How Stranger Things Season 5 Plans To Deal With Its Aging Child Stars

When Season 1 of Netflix's spooky hit series "Stranger Things" debuted in 2016, its stars were a precocious group of children, with the youngest of the core cast being in their early tweens. But with significant breaks between each season, they've aged at a rate that far outpaces the show's timeline. Season 4 debuted in 2022, six years after the original season's premiere, and the fifth and final season has yet to announce a release date. Meanwhile, in the "Stranger Things" universe, Season 1 begins in 1983 and Season 4 concludes in 1986. The cast has noticeably aged since that time, which is, of course, completely normal, but it does present a noticeable hurdle for viewers hoping to suspend their disbelief and become immersed in a fictional setting. "Stranger Things" stars like Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, and Millie Bobby Brown now look considerably older than their characters.

"Stranger Things" executive producer Shawn Levy recently spoke with Variety, discussing the dissonance between the ages of the characters and those of the cast in real life and how the production addresses the growing gap in Season 5. "We've already watched the cast of our show grow up in the public eye," he said, "and between 12 and 22, every human being changes profoundly."

That said, Levy is confident that the team of "Stranger Things" creatives can use the tools at their disposal to bring the actors' appearances in line with the ages of their characters as much as possible. "Our hair and makeup and wardrobe department are pretty exceptional, using costumes and wigs and makeup."

"Stranger Things" Season 4 gave fans a glimpse of how the series would de-age actors to play their characters. Will Byers' iconic bowl cut was a wig, and while it wasn't Noah Schnapp's favorite thing to wear, maintaining a hairstyle consistent with previous seasons helped viewers accept his character's age, even if it was several years younger than his. Other characters had their own looks adjusted as well in order to remain consistent with the show's time period and characters' ages.

In conjunction with the use of makeup, wigs, and wardrobe to make the actors on "Stranger Things" more closely resemble the ages of the characters they play, executive producer Shawn Levy believes the time period in which the show is set helps to close the gap. "The '80s are also our friends in returning these young adult actors to their iconic Hawkins characters," he told Variety. "So we're going to use all the tools available to us."

Meanwhile, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike is prolonging the time before "Stranger Things" can film Season 5, and Levy hopes the studios will reach an agreement before long. "I know our cast is as eager to get back to work as the rest of us," he said. "Stranger Things" writers have also joked about the strike's impact on the cast's appearance. The X (formerly Twitter) account for the show's writers released a pre-vis rendering of Joe Keery's Steve Harrington, quipping, "Hope the studios make a fair deal with SAG soon or else season 5 is looking like this."