Joseph Quinn details an encounter at a U.S. airport when being recognized as Eddie Munson on Stranger Things saved him from being detained. After a breakout first season in 2016, Stranger Things has become one of Netflix's most popular series. The Duffer Brothers' hit show pulls out all the stops for its recent supersized fourth season, introducing a new villain in the form of Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna and a host of other new characters, setting up an epic confrontation in season 5.
Among the new characters introduced in the show's fourth season is Eddie, Hawkins High School's Dungeons & Dragons Hellfire Club leader. The character quickly became a fan favorite due to his eccentric and rebellious personality, but soon finds himself hunted by police and a vengeful fellow student after he becomes a prime suspect in Chrissy's (Grace Van Dien) murder. Although the ending to Stranger Things season 4 sees Eddie valiantly sacrifice his life during a mission to defeat Vecna, fans have continued to rally behind Quinn's character, hopeful for a return in season 5.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Quinn explains how playing the beloved character helped him escape a tricky situation at the airport. The actor reveals that he was held up at the airport on his way into the U.S. to do Fallon's show, with one of the immigration officers not believing his story. Thankfully, however, Quinn explains that another immigration officer recognized him and told his colleague, "Leave Eddie alone!" Hilariously, the officer even asked if Eddie was coming back in season 5. Check out Quinn's full story below:
“I very nearly didn’t make it. I was taken into, I guess what you could call it more of a dungeon. And I was asked to wait there for about 20 minutes and then I was summoned to this desk where someone asked me, ‘What are you doing in the United States, sir?’ I said, ‘I’m actually here to meet Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. And he didn’t believe me.”
One of his colleagues looked over at him, looked at me, and said: ‘Leave Eddie alone!' And then [the colleague] said, ‘It’s Eddie from Stranger Things,‘ and he was like, ‘You’re Eddie Munson?' [The man asked], ‘Do you come back next season?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know,’ and he said, ‘You better,’ and gave me my passport.”
While Quinn's Eddie is only featured in one season of Stranger Things, it's clear that the character greatly impacted the show's viewers. Eddie's '80s rock style and accompanying long hair have since become just one of the many beloved aspects of the character, but Quinn's appearance in real life is very different. Eddie's long hair results from a realistic-looking wig; without it, Quinn looks quite different, making it no surprise that he wasn't immediately recognized.
It remains to be seen whether Eddie returns in Stranger Things season 5, but the character has become an icon to audiences worldwide. While the experience of nearly being detained at the airport is undoubtedly not pleasant, the fact that Quinn was then quickly let go is further evidence of Stranger Things' large cultural impact. Perhaps, next time Quinn is looking to breeze through security at the airport, he'll have a classic Eddie outfit and wig ready to go.
Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/ YouTube