What It’s Like to Grow Up on the Set of Stranger Things

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It’s common to see child actors in Hollywood, but it’s rare for them to stay with a single project – especially a hugely popular TV show – for many years. For a recent TIME cover story about the final season of Stranger Things, we interviewed six of the show’s actors who were kids or teenagers when they first started. They essentially grew up together on the set of the Netflix hit. The show, which began in 2016, centers around the disappearance of Will Byers, a girl named Eleven with special powers, and their friends as they fight monsters from another dimension – all while dealing with the usual challenges of being a teenager.

The actors described the experience as both rewarding and stressful. Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, explained that this is typical of filmmaking, which is often chaotic. He added that young actors often feel pressure to be accommodating and may not know how to advocate for their own needs, like asking for a break.

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, points out that no one else has gone through quite the same experience as the cast of *Stranger Things* – except for the young actors who starred in the *Harry Potter* films. In fact, Schnapp rewatched the entire *Harry Potter* series for inspiration while filming the final season. He’d really like to have a conversation with those actors someday to share their similar experiences growing up on set and connect with them.

When Matt and Ross Duffer first pitched their series to Netflix, they were still early in their careers. They had only worked as writers on one show, *Wayward Pines*, before taking on their own project. Inspired by filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and author Stephen King, they envisioned a story focused on children and knew they needed incredibly talented young actors. The Duffer brothers describe their relationship with the cast as more like that of older brothers than parental figures.

Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, explained that the adult cast members never treated them like children. “They always talked to us and collaborated with us as equals, even though they were in charge,” he said. “They always prioritized our fun and listened to our opinions.” Matarazzo believes this was crucial for building their confidence, as kids on set are often overlooked and not given a voice.

When the young actors first joined the show, they had no idea it would become so popular – and bring so much attention to their personal lives online. Finn Wolfhard recalls it being both amazing and frightening to suddenly become famous at age 13. During the filming of Season 4, he felt overwhelmed by the pressures of a first relationship, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the demands of the show. He began to hyperventilate during a scene, feeling like he was living in a fishbowl with many fans working as extras. This led to a panic attack, but he found support from his co-stars Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo, who admitted they were experiencing similar stress.

It’s become a running joke online that the young stars of the show are all grown up now. Millie Bobby Brown, known for playing Eleven, is already married at 21. Noah Schnapp, also 21, is about to finish college. Gaten Matarazzo and Sadie Sink, both 23, have performed on Broadway, while Finn Wolfhard, 22, tours with his band, and Caleb McLaughlin, 24, has been in several movies.

The Duffer brothers addressed concerns about the actors appearing older than their characters. Matt Duffer explained he wasn’t worried about it, noting that actors like Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton were in their early 20s when first cast as high school students. He added that most of the younger cast members are now around 21 or 22 – the same age Nat and Charlie were when playing sophomore students.

The team working on the show found a way to address the challenge of dressing the young actors. Costume designer Amy Parris explained that while the characters were meant to appear youthful—around their early 20s—she wanted to avoid making them look like children. She used prints and stripes that felt young and energetic, but still appropriate for their age.

Talk about the young actors growing up quickly followed them to the set of the show. Finn Wolfhard remembers coming back for the second season noticeably taller. He jokingly says it almost ruined his career!

It’s been amazing to watch the *Stranger Things* kids grow up, not just physically, but as people too. I was reading about their experience filming, and Millie Bobby Brown said something that really struck me. When asked how things changed between the first and fifth seasons, she joked that they actually started *getting along*! Apparently, there was a lot of typical kid squabbling at the beginning, but they really matured and learned to work together as a team. It’s just so heartwarming to see how far they’ve come.

The show’s elaborate special effects and lengthy episodes meant filming took nearly a year – 48 weeks, to be exact. During that time, the actors became very close, celebrating holidays and birthdays together. They even rented houses near each other so they could easily visit. When I went to the set in the summer of 2024, I learned that many of the cast and crew had recently gone to see the movie *Twisters* together in Atlanta.

Max, played by Sadie Sink, remembers a time when she and her friends would just hang out and play video games. She recalls Finn hosting a Canadian Thanksgiving, and how nice it was to have a week off where everyone lived nearby, making it easy to spend time together.

McLaughlin explains that being with the cast feels like going back in time. He says they immediately fall into old habits, joking with each other like they did when they were kids. It comes naturally, he adds, because they all grew up together.

Sometimes, after working late on set, the cast would go to a bar together. Sadie Sink explains, “It might sound surprising, but we were all finally old enough to legally drink.”

One actress, Millie Bobby Brown, has become so comfortable with Netflix that she’s chosen to build her career there. Through her production company’s deal with the platform, she’s become a major star, appearing in hits like *Enola Holmes* and *Damsel*. She prefers to focus on releasing content directly on the streaming service rather than in theaters, and feels a strong sense of loyalty to Netflix. “It feels like a supportive family,” she explained. “I practically grew up with that studio – it’s home to me.”

As actors like Brown and others become more famous, they’ve had to learn how to build their public images while facing a lot of attention. For Noah Schnapp, this has been especially tricky because his character’s storyline mirrored his own personal experience. Last season, his character, Will, came out as gay, and Schnapp himself came out at 18 – but only after years of avoiding questions about his sexuality. He admits he was afraid to talk about it when he was younger. “Journalists kept asking me if I or my character were gay,” he says, “and I was only 12 or 13 – I didn’t know what to say.”

Many actors find it difficult to separate themselves from a character after working on a show for a long time, and Gaten Matarazzo is no exception. He’s currently filming another movie and tells me he’s deliberately seeking roles that allow him to move beyond the lovable, nerdy characters he’s become known for. He admits it’s a challenge, saying he often questions whether his acting choices are genuinely his own, or simply a continuation of the personality of Dustin, his most famous role. He wonders, ‘Is this just how I act now?’

As *Stranger Things* went on, it became harder for McLaughlin to find time for other acting jobs. The longer each season took to film, the more difficult it was to work on other projects. But, as McLaughlin explains, that’s a good problem to have. When you’re dedicated to a show you love and that’s been successful, it’s understandable that other opportunities might be limited.

On the last day of filming, the actor shared that he was happy with both his character’s story arc and his overall time on the show. He explained, “It was a really good ending for my character and for me personally. I felt completely satisfied and like everything was resolved.” He also admitted to being very emotional, saying, “I cried a lot, but they were tears of joy.”

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2025-10-17 16:12