The first four episodes of the final season of Stranger Things arrived on Netflix on Wednesday (11/27) and have fans excited as the saga’s conclusion begins. In an interview with CapitalsSadie Sink and Jamie Campbell Bower, interpreters for Max and Vecna, tell how the villain’s arrival completely changed the actors’ work.
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Sadie Sink and Jamie Campbell Bower
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Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Season 5 of Stranger Things
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Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things
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Stranger Things – Season 3
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David Harbor as Jim Hopper and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things
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Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things.
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Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, and Jake Connelly as Derek in Stranger Things.
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Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things
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Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things
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Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Stranger Things.
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Stranger Things season 5
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Vecna was introduced in the previous season, and not only changed the course of the story, but also changed the way acting was done on set. Before Jimmy’s arrival, most scenes required the actors to only interact with improvised objects, which were then transformed into monsters from the Upside Down through special effects.
“Before Jimmy, we only interacted with beach balls on sticks and green markers or people in green suits,” Sadie Sink recalls.
With the arrival of the villain, the cast began interacting with a real actor, including dialogue and physical contact. A video released by Netflix, among other behind-the-scenes scenes, shows the actors hiding in a colorful ball attached to a stick that, after editing, transforms into the Mind Flayer, the creature responsible for Billy’s (Dacre Montgomery) death.
Sadie also highlighted Jamie’s behind-the-scenes influence: “You really lifted us up with your presence. It was nice to prove that you also have moments of reality and play between scenes.”
The translator of the leader of the upside down world emphasized that despite the tense and violent relationship with the characters in the plot, the interaction behind the scenes was built with partnership and professionalism from the co-stars.
“I remember when we were doing Season 4, it was the spur of the moment thing. We started filming, and for me, it felt like it was time to play, you know? It was time to do it, and that’s coming from everyone,” he declared. “One of the amazing things about working with Sadie and Millie is how present they are in every moment, and how respectful and talented they are as well.”
Three more episodes from Season 5 will arrive on Netflix at 10pm on December 25. The grand finale will be released at the same time on the 31st, New Year’s Eve.