Robert Englund goes into more detail about the Stranger Things season 3 role he missed out on. Englund, who is a legend in the horror genre, has racked up over 100 appearances in film and television since his career began back in the 1970s. Out of his impressive list of screen credits, however, he is best known for his portrayal of the supernatural killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. After the original 1984 horror film, Englund would return to the role for 6 more sequels and in 2003’s crossover with the Friday the 13th series, Freddy vs. Jason.
More recently, Englund joined the cast of Stranger Things season 4, playing the older version of the psychiatric patient Victor Creel. Falsely blamed for the brutal murder of his wife and two children, he pleaded insanity and was incarcerated in the high-security section of Pennhurst Asylum alongside some of the most dangerous patients. As Stranger Things reveals, during his imprisonment, Creel attempted to join his family in death by stabbing himself in the eyes with razor blades, leaving him permanently blind. Creel has been deemed the perfect Stranger Things role for Englund, but as he recently revealed, he could've ended up with a different part in season 3.
In a recent exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Englund elaborates on the story of how he initially auditioned for a part in Stranger Things season 3. Englund believes he was in consideration for the role of Hawkins’ mayor Larry Kline, which eventually went to Cary Elwes. Check out Englund’s full comments below:
I was up for a role in season three and either, I didn't have a good audition, or I was wrong for the part or they went younger, or whatever. I was a little disappointed because I just love the show. And then I was contacted for season four.
I think I was up for the mayor, and they went with a great actor and actor I know and love, Cary Elwes. Completely different. Believe me. If you want the handsome, beautiful Cary Elwes, you never had Robert Englund in your head at all for the role. But I think maybe at one time, they didn't know whether to go young or old.
I know when I got there, they told me to play it like the mayor in Jaws, which is almost like a corrupt used car salesman, the guy in a plaid jacket, that kind of guy, kind of corrupted. Obviously, they wanted to kind of go with 80s power tie, beautiful, young, a power tie lawyer type that they did with Cary, and it made much more sense. I mean, Cary is a wonderful actor and got a lot of laughs doing it. Cary, also, I think he's supposed to be having a love affair and have a mistress and... I do not [laughs]. I'm not the guy. I'm way too old to be the guy having lots of mistresses
Yeah, Victor Creel was a much better fit and also, thematically, it gives the episode and the season a little bit of a wink.
Much as Englund suggests, the Duffer brothers and the rest of the Stranger Things creative team went in a completely different direction for Mayor Larry Kline’s casting in season 3. While Elwes would go on to play the corrupt and dubious character to perfection, one can only imagine what might have been had Englund originally been successful in the role. The Nightmare on Elm Street veteran would have lent the character a very different persona than that which eventually made its way onto Netflix.
Thankfully, however, Stranger Things eventually had another role in mind for the actor, and one which fit well with season 4’s themes. With the latest season’s primary villain, Vecna, being heavily influenced by Englund’s portrayal of Freddy Krueger, it seems only fitting to bring him in to play an associated role. Given that Vecna is also later revealed to be Victor’s son Henry, it does indeed help give “the season a little bit of a wink.” Exactly how Vecna will be defeated remains to be seen, as Stranger Things season 4, part 2 is due to hit Netflix on July 1.