Actor Joseph Quinn went viral and caught the attention of many for his stellar performance as an 80’s metalhead in “Stranger Things” season 4.
The actor starred as Eddie Munson in the fourth season of the Netflix series. While the fan-favorite character was killed off at the end of the season, Quinn gained many accolades for his performance on the show.
During a recent interview Quinn admitted that he found his character cringeworthy and “weird.” The actor explained that he felt this way because he was required to wear a “big wig” and do an American accent for the role.
It was a strange and different experience for the British actor, who has an English accent and normally wears short curly hair. Quinn also said he felt a “physical” disconnect from the character. While he didn’t like watching himself on the season, Quinn enjoyed seeing his co-stars perform.
Keep reading to find out more.
It Was Weird For Joseph Quinn To Watch Himself
Quinn admitted how proud he was of himself on the show during an interview with Esquire Singapore (via Insider). The actor recalled his performances in previous films like “Kin” in 2017 and “Overlord” in 2018 and realized how much “growth” had happened over the years. However, he admitted that watching himself in “Stranger Things” was weird.
Quinn said, “With Eddie, it was a very weird experience because obviously, I had this big wig on, and I was trying to do my best American accent. The star also shared that he felt very different from his character. He said, “It was this kind of physical and role difference at the same time.”
Joseph Quinn In ‘Stranger Things’
Quinn’s character, Eddie Munson, was the leader of the “Dungeons & Dragons” club at Hawkins High School. After witnessing the horrific death of a classmate, Chrissy Cunningham (played by Grace Van Dien), he joined the rest of the show’s main cast to protect Hawkins from Vecna and the forces of the Upside down.
The character’s long, dark hair and quirky behavior contrasted with the actor’s real-life physical appearance and reserved personality. Munson also had a bat tattoo which foreshadowed his death by bats in the last episode of the season. His puppet-master tattoo also foreshadowed his most talked about scene from the show.
In the season finale, the star played an electric guitar to the tune of Metallica’s “Master Of Puppets” and got fans excited. A Twitter fan called the scene the “most metal performance I’ve ever witnessed.” He also wrote, “Shredding Metallica’s Master of Puppets in a literal hellscape, Eddie Munson: The Freak, The Banished, THE HERO🤘.”
The performance also got Quinn a chance to perform on-stage with the Metallica band. A surprised fan tweeted, “I can’t believe Metallica included Eddie in their master of puppets performance; it’s such a huge deal!!.”
The American Accent Stressed Him Out
Quinn also revealed how stressful it was to pull off an American accent for the season. On a July episode of the “Off Menu“ podcast, the “Game Of Thrones” star explained how it felt to change his accent for the role. He said, “You feel like a sociopath.”
The star also explained that he got nervous and wondered whether he was fit for the role or sounded good enough. Quinn said, “After a while I was so far down the rabbit hole, at points I’d be like, ‘Do I sound good? Do you like this? Do you like what I’m doing?”
While Quinn doubted his performance in the season, many fans took to Twitter to express their pride in him. One tweet read, “The fact that Joseph Quinn was concerned that the duffers made a mistake casting him and now look at the impact he had after delivering a performance that made Eddie Munson a fan favorite.”
Joseph Quinn Loved Watching His Co-Stars
Although he joined the show after three seasons, Quinn built a bond with the main cast and was proud of their performances in season 4. During his Esquire Singapore interview, the actor recalled that it felt “surreal” to see himself with the main cast on-screen.
He also expressed his pride in seeing the other stars perform, such as Gaten Matarazzo, Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, and Noah Schnapp. Quinn also described it as the “best part” of watching the show.
He also praised the other cast members like David Harbour, Brett German, and Winona Ryder for their “lovely” performance. It was great for him to see their efforts “come together” to create a beautiful show.