Stranger Things cast: all the actors and their roles, season by season
Casting · The actors · Seasons 1 to 5
The Stranger Things cast is one of the reasons for the show's success: a group of children cast before they were known, adults from the 80s, and each season a new face that becomes cult. Here are all the actors, role by role, with the season of their arrival.
The essentials
- Creators: Matt and Ross Duffer (the Duffer Brothers)
- Main cast: 9 actors present from Season 1 to Season 5
- Notable arrivals: Sadie Sink (S2), Maya Hawke (S3), Joseph Quinn and Jamie Campbell Bower (S4), Linda Hamilton and Nell Fisher (S5)
- Casting director: Carmen Cuba, awarded for Season 1
Contents
- The cast, first circle: the Hawkins party
- The high-schoolers: Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, Robin and the rest
- The adults: Winona Ryder, David Harbour and the lab
- The antagonists: from Brenner to Vecna
- Season 5's new faces
- The Russians, the scientists and the guests
- The nine who did it all: from 2016 to 2025
- The arrivals and departures, season by season
- Carmen Cuba, the casting director
The cast, inner circle: the Hawkins group
When season 1 drops in July 2016, none of the five children is known to the general public. Ten years later, they carry the last season with the same contract as the adults. Here are the five actors who grew up on screen.
| Actor / actress | Character | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Millie Bobby Brown | Eleven (Eleven / Jane Hopper) | 1 to 5 |
| Finn Wolfhard | Mike Wheeler | 1 to 5 |
| Gaten Matarazzo | Dustin Henderson | 1 to 5 |
| Caleb McLaughlin | Lucas Sinclair | 1 to 5 |
| Noah Schnapp | Will Byers | 1 to 5 |
| Sadie Sink | Max Mayfield | 2 to 5 |
| Priah Ferguson | Erica Sinclair | 2 to 5 (series regular from 3 on) |
Millie Bobby Brown was twelve during Season 1 filming; Noah Schnapp, the youngest, was eleven. Sadie Sink joins the party in Season 2 as Max, and Priah Ferguson, first credited as a guest, becomes a series regular from Season 3 on.
The group's T-shirt, for those who grew up with them.
In the shopWomen's Visit Hawkins vintage T-shirt39,90 €See the product
The high-schoolers: Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, Robin and the others
The second circle of the show is the teenagers of Hawkins, those whose plots gradually mixed with the children's.
| Actor / actress | Character | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Natalia Dyer | Nancy Wheeler | 1 to 5 |
| Charlie Heaton | Jonathan Byers | 1 to 5 |
| Joe Keery | Steve Harrington | 1 to 5 |
| Maya Hawke | Robin Buckley | 3 to 5 |
| Dacre Montgomery | Billy Hargrove | 2 and 3 |
| Joseph Quinn | Eddie Munson | 4 |
| Shannon Purser | Barbara “Barb” Holland | 1 |
| Amybeth McNulty | Vickie | 4 and 5 |
| Eduardo Franco | Argyle | 4 |
Joe Keery was only supposed to appear for a few episodes: Steve was written as a passing antagonist. The character was rewritten as early as Season 1 in the face of the audience's reaction, and Joe Keery stayed to the end. Joseph Quinn only played one season, but Eddie Munson became one of the most popular characters in the whole show.
The adults: Winona Ryder, David Harbour and the lab
| Actor / actress | Character | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Winona Ryder | Joyce Byers | 1 to 5 |
| David Harbour | Jim Hopper | 1 to 5 |
| Matthew Modine | Dr. Martin Brenner | 1, 2 (flashback) and 4 |
| Paul Reiser | Dr. Sam Owens | 2 to 4 |
| Brett Gelman | Murray Bauman | 2 to 5 |
| Sean Astin | Bob Newby | 2 |
| Cara Buono | Karen Wheeler | 1 to 5 |
| Joe Chrest | Ted Wheeler | 1 to 5 |
| Randy Havens | Mr. Clarke | 1 to 3, then 5 |
Winona Ryder and David Harbour are the two adult headliners from day one. Around them, the show recruited familiar faces of American cinema: Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket) as Brenner, Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings) as Bob, Paul Reiser (Aliens) as Owens.
The “80s” castingThe Duffers deliberately chose adult actors tied to 80s film: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice, 1988), Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, 1987), Sean Astin (The Goonies, 1985), Paul Reiser (Aliens, 1986). It is part of the show's retro charm.
The antagonists: from Brenner to Vecna
Each season has its face of evil, and the cast has followed.
| Actor / actress | Character | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Jamie Campbell Bower | Henry Creel / One / Vecna | 4 and 5 |
| Raphael Luce | Henry Creel as a child | 4 |
| Dacre Montgomery | Billy Hargrove (possessed) | 3 |
| Andrey Ivchenko | Grigori | 3 |
| Cary Elwes | Mayor Larry Kline | 3 |
| Mason Dye | Jason Carver | 4 |
| Sherman Augustus | Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan | 4 |
| Linda Hamilton | Dr. Kay | 5 |
Jamie Campbell Bower spent several hours in prosthetics every day to become Vecna. Linda Hamilton, unforgettable as Sarah Connor in Terminator, joins Season 5 as Dr. Kay, the scientist who runs the military operation in Hawkins.
The new faces of Season 5
| Actor / actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Nell Fisher | Holly Wheeler (taking over the role held by Anniston and Tinsley Price) |
| Linda Hamilton | Dr. Kay |
| Jake Connelly | Derek Turnbow |
| Alex Breaux | Lieutenant Akers |
| Amybeth McNulty | Vickie (expanded role) |
The most commented change is Holly Wheeler's: played by twins for four seasons, Mike's little sister becomes a central character in Season 5 and passes to Nell Fisher, who is old enough to carry whole scenes.
The figure of the character you most liked seeing arrive in the show.
In the shopLego Erica Sinclair mini figure on a bike14,90 €See the product
The Russians, the scientists and the guests
| Actor / actress | Character | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Alec Utgoff | Alexei | 3 |
| Tom Wlaschiha | Dmitri “Enzo” Antonov | 4 |
| Nikola Đuričko | Yuri Ismaylov | 4 |
| Robert Englund | Victor Creel | 4 |
| Grace Van Dien | Chrissy Cunningham | 4 |
| Gabriella Pizzolo | Suzie Bingham | 3 and 4 |
| Linnea Berthelsen | Kali Prasad (Eight) | 2 and 5 |
| Aimee Mullins | Terry Ives | 1 and 2 |
| Elodie Grace Orkin | Angela | 4 |
Robert Englund, the Freddy Krueger of A Nightmare on Elm Street, appears in season 4 in the role of Victor Creel: a deliberate wink at the 80s horror cinema that feeds the whole show.
The nine who did it all: from 2016 to 2025
Nine actors appear in all five seasons as main characters: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton. Joe Keery is a special case, a guest in season 1 then a series regular from 2 on, like Noah Schnapp. Cara Buono, Mike's mother, has been there since 1983 without ever being credited at the top.
That stability is rare for a ten-year show. It had a price, the aging of the children, and an effect: the Duffer brothers organized the last shoot, in 2024, so that each person's last day corresponded to their last scene. The last shot filmed, on December 20, 2024, showed none of them.
The arrivals and departures, season by season
| Season | Main arrivals | Departures |
|---|---|---|
| 2 (1984) | Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Brett Gelman, Linnea Berthelsen, Priah Ferguson | Sean Astin, with Bob's death |
| 3 (1985) | Maya Hawke, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey, Alec Utgoff, Andrey Ivchenko, Francesca Reale | Dacre Montgomery, Alec Utgoff, Andrey Ivchenko, Cary Elwes |
| 4 (1986) | Joseph Quinn, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Englund, Tom Wlaschiha, Eduardo Franco, Grace Van Dien, Mason Dye, Amybeth McNulty | Joseph Quinn, Matthew Modine, Grace Van Dien, Mason Dye |
| 5 (1987) | Linda Hamilton, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, Alex Breaux; returns of Linnea Berthelsen and Randy Havens | Everyone: it is the end |
The show each time added one or two faces meant to become cult in one season, Bob, Robin, Eddie, Holly, and killed or disappeared those whose story was over. Few shows have held that rule so firmly over ten years.
Carmen Cuba, the casting director
The name that comes back behind every arrival is Carmen Cuba's. She is the one who auditioned more than a thousand children in 2015, suggested Winona Ryder to the Duffers, and assembled the group of little girls among whom Nell Fisher was chosen for Holly in 2024. Her work on Season 1 was rewarded at the Emmy Awards in 2017, in the category for casting a drama series.
Her method, described by the Duffers, consists of looking for unknowns for the kids and faces from 80s cinema for the adults: Matthew Modine, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Cary Elwes, Robert Englund, Linda Hamilton. The viewer recognizes without always being able to say from where, and that is exactly the intended effect.
One last detour through the shop before closing the file.
In the shopReading in the Upside Down bookmark9,90 €See the product
Frequently asked questions
Who are the main Stranger Things actors?
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will), Sadie Sink (Max), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Joe Keery (Steve), Maya Hawke (Robin), Winona Ryder (Joyce) and David Harbour (Hopper).
Who plays Vecna in Stranger Things?
Jamie Campbell Bower plays Henry Creel and Vecna in Seasons 4 and 5, under several hours of prosthetics. Raphael Luce plays Henry as a child.
Which actors join season 5?
Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler, who replaces the Price twins), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow) and Alex Breaux (Lieutenant Akers). Amybeth McNulty (Vickie) sees her role expanded.
Who did the Stranger Things casting?
Carmen Cuba, casting director, auditioned more than a thousand children for season 1. Her work was rewarded at the Emmy Awards.
How many actors are present across the five seasons?
Nine as main characters: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, plus Joe Keery and Cara Buono present since 1983.
Who is Carmen Cuba?
The show's casting director since the first season, honored at the Emmys in 2017. She auditioned more than a thousand children for the 1983 group.