'All great things come to an end': Stars of Stranger Things say goodbye to hit sci-fi series
When the supernatural coming-of-age drama Stranger Things premiered in 2016, it quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular series, gaining millions of fans. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, also known as the Duffer Brothers, the show was conceived as a love letter to classic 1980s genre films and is set in the seemingly ordinary Midwestern town of Hawkins, Indiana.
The first season follows a psychokinetic girl named Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who escapes from a secret laboratory in Hawkins and befriends a group of young boys: Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair, played by Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin. Together, they embark on a mission to find their missing friend Will Byers, portrayed by Noah Schnapp, after he vanishes into an alternate reality.
Almost a decade later, the show’s fifth and final season has arrived, and the friendship group reunite again to confront the evil villain Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, one last time. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle looms and with it, a darkness more powerful and deadly than anything they have faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone: the full party, standing together, one last time.
Wolfhard, Matarazzo, and McLaughlin, who were all just kids when the series began, reflect on the impact the show has had on their lives and what it means to say goodbye to their characters. McLaughlin, now 24, says: “Saying goodbye to Lucas is definitely a strange feeling. I had to put myself aside and really understand who Lucas was before I could express or vocalise who Caleb was. Learning to be honest about who Lucas was actually helped me understand myself. After putting so much of my life into him, saying goodbye now is bittersweet, but I’m ready to move on. All great things come to an end.”
Matarazzo, now 23, says: “There’s a lot you learn on something like this over the course of a whole decade, not just how much I’ve loved playing this part. What I didn’t realise at first is that we kind of made these characters from scratch in a way. From the very beginning, there was a full development process, creating something entirely new, and that’s pretty rare.”
Wolfhard, now 22, says the series resonates with fans so much as it is a safe space for outsiders. “I do think it all comes from a place of who the Duffers are,” explains the Canadian actor and musician. “They live their lives by doing right by the people around them, by their friends, and by accepting weirdos and outsiders. “Our characters do the same thing, just under crazy, high-stakes circumstances. I think that’s why people connect with it and feel accepted by it as well.”
Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton who play the “teenagers” Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, also reflect on the impact the series has had. Dyer, now 30, says: “There is something about it that’s a little like saying ‘bye’ to like a part of yourself or a version of yourself. I played Nancy through all of my twenties, so there’s definitely a closing of the chapter. It’s hard, but there’s something really beautiful about that.”
Keery, now 33, says: “When you have something in your life that you keep returning to, it becomes a touchstone. You reflect on where you were when you first started, where you were in the second season, and every year you bring more of yourself to it.”
Heaton, 31, reflects on what makes Stranger Things special, saying: “I think the message for kids is wonderful: these outsiders stand up for each other and protect one another. Sure, what they’re going through is sci-fi and the stakes are much bigger, but you can still see yourself in one of these characters, how they show up for each other, how they do the morally right thing. If it inspires someone to think, ‘I want to be that kind of person,’ then that’s something special.”
Ross Duffer, 41, says it will be sad to not be able to reunite with everyone each year to tell this story. “It was hard to say goodbye to these characters and I know it was hard for the actors, too,” says the writer and director. I love writing for them, and to have to say, ‘No, this is the end of their story,’ that was definitely challenging.”
Volume one of Stranger Things is already out on Netflix, with volume two released today and the finale on January 1.