David Bridges
Essential Points
- Time Warp: The Stranger Things cast has noticeably aged since their debut in 1983.
- Reflective Clip: Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo react to their early scenes ahead of the series finale.
- D&D Commentary: The trio discussed their evolving relationship with Dungeons & Dragons since season one.
- Final Season Release: The last season of Stranger Things will premiere in two parts on November 26 and December 25.
Talk about a blast from the past. Just look at how much the Stranger Things cast has aged since 1983.
Kidding, just kidding. No, but really, there’s some sort of time warp happening because Netflix had Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo, along with Cara Buono (who plays Wolfhard’s mom, Karen Wheeler), react to the star-making first scene. I cannot fathom how this was only nine years ago, since the original Hawkins heroes were just babies, and now they’re full-on adults. Check out the clip below released in the lead-up to the series’ final season later this year.
It’s a delight to witness Wolfhard, McLaughlin, and Matarazzo look back on that fateful Dungeons & Dragons game the night Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared. Little Mike, Lucas, and Dustin are just so pure! So unaware of just how long they would be making the rest of this show for!
In the clip, the trio shared some fun commentary about whether or not they’ve become casual D&D players since season one, and the answers are not surprising for the Gen Z stars. McLaughlin point-blank shared he hadn’t, while Matarazzo defended the game.
“I feel like it’s such a good game for actors, really, though, because it’s just like—it’s improv. It’s just like you’re playing characters, and you’re playing pretend. It’s really fun,” he said, and we get the sense that he might be a frequent player. His character is into it the most, taking the reins from Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), the Hellfire Club’s dearly departed (and not forgotten) Dungeon Master.
Wolfhard added, “I played two small campaigns. Honestly, if you’re not the dungeon master, it’s pretty fun because all you have to do is—you just have to be committed to staying with the bit.”
It only took nine years for these boys to become adults… and occasionally D&D ambassadors, to boot. Stranger Things‘ final season will debut in two main parts on November 26 and December 25, with the final episode streaming standalone on December 31.
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