Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard was just 13 years old when the first season of Stranger Things premiered on Netflix, and was even younger than that when he filmed it. Becoming a TV star at such a young age is no easy task. And he just got bigger as he went on to appear in the IT movies.
We’ve seen time and time again the toll being in the spotlight takes on young actors. Some struggle with mental health or substance abuse. In Wolfhard’s case, he struggled with panic attacks as he embarked on his “crazy whirlwind career,” according to an interview with GQ Magazine.
As Wolfhard’s career took off, he “did not talk about anything” because “there was no time, or at least we didn’t feel at the time.” But around the age of 15-16, the Stranger Things star shared he started having panic attacks. “Everyone was like, ‘Look at him, he’s fine. He’s having the best time.’ But in reality, I was probably also developing and things were happening in my brain and anxieties were forming and things that I didn’t realize that I had to bury because of how I had to feel at work,” he said.
Now 20 years old, Wolfhard shared that the panic attacks still haven’t completely gone away. In fact, he had one when he was filming When You Finish Saving The World, which was released back in January. “I was so uptight and nervous about it because I just was like, ‘This is the first movie as an adult,’” he recalled. Luckily, he had writer-director Jesse Eisenberg to provide him with some support and guidance. Eisenberg himself joined the industry at a young age and told Wolfhard he too had a panic attack when filming Adventureland.
Finn Wolfhard opens up about the difficulties of being a child actor
These days, Wolfhard is trying to live his life as normally as possible. He’s living in a rented house with his L.A. friends and even went back “to real high school” while in Vancouver.
Stranger Things is coming to an end after the next season, which begs the question: what is next for Mr. Finn Wolfhard? He doesn’t seem too worried about it and is just ready to focus on whatever projects come his way. “ not concerned with being relevant at all, ever,” he said. “I’m just concerned with the people around me and the jobs that I’m doing day-to-day.”
I love that mindset. It can feel overwhelming to go from overnight success to not knowing what comes next; best to take things one day at a time. “When things feel really overwhelming and big, it can feel even more big to kid actors who just feel like it all can be gone in an instant,” Wolfhard said. He knows the importance of taking breaks, even if that can be scary too. “Actually, it’s necessary. It’ll keep you alive. It’ll keep you better at your job, too.”
Stranger Things season 5 coming out later than we’d hoped?
As for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Wolfhard may have revealed more than he meant to about the release date. “I can’t believe it’s already Season 5,” he said. “I will be 22 by the time it comes out, I think, and I started working on the show at 12. That is insane. I’ll be able to drink with Gaten , Caleb and Noah and the whole cast at the premiere of Stranger Things 5. couldn’t have said the same thing at the Season 1 premiere, which blows my mind.”
Wolfhard’s birthday is December 23, 2002. If he is going to be 22 when the final season comes out, that means it won’t come out until the end of 2024.
With any luck Wolfhard was speaking generally and the final episodes will drop a bit earlier in the year! We knew there was going to be a long wait, but hopefully not that long!
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