‘Stranger Things’ cast is thrilled after seeing photos from season 1
The cast of Stranger Things reminisce about Season 1 and share their heartfelt reactions to old photos.
NEW YORK – Straighten up your ego.
The fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” is coming to a close with the two-hour-plus finale episode, which will be available on Netflix and in select theaters on December 31st.
Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on the streaming sci-fi sensation, first read the final script at a table read along with other castmates. Typically, the show’s creators, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, would send the scripts in advance.
But in this production, “they’re very locked down,” Schnapp told USA TODAY earlier this month. “I remember reading this and thinking, ‘This is perfect.’ When it’s over, you’re like, ‘Everyone’s story is closed.’ Eventually, you’ll be happy that you don’t have to ask any more questions. What more could you want? ”
Season 5 has proven divisive among Stranger Things fans, many of whom have complained on social media that there are too many characters competing for screen time in the series’ final eight episodes. Some critics also believe that the show’s apocalyptic storyline is overcrowded with complex mythology.
Schnapp, 21, knows it will be “difficult” to please everyone, but he trusts the Duffers to land the plane.
“That’s literally impossible. That’s why they’re not working to satisfy ‘this and that,'” Schnapp says. “There’s so much pressure to not only finish the season, but the finale to tell the story of what the whole show was about. But I think the Duffers and us, the cast, are really good at drowning out that noise, to be honest.”
“People are always fighting over what should and shouldn’t happen,” Schnapp continued. “The Duffers are really good at having tunnel vision. They’re just working to tell the story they were trying to tell 10 years ago. They had the final scene planned from the beginning. They’re very smart in the way they put the show together, and everything has a purpose. Everything was planned out.”
The young actor screened the final episode with the rest of the cast in less than two weeks, and plans to watch it again in theaters with friends and family on New Year’s Day.
“I don’t watch it on New Year’s Eve because I don’t want to be depressed all night,” Schnapp jokes. “When I look at this now, I really think this is like a formal farewell to our childhood. It’s like saying goodbye to a part of ourselves because these characters have become a part of us.”
He is also prepared for many tears.
“Matt Duffer said he never cries over anything he does, but this episode touches me every time I watch it,” Schnapp says. “So if he was, I definitely would be. I’m the most emotional person. I cry about everything!”
