One of the biggest hooks of Stranger Things is the nostalgia of seeing kids growing up in the 1980s: the fashion, the music, and everything else. The series feels like a love letter to classic flicks of that era; whether it’s The Goonies, E.T. or Nightmare on Elm Street, the inspiration is obvious.
However, given that three years have passed since the previous season, the actors have done a lot of growing up, which was a cause for concern going into season 4. When Stranger Things first aired in 2016, the child actors were as young as 12. Now, all of them except for 17-year-old Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) are 18 or older. Stars Sadie Sink (Max) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) are in their twenties. They grow up so fast.
Schnapp and Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) recently talked to TODAY about how they deal with growing up faster than their characters. “I remember in season two they told me, ‘you need to lower the pitch of your voice, you have to speak at a different level and stand shorter,’ I was like, ‘I can’t do that, I’m not like that anymore,'” Schnapp said.
“It’s something we’re always thinking about, but it’s something we work with pretty well I think,” Matarazzo added. “The characters are at transitional periods in their lives… it’s crazy to see what all of us looked like when we first started.”
We get it, Stranger Things season 4 is “dark”
That brings us to the upcoming fourth season of Stranger Things. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) has said the new season dark, and so has Gaten Matarazzo, and several others. Oh, and now you can hear Sadie Sink say it, too!
“I think each year it just gets darker and darker,” she told TODAY, adding that it really is the darkest yet. “We kind of sound like broken records, ‘It’s the darkest season we’ve had yet!’ but this season is for real.”
Some of that may have to do with new big bad Vecna, a mysterious creature from the Upside Down who will be tormenting our heroes. “The craziest thing is just how new and fresh the villain feels compared to what we’ve had before,” Matarazzo told Variety. “It’s something that brings a whole new vibe to how we deal with our villains in Stranger Things and how we will continue to do so going forward.”
Stranger Things 4 is “the most emotional season”
So we know season 4 will be “dark.” But it’ll also be emotional. “I cry a lot this season,” Millie Bobby Brown told Vanity Fair. “This is the most emotional season for Eleven. She’s powerless and trying to fit in at a new school and she’s trying to understand who she is and where she came from. She’s struggling with her identity and this is the darkest state she’s ever been in. She’s sad and I had to cry a lot. It was extremely difficult for me to cry so much!”
"We are shining a light on what some kids go through in high school. It’s not an easy time for Eleven. She really doesn’t fit in. Portraying that storyline for me was important because it is influential and powerful. I want to show fans how horrible it feels to be bullied and hope some may stop doing it. Also, I love El’s perseverance. She’s sad, but never gives up. I think we can all learn from her."
And it’s not just Eleven going through crises. “[Y]ou’re going to see more of a non-supernatural side of Will and Eleven together,” said Schnapp. “This season I probably worked with Millie the most, and we shared some emotional scenes at school together. I think fans will really connect to it. Our characters will continue to change and learn new things about themselves.”
Stranger Things season 4 reportedly has a budget of around $30 million per episode. You don’t want to miss it! The first bunch of episodes drop on May 27, with the second and final batch following on July 1.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels