Family (2015) and even Grey’s Anatomy (2015). Then she became the telepathic Eleven.
But despite all of the press, fame and even Emmy nominations that came from playing Eleven, Brown is ready for it to be over.
“Stranger Things takes up a lot of time to film and it’s preventing me from creating stories that I’m passionate about. So I’m ready to say, ‘Thank you, and goodbye,'” Brown said in 2023.
When she is not moving objects with her mind, Brown can be seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Enola Holmes 1 and 2 (2020/2022) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). She also recently married Jake Bongiovi and has a makeup company called Florence by Mills.
Brown is set to star in season 5 of Stranger Things.
Did you know? Throughout season one, Brown only had 42 lines, most of which were just one or two-word answers. Her longest line was only seven words long: “Just… Just hold on a little longer”.
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield: Stranger Things cast
Sadie Sink didn’t join the cast until season 2, but her character Max quickly became a fan favorite.
Sink’s earlier works include starring as Annie on Broadway, 11 episodes of American Odyssey (2015) and one episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmit (2016). That was the last thing she worked on before becoming Max at the young age of 14.
Now, eight years later, Sink is still starring in the show and doesn’t want it to end! “It [the end] is going to be horrible. These kids, this entire cast and crew, this is like — I mean, it’s family. People say it all the time, but I genuinely mean it,” she told Today in 2023. “And to think that we have to kind of say goodbye to that security and knowing that we won’t be seeing each other for another season, it’s scary and sad.”
Sink’s other titles include the Fear Street trilogy (2021), The Whale (2022) and even a Taylor Swift music video.
Sink is set to star in season 5, but it is unclear in what capacity due to her (no spoilers) character’s unfortunate ending in season 4.
Did you know? Despite her character, Max, being an avid skateboarder, Sink actually had no experience skateboarding when she booked the role. Sink also lied during her audition and said she did so in the hopes that it would help her.
Winona Ryder as Joyce Beyers
Eighties star Winona Ryder joined the Stranger Things cast in season 1 and has remained on it ever since. Her character, Joyce, is best known for trying to talk to her son Will (Schnapp) through Christmas lights and her potential romance with Jim Hopper (David Harbour).
“Joyce wasn’t that interesting of a character until we cast Winona,” Matt Duffer, one of the show creators, said. “She’s such a unique actress that we wanted to lean into her skill set.”
Aside from playing Joyce, Ryder is well known for her work in Beetlejuice (1988), Heathers (1988), Little Women (1994) and Girl, Interrupted (1999).
Ryder is set to star in season 5, with a big part of her storyline revolving around her relationship with Hopper.
Did you know? Ryder was born in 1971, meaning she would have been almost the exact age the kids are supposed to be in Stranger Things.
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David Harbour as Jim Hopper: Stranger Things cast
Emmy nominee David Harbour plays the grouchy police chief Jim Hopper, who secretly has a heart of gold.
Prior to that, Harbour was in Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Wedding Weekend (2006), Weekend (2006), Between Us (2012) and Suicide Squad (2016). Then he became Hopper.
Harbour loves playing the character and even credits him for helping the actor to get ready to be a father. “I feel like there was something in Hopper that had a deep need for family, and there was something in me that had it, too, but that I wasn’t even aware of,” he said in 2021. “As I began to explore this role, the role allowed me to do that in my real life.”
When he’s not in Hawkins, Harbour can spotted working on things like Black Widow (2021), Violent Night (2022) and Gran Turismo (2023). He is married to Lily Allen, and they have one child together.
Did you know? In order to make his character’s storyline in season 4 more believable, Harbour lost a bunch of weight and shaved his head. It was quite a big transformation from how he (and his character) looked in previous seasons.
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Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
Steve Harrington (AKA Steve “The Hair” Harrington) could not have been played by anyone other than Joe Keery.
“I owe my whole career to being on that show, and all the opportunities that I had since are because of that show,” Keery said in 2023. He has been on the series since season 1 and will be in the final season.
Keery is best known for his work in Stranger Things, but he has also been in Molly’s Game (2017), Free Guy (2021) and Marmalade (2024). He also is an avid musician. His latest album, DECIDE, came out in 2022.
Did you know? Steve was originally supposed to be very mean, aggressive and was even going to sexually assault Nancy (Natalie Dyer) in season one, but after meeting Keery, production changed their minds.
Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler: Stranger Things cast
Natalia Dyer was basically unknown before becoming Nancy Wheeler, working on things like Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), Don’t Let Me Go (2013) and I Believe in Unicorns (2014).
Then she became Nancy, older sister of Mike (Wolfhard), who gets caught in a love triangle between Steve (Keery) and Jonathan Dyers (Charlie Heaton), which she really enjoys.
“I think one of my favorite things about being in this show is getting to play with all the other actors and letting my character play with different characters in different dynamics,” Dyer said in 2022.
Dyer has been in a few other things in between seasons of Stranger Things, among them Tuscaloosa (2019) and All Fun and Games (2023).
Did you know? Just like their characters, Dyer and Heaton are dating in real life.
Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
English actor Charlie Heaton only had seven credits to his name before starring in Stranger Things as Jonothan Byers, who is reportedly very similar to him.
“I can relate to Jonathan as a person,” he said in 2019. “I’m not extremely introverted, but there is an element of me that shares that with his personality. He’s an outsider, but he knows who he is and what he likes, and that was interesting [to me].”
Heaton’s other titles include The New Mutants (2020), No Future (2021) and The Souvenir: Part II (2021).
Heaton has one child with his ex, Akiki Matsuura.
Did you know? In the show, Jonathon is a big fan of the band The Clash, but in real life, Heaton really doesn’t like their music.
Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley: Stranger Things cast
Rounding out the Stranger Things cast is Maya Hawke, who joined the show in season 3.
Hawke is the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, but she didn’t start acting until 2017 when she starred in the Little Women mini-series. She was also in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood that same year.
Then she became Robin Buckley, Steve’s (Keery) best friend and coworker.
When asked about her character’s friendship, Hawke said, “Friendships have been carrying me through my life. I think they’re really important, and they deserve their airtime.”
She also expressed regarding season 5, “I would love to die and get my hero’s moment. Any actor would.”
Hawke is set to star in Inside Out 2 in 2024, and also has a very successful music career.
Did you know? Despite being musical herself, Hawke cannot play the trumpet, even though Robin can.
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Stranger Things season 5
It was announced on The Stranger Things Instagram on Jan. 8, 2024 that season 5 was currently in production, with all of the cast members mentioned above set to star in it. The first episode will be called “Chapter One: The Crawl”.
It is unclear what season 5 will be about though, but it has been confirmed that it is the last season of the show. It is expected to start streaming in 2025.
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