Hiro Koda began work as stunt coordinator on season three of Stranger Things after having spent time on stunts for other hit shows, including HBO's Big Little Lies and Netflix's Ozark. With its young cast and heavy use of special effects, Stranger Things presented its own particular challenges and opportunities.
But Koda has been working regularly for over thirty years and was more than up to the task. Koda was kind enough to answer a few questions for Screenrant recently and offer up a few insider details that fans may not be aware of about all the stunt work that took place in season three. Here are ten things fans never knew about the stunt work that went into the creation Stranger Things season three.
Safety Is The Number One Priority
For the uninitiated, Koda explained his job as, "I am in charge of coordinating all the action, big or small. Safety is always my number one priority even when it’s just a cast member running down a hallway. I like to have the stunt doubles demonstrate the action for camera set ups on the days that we’re shooting."
"Sometimes it’s the first time an actor is seeing what their action will be and I want them to be completely comfortable with what they are doing."
There Are "Monsters" On Set
While fans are used to seeing the giant Mind Flayer or the screeching Demogorgon, the cast sees something very different when they're on set, but they are not acting against nothing .
"For the monsters, we use stunt performers in green suits to interact with cast," said Koda. In the scene where Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is fighting the Mind Flayer in the hospital, there were actually tentacle props attached to a wire rig for her and the other performers to interact with.
Practical Effects & Stunts Are Preferred
Fans may see a lot of computer-generated monsters, but on set, Koda and team strive to do as much as they can with practical effects. "The Duffer brothers and Shawn Levy are incredible with creating the vibe on set with music. Everyone really gets into the scene, including the crew, until we all believe the man in the “green suit” is a giant scary monster!" said Koda.
Fans already love the look of Stranger Things and all the action they see on screen, but there's a lot more to appreciate when it's understood how much on set teamwork it takes to pull each sequence off.
Billy & The Real Sauna Door
One of the most memorable scenes from Stranger Things season three saw Billy get trapped in a sauna by Eleven and company. Viewers got to watch an enraged (and possessed) Billy throw himself against the Sauna door to try and escape. To achieve the stunt on set, a real door was used.
"We had it locked so the stunt double could actually smash the door. Special Effects created a pipe alongside the door that was strong enough to gradually give way until it broke open," Koda explained.
Billy's Rubber Barbell
While the door used in Billy's sauna fight was real, the barbell that's thrown around and holds him against the wall wasn't... at least for half the time. For safety, larger props are never as real or as heavy as they may really be but when the job is done right, there's no way to tell what exactly any prop may be made of.
"There were real ones [barbells] used for establishing on set," Koda said. "But we had fake ones made of rubber for smashing into Billy for safety." Like the barbell, the axe that Lucas later uses against the Mind Flayer was also made of rubber.
The Starcourt Car Crash Was Real
One of the largest stunts in all of season three was the car crash that took place in the middle of Starcourt Mall in "Chapter Seven: The Bite," when Eleven flings a convertible across the atrium.
It may surprise viewers to learn that the stunt was completely practical, with no CGI. Koda shot the car crash with the second unit and used stunt doubles while organizing the practical effect. The result, obviously, was worth it.
The Cast Used Prop Firearms
From Nancy's shotgun to the handguns used by the Russian agents, there were quite a few firearms that appeared in season three of Stranger Things. Obviously, what fans see on screen isn't exactly what actors come into contact with behind the scenes.
"When gunfire happens within close proximity to cast, replica guns are used and our wonderful Visual Effects team creates the gun flashes in post," Koda explained. "So we see and hear nothing on the day of filming. Sometimes when it is safe to do so, the cast or stunt doubles will fire blank rounds."
Hopper Really Fought The Mayor
Season three of Stranger Things saw the introduction of Hawkins mayor, Larry Kline, played by The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes.
When Hopper came to interrogate (read: to beat up) the shady Mayor, Elwes and Hopper actor David Harbour did the entire scene. "I didn’t use any stunt doubles that day," Koda admitted. "Cary and David performed the whole fight and did a great job!"
The Gang Threw Blank Fireworks That Digitally Exploded
After Eleven throws a car to save Dustin, Erica, Steve, and Robin, Starcourt Mall, the gang later must save Eleven. To do this, the group uses an unconventional weapon: fireworks.
"This was all cast and no stunt doubles," Koda said. "The kids threw practical firework props that had no explosives in them but, did have a real fuse that they were able to ignite. Brilliant lighting effects were used to give the illusion of the fireworks exploding and then our VFX Team enhanced the explosions in post." It was a true team effort all around.
Hopper Vs Grigori Took 4 & A Half Days To Shoot
While the fireworks inside Starcourt Mall took a village to put together, it was the one on one final fight between Chief Hopper and Russian hitman Grigori that took some of the most time to shoot. Filming the fight alone took four and a half days of shooting. Grigori and Hopper's actors apparently took a lot of time to coordinate and practice the fight. As seen in the season's epic final fights, all their hard work paid off spectacularly.
"The mirror room fight with Hopper and Grigori was an extremely complicated sequence," said Koda. "It took several days to work out the path of the cameras and performers moving through the mirrored room so that we did not see ourselves in the mirrors on camera."