‘Stranger Things’ Cast: What the Stars of the Netflix Series Look Like in Real Life
01.07.2022 - 16:07
/ usmagazine.com
Bringing a role to life. Stranger Things puts a lot of work into making viewers feel like they have been transported to a fictional town in Indiana during the ’80s — which includes transforming their actors into completely different people.
The Netflix series, which debuted in 2016, centers around supernatural events that take place in Hawkins after a door is opened in an alternate reality called the Upside Down. Even though many villains are introduced throughout the years, Vecna quickly becomes the town’s worst nightmare in season 4.
According to Jamie Campbell Bower, bringing the monster to life required him to spend seven and a half hours in makeup. The transformation, however, was just as much about the mental preparation as it was the physical.
“For Vecna, there’s this deep, deep, deep resentment. It’s his fuel, so I really had to tap into that, and I consider myself not somebody who holds onto resentment. So, digging that up from within me was quite a lot,” the U.K. native told Variety after the first installment of episodes dropped in June 2022. “I mean, I wouldn’t speak to people. I wouldn’t speak to anybody outside of the Stranger Things world for at least four days before filming anything.”
The musician recalled doing some “pretty wild stuff” to get into character as Vecna. “If anyone saw me walking around the streets of Atlanta at 2 o’clock in the morning talking to myself, they would understand. I was just bringing up a lot of anger, particularly for Vecna,” he shared.
The experience also brought out “scary” moments for the actor to deal with. “Particularly when I’m Henry or One, there’s so much manipulation that’s going on in there,” Bower added at the time. “To work with a young person or a child or somebody