Key Highlights
- Collider’s Steve Weintraub interviews Stranger Things cast members Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton about Season 5.
- The cast shares their emotional reactions while reading the season finale script together.
- They discuss their favorite films, games played during interviews, and their experiences leaving the set for the last time.
If our affection for Stranger Things characters influences their survival in the fifth and final season, the outlook appears grim for this group. However, when Collider’s Steve Weintraub spoke with Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton, they were in high spirits while promoting the Volume 1 release on Netflix, which premieres on November 26.
This season, the stakes are impossibly high, and Will (Noah Schnapp), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and the rest of the group must unite one last time to confront Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) powerful Upside Down army. With the Upside Down now in the “Rightside Up,” running is no longer an option.
Before this decade-long series concludes, the stars share their experiences reading the finale script for the first time and the frantic rush after filming as everyone packed up. Watch the full interview in the video above or read the transcript below, where Keery, Hawke, Dyer, and Heaton also discuss their favorite Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan films, with Hawke revealing some unusual props she kept to remember her time on Stranger Things.
You Really Find Out Who Your Friends Are on Press Days
“It’s really helicopter.”
COLLIDER: What is it actually like doing press all day? The show is amazing, everyone loves it, but you’re still being asked a lot of the same questions. Do you spend the morning dreading, or are you sort of like, “This is fantastic, I’m promoting a show that’s amazing?”
MAYA HAWKE: First of all, I love this question.
CHARLIE HEATON: You’re in and out. You have pockets and zones, windows of focus, and windows of totally blanking out.
NATALIE DYER: I look forward to it. I don’t know. This has been fun. Like, “Okay, we’re all in a room together.” I feel like that’s kind of fun.
JOE KEERY: That is the highlight.
HAWKE: Especially with it being the last season. Just being together.
Have you guys played the junket game at all?
KEERY: Where you add a word in? We did, but we actually didn’t even do it.
HAWKE: I actually got it in there at one point when I was trying to recover from my dick joke accident.
KEERY: But that’s a funny game.
It’s really tricky, though, when someone gives you, like, “xylophone.”
KEERY: Of course.
DYER: That’s mean! I think there are some that are fair and fun, and then some that are just…
KEERY: You find out who your friends are.
DYER: Yeah.
I’ve heard many stories, so for people that are watching this, and they’re like, “That was a weird word to hear during an interview. So random.”
DYER: That’s probably why.
HEATON: It’s really helicopter.
KEERY: Good job.
The ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Finale Will Leave You Speechless
“There’s always someone who knows what to say, and nobody knew.”
I’m so curious what it was like for all four of you reading the series finale script for the first time. I heard it was all of you guys together, but what was it actually like emotionally for all four of you reading it and knowing that, “This is it. This is a huge chapter of my life coming to a close, and this is the last script I’m going to read like that?”
DYER: Like that.
HEATON: That, yeah.
KEERY: It’s complicated, I guess.
DYER: I think it’s hard to hold that all at once in your head or your heart. It’s like you’re aware of it, and I feel there are moments where it really hits you, and I think it’s too much, and then you kind of back off. But it’s big. I mean, it felt very, like, wow.
HAWKE: To give a slightly different answer than I have been saying, which is just sad, emotional things — I was actually so happy about some of the last scenes and what was happening. I found myself extremely happy with where they took the characters. It was everything I dreamed it would be, so there was joy there too.
HEATON: There was a moment… I said this earlier but you’re reading the episode and there are tears and little scenes where it goes quiet. There are all these things happening as you’re experiencing them in real time. Then when we turned the last page,, everybody looked up and nobody knew what to do.. I remember looking at Matt and Ross [Duffer], and they didn’t know what to say. There’s always someone who knows what to say — but nobody knew. It was just a moment of stillness between everyone. It was like an acceptance that that was it. It’s done. Then we all just started hugging each other — that was kind of special.
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I’m curious about your experiences during your last week of filming when you know it’s coming to an end. Were you taking mental snapshots or photos? What were those final days like emotionally?
[Joe Keery]: It’s hard to really do that because you know it’s your last chance for everything. More than anything else though I tried to live in the moment because we had such a good time together with so many milestone events happening around us. It was about soaking up every moment.
[Charlie Heaton]: We drove together to work every day.
[Natalia Dyer]: The timing added layers too since Christmas was approaching along with year-end reflections. Everyone was moving on from this place where we spent so much time together over the past year.
[Maya Hawke]: The last week felt intense with reminders everywhere — “Last chance to visit costume shop,” “Last dinner,” etc., making everything feel overwhelming as we packed our things into cars while also preparing for Christmas festivities ahead!
[Joe Keery]: Logistics were challenging!
[Charlie Heaton]: Christmas added another layer!
[Natalia Dyer]: Writing letters added another layer!
[Joe Keery]: It felt intense!
[Charlie Heaton]: Saying goodbye felt difficult!
[Joe Keery]: Leaving camp felt similar!
[Maya Hawke]: If only I’d taken everything from costumes or props!
[Charlie Heaton]: You think you’d take everything but once there it’s overwhelming!
[Natalia Dyer]: And then there’s also moving out!
[Maya Hawke]: Fitting everything into my car became quite tricky!
The solution? Rent a truck!
[Charlie Heaton]: The costume house had an entire warehouse filled with clothing from Seasons 1–5 — incredibly organized! Like something out of an action movie scene — racks upon racks! But taking everything home proved impossible!
[Natalia Dyer]: Joe tried his best!
[Charlie Heaton]: We managed to get some items but needed multiple trips back!
[Maya Hawke]: I took several socks belonging to Winona!
[Joe Keery]: That’s odd!
Please elaborate!
[Maya Hawke]: Just wanted something tangible from my experience — cute socks since I’m always losing them anyway!
I can relate — losing socks is universal!
The ‘Stranger Things’ Crew Geek Out Over Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan
They share their favorites along with special memories behind them.
Custom Image by Federico Napoli
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Here you can find original article photos used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution.[nospin]
