It has been almost six months since they aired the fourth season of Stranger Things and we don’t exactly know how long we’ll need to wait for the 5th season to come out. So, let’s ease our longing for the series with a list of unknowns about Stranger Things…
1. Stephen King May Have Helped Millie Bobby Brown A Little
In 2014, the famous author Stephen King wrote a tweet about Millie Bobby Brown’s role in TV series Intruders, saying:
‘Millie Brown, the girl in INTRUDERS, is terrific. Is it my imagination, or are child actors a lot better than they used to be?’
And it’s strongly possible that the casting crew of the show may have taken King’s words into account when they were auditioning Millie for the role of Eleven, as some of Stephen King’s novels were an inspiration for Stranger Things.
2. There Were Two Holly Wheelers
The role of Holly Wheeler (Mike’s little sister) is played by two actors in the series: the twin sisters Tinsley and Anniston Price.
The sisters had also portrayed the role of Judith Grimes (the daughter of Rick Grimes) together in The Walking Dead.
Credit: @finnwolfhardofficial
3. Gaten Matarazzo, The Strongest
In the eighth episode of the first season, there is a scene Eleven collapses to the ground because she uses too much power. Normally, she had been supposed to be carried by Mike after she falls but Millie Bobby Brown was too heavy for Finn Wolfhard, and Gaten Matarazzo was the only kid who was strong enough to carry her. So, the script has changed, and Dustin Henderson became the one who carried Eleven.
4. It Took 8 Hours To Make Vecna
Instead of using graphics, they decided to use makeup and prostheses to form Vecna to give him a more realistic and scary look. In an interview on YouTube, Barrie Gower, the prosthetic makeup artist of the show, said that it took 6 to 8 hours to complete the makeup of Vecna.
Credit: @barrygower
5. Second Coming of Running Up That Hill
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush was aired in 1985. The single was the most economically successful work of the singer and became very popular for long years, mostly on dance floors.
The song had never been forgotten because it kept being played again and again: it became the main theme song for a TV series in the United Kingdom, it was covered by the renowned band, Placebo, and it was played in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London during the closing ceremony etc. However, their effect wasn’t as strong as Stranger Things’ at all! Running Up That Hill became the number-one song on the U. K. Singles Chart in the summer of 2022. Before that, the song’s best was number 3.
6. There Were Over 1200 Kids In The Auditions of Stranger Things
The casting crew and Duffer Brothers had auditioned exactly 1213 kids to choose the best ones among them. 906 of these kids were boys and the other 307 were girls.
Credit: @finnwolfhardofficial
7. Steve Was a Swimmer First
Before the show began, the directors planned to make Steve Harrington a swimmer. That’s why Joe Keery took swimming lessons for six weeks. We don’t know the reason why the directors changed their idea, but Steve ended up not being a swimmer in the show. His swimming scene in the 4th season took our breaths, though!
8. Mike Could Have Been Somebody Else
On the day of auditioning for the main characters, Finn Wolfhard got so ill that he couldn’t go to the auditions. However, he didn’t give up easily. He recorded a video on his bed at home. He sent the video to the casting crew, and voila, he became the Mike Wheeler we know.
9. Sadie’s Tiny Lie For Getting The Part in Stranger Things
Almost right after Sadie Sink finished watching the first season of Stranger Things, her agent called her and said that she got an audition for a role in the series.
During her audition, they asked Sadie if she had any skating experience. She could not lose the chance to have a role in Stranger Things, so she answered: ”Yes, I do.”, even though she didn’t.
10. Real Good Friends: Dustin and Steve
Credit: @gatenm123
Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery became close friends in real life over the years. The energy they have as a duo in the set made Duffer Brothers think that Dustin and Steve could also spread a similar kind of energy to the audience. In condition, we got the chance to see Steve and Dustin together, way more than it was supposed to.
11. A Nice Gesture to Movies That Inspired Stranger Things
Before starting filming, the actors and the directors watched some adventure movies centred around child characters, such as The Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me, and Poltergeist. Then, as a gesture, some of these and other influential movies’ posters were used in some scenes of Stranger Things.