Throughout three seasons, Stranger Things has introduced plenty of promising new actors and brought some well-known names into the entertaining twists of the story. The main characters remain largely the same since day one, so you should see familiar faces in the upcoming season. To know more about the cast, let us now meet the actors in Stranger Things.
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven)
The first telekinetic girl in the series, Eleven, became an instant favorite and the heroine to save the day in multiple battles with evil beings. Brown might be mysterious and a bit trigger-happy as El, but she certainly looks happy in the blooper reel. She made her movie debut in 2019 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Last year, it was announced that Brown would reprise her role in a sequel for Enola Holmes. In 2018, she was listed as one of the most influential people in the world by the TIME magazine and the youngest person (at that time) to have been selected as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler)
His portrayal of Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things opens the doors to a lot of opportunities in the entertainment industry, especially in the sci-fi horror genre. One of the most memorable performances from Wolfhard outside the series was as Richie Tozier in the 2017 film It, and the 2019 sequel It: Chapter Two. More recently, Wolfhard portrays Trevor in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the fourth and latest film in the franchise. In a 2022 film, When You Finished Saving the World, a directorial debut of Jesse Eisenberg, Wolfhard plays Ziggy Katz. Apart from all the film and TV work, he is also busy making music, previously with Calpurnia, and now The Aubreys.
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers)
There is no denying that Winona Ryder is the biggest name among the cast in Stranger Things. She had performed in many movies long before some of the cast were even born. She has won Golden Globe Award for her work as May Welland in The Age of Innocence and received two Academy Award nominations. Following several years of a hiatus from 2001 and 2006, Ryder managed to embark on a career revival with some independent films. Stranger Things also played a major part in bringing her back to spotlight. Her latest film is The Cow in which she portrays Kath.
Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair)
Lucas didn’t really trust El during their first encounters, but later the two become good friends. In Season 3, he is Max’s boyfriend. The person who brings Lucas to life is Caleb McLaughlin, who began his acting career in the Lost in the Stars opera. In the musical The Lion King performed on Broadway stage, he performed as young Simba. Caleb has musical training, an ability that he now uses more often as an R&B singer. Since Stranger Things, he has appeared in various TV shows like Blue Bloods, The New Edition Story, and Final Space to name a few. In films, he portrayed Darius in High Flying Bird and Coltrane in Concrete Cowboy.
David Harbour (Jim Hopper)
The Hawkins Police Department Chief Jim Hopper is portrayed by David Harbour. There are still many things unknown about the chief, for example the events surrounding the death of his daughter and whether it will eventually relate to the storyline. In the 2019 reboot of Hellboy, he played the title character. And in 2021, Harbour was the Red Guardian in Black Widow. In his most recent project, Violent Night, he will portray Santa Claus. It is still filming and will not be released until late this year.
Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler)
Portraying Nancy in Stranger Things is not Dyer’s first acting work, but she is now best known for the role. She stayed true to the Netflix horror line of work with her performance as Coco in the 2019 film Velvet Buzzaw alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. Nancy’s romance with Jonathan in Stranger Things apparently also happens in real life, which makes every act in every scene involving the couple even more authentic.
Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers)
Joyce’s oldest son, Jonathan, is a quiet teenager and a photography enthusiast. Portrayed by Charlie Heaton, this outsider in school is Nancy’s boyfriend in the series. Apart from his work in Stranger Things, he is quite a busy actor with roles in As You Are as Mark, and Shut In as Stephen Portman; both were 2016 films. Charlie’s acting debut was on ITV crime drama DCI Banks in which he portrayed Gary McCready. BBC announced in 2018 that Charlie would be playing the role of Joseph Merrick (also known as The Elephant Man).
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson)
During the last few years, Matarazzo has been all over TV mostly in commercials. He portrays Dustin in Stranger Things, and quickly became a fan favorite for many different reasons; some like his quirkiness, others adore his extensive knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons. Since 2016, Matarazzo has been the host of Prank Encounters, also a Netflix production. His latest film (still filming) is Honor Society in which he portrays Michael.
Noah Schnapp (Will Byers)
Playing the missing Hawkins kid at the beginning of the series, Noah has climbed quickly to fame since then. He is Will Byers in Stranger Things, the playful boy who disappeared into the Upside Down and was later possessed by the Mind Flayer. He was just 12-year-old when the series started. Now, he has appeared in major titles including Bridge of Spies as Roger Donovan and The Peanuts Movie as Charlie Brown (voice).
Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield)
The boys called her Mad Max when she first appeared in Hawkins. In the upcoming series, it seems that Max has to deal with the fact that her brother died in the battle against a monster. The actor portraying Max is Sadie Sink, who has also appeared in popular shows such as The Americans and Blue Bloods. She is now a familiar face in fashion shoots and on magazine covers as well.
Joe Keery (Steve Harrington)
The popular high school boy, Steve, who used to be Nancy’s boyfriend, is portrayed to perfection by Joe. Since 2016, he has been in a number of films such as Molly’s Game, After Everything, Slice, How to Be Alone, and Spree. In 2020, Joe appeared in Free Guy alongside Ryan Reynolds. Outside his work on the screen, Joe still plays music with his rock band Post Animal.
Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler)
Best known for her performance as Dr. Faye Miller in AMC’s Mad Men, Kelli Moltisanti in The Sopranos, and Linda Salvo in Artie Lange’s Beer League, Cara Buono’s role as Karen Wheeler in Stranger Things only makes the excellent series even better. She may not look familiar to everyone, but she has appeared in dozens of films such as Hulk (2003), The Discoverers (2012), and Emily & Tim (2015) among others.
Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley)
Robin first comes to scene in Season 3, when Dustin is assembling a team to help him understand a Russian radio transmission. She is portrayed by Maya Hawke. Starting a career as a model, Maya made her debut in 2017 in Little Women as Jo March. Her work in Stranger Things is a real breakthrough for the young actor. She was the Flower Child in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Her upcoming films include Asteroid City and Strangers.
