Stranger Things has been the kind of show that has shaped the success of Netflix’s service. The show was an unexpected hit, and fans keep waiting for newer seasons to be released just after the current season drops by. With this level of fanfare, it was only natural that the cast got the rub, too.
Each member of the cast – be it the older ones or the child stars – have become widely followed by Stranger Things fans, although there are still some facts that probably missed you by. Even if you happen to be aware of a few of these facts, you probably don’t know all of these 10 that we’re listing here for you now.
David Harbour Is Hellboy
Being on Stranger Things certainly has helped the career of David Harbour, as he recently had an outing as the superhero Hellboy in his titular reboot movie. Since Hellboy is more of a niche film than a standard superhero film, not many will be aware that a Stranger Things cast member was also a superhero.
Harbour’s version of the character was featured in an R-rated movie, although it didn’t live up to expectations and critical response was terrible. Still, being the lead in a superhero film is something most actors (and even non-actors) dream of; Stranger Things’ popularity enabled David to take on the role.
Gaten Matarazzo's Charitable Efforts
This young lad is considered the cutest member of the Stranger Things cast, but his smile isn’t something the creators have manufactured. In reality, the actor suffers from Cleidocranial Dysplasia, that has resulted in his unique appearance. While it has worked in favor of Gaten (whose smile is seen as becoming), the disease does affect a portion of the population.
How does Gaten tackle this? He uses social media as a platform to raise awareness of CCD Smiles, an organization that deals with issues from this ailment. Gaten’s charity work has enabled the non-profit to help out people with CCD.
Noah Schnapp Has A Twin
This young boy is still only 14, and has tasted success most will never be able to attain in life. With this level of success, Noah’s family life has taken a backseat and fans have been interested solely in him.
It’s then interesting to note that Noah was never by himself at all before fame, as he’s a twin. He has a sister named Chloe with whom he shares a birthday. It’s curious how this little factoid went unnoticed by many fans of the actor, but we’re sure his sister is very proud of what her twin has accomplished.
Stephen King Is A Huge Fan of Millie Bobby Brown
Back before Stranger Things had even been greenlit, Stephen King made it vocal of his admiration of Millie Bobby Brown. This was in response to her role in Intruders, a show Brown starred in a couple years before Stranger Things.
Back then Brown was barely a decade old, but Stephen King seems to know which ones are a cut above the rest, as he went over on Twitter to let the world know of the young actress’s work. Intruders featured Millie Bobby Brown as a young girl whose body was taken over by the soul of a serial killer, so you can see how challenging this must have been.
The Kids Had To Read Stand By Me For Their Auditions
You probably haven’t heard of Stand By Me, and it’s understandable too seeing as the film was released over 30 years ago in the 1980s. But the movie had a huge impact at the young fanbase at the time, and featured child actors who would go on to achieve significant fame.
When auditioning for Stranger Things, the actors who would ultimately be cast were made to read lines from Stand By Me as part of their assessment process. It’s most likely these kids hadn’t heard of the film either, but they needed to nail the audition featuring this film’s work to land their star-making roles.
Millie Bobby Brown Almost Quit Acting
Millie Bobby Brown was up for the role of X-23 in Logan, but didn’t make the cut, which led the actress to consider ditching acting entirely. Before Stranger Things, Brown only had the Intruders job as a stable role, and only had bit parts in shows like Grey’s Anatomy.
However, she claims to have been sick with the acting bug and tried out for Stranger Things just before she considered quitting the acting gig. Now that she’s become the most famous cast member from the show, we’re certain she’s thanking her lucky stars she didn’t quit before auditioning for her most well-known part.
The Cast Went For Trick-Or-Treating
When the cast were newly creating bonds with one another, they undertook activities that were very 1980s to say the least. The child cast mentioned they did everyday activities to get to know each other better and didn’t consider fame to be a turning point in their lives.
One of the more traditional things they did was go trick-or-treating together as a unit. As one would imagine, they turned heads when normal people saw these celebrity kids out and about doing something you wouldn’t expect them to. Odds are they were around you and you never spotted them on Halloween.
1,213 Child Actors Auditioned
If you think the child actors are very talented, then you’re onto something, because these kids had to beat literal thousands to land their roles. The boys' cast is larger than the girls’, and more boys naturally auditioned due to this requirement; but even then, the number auditioning was mind-boggling.
Out of the 1,213 kids who auditioned, 906 of them were boys; the other 307 were girls. No wonder it took so long for the show to be commissioned since we imagine it must have been a very long process to settle on the kids who finally got the parts.
Charlie Heaton And Millie Bobby Brown Are English
The actors do a remarkable job with their American accents, that hides the fact that they’re British. Both Charlie Heaton and Millie Bobby Brown are from the UK, and their natural accents are English. Millie claims she learned her American accent from watching the Disney Channel; so, if you’re a prospective actor, then you might want to catch up on Hannah Montana.
Not only did you not know Charlie was English, you also wouldn’t have known he’s been a father since the age of 20! The actor had a child with English singer Akiko Matsuura; welcoming a son back in 2014.
Winona Ryder Isn't The Actress's Real Name
Yup, this will come as a surprise to older fans of Stranger Things who knew Winona from back when she was the biggest deal in show business in the 1980s-1990s. Her real name is Winona Laura Horowitz, being the daughter of Michael D. Horowitz, who was a noted author and bookseller.
Ryder is Winona’s stage name that she took upon after Mitch Ryder, a rock singer. Winona’s father was a big fan of Mitch Ryder, paving the way for her to use his surname as her own. Now, over three decades later, Winona Ryder is the name by which everyone knows her.