The cast of Stranger Things play a group of best friends on the show. But are they actually
friends in real life? Good question. Yeah, they literally grew up together and went through
numerous rises and falls side by side. Does it mean they always get along?
Let's figure out everything you wanted to know about real-life relationships between
Stranger Things cast members. Keep watching the video, and don't forget to subscribe to
Rumour Juice YouTube channel. We'll help you to discover the world of Hollywood's most
exciting secrets!
HOW IT ALL STARTED In a 2016 interview with Teen Vogue, Noah
Schnapp said that all the cast members literally became friends on the very first day.
“We went to school, we all sat together, and we just started laughing. Then, later
we started hanging out, having sleepovers.”
The actor also said that he and Millie Bobby Brown invented one interesting tradition at
the time. They decided to film video diaries using their phones! Those videos were basically
about how Noah and Millie were fooling around during the first months of filming. However,
this activity helped the actors to become very close.
After some months of working together, several show stars attended a birthday dinner of Gaten
Matarazzo's brother. Not all of the Stranger Things kids were in that picture, but the
ones who were missing, like Brown, hung out a lot with Matarazzo and his siblings on other
occasions.
TOUCHING POSTS IN SOCIAL MEDIA Okay, so the actors were hanging out and having
fun together. But does it mean they became thick as thieves? Well…
In July 2016, after filming of the first season wrapped, the kids posted some very touching
things about each other on Instagram.
Gaten Matarazzo shared a photo of himself, Caleb McLaughlin and Milie Bobby Brown with
the following caption: “I love these guys. There are only two things missing @noahschnapp
and @finnwolfhardofficial. Love these guys. Couldn't have done this without you guys.
Love you with every little bit of my heart. WE MADE IT”. Whoa, it must have been a very
joyful moment!
On the same day, Caleb McLaugling posted a photo where he was hugging Millie Bobby Brown.
It turned out the picture was made when the two just met!
The most touching post, however, belonged to Finn Wolfhard. The photo showing the youngest
cast members hugging one of the Stranger Things creators went under the caption “Missing
my brothers”.
We're not crying. YOU are crying!
PECULIAR GROUP CHATS Not only were they spending most of their
time together on set, but they were actively socializing offset.
The kids created a group chat with a hysterical name: Stranger Texts. Millie Bobby Brown said
in an interview with Vulture: “It’s really nice to talk to each other when we need each
other on this group chat.” Noah Schnapp added that it was not constant texting that
made them friends, but it definitely helped.
Apparently, Stranger Texts wasn’t the only chat they created. Brown also told Vulture
that when she got a blemish, the actors came up with a group called… Are you all ears
now? Okay, so the group was called Pimple It, and it was made for everyone to exchange
messages about their pimples. That's what we call an artistic approach to a problem!
OLD-FASHIONED ACTIVITIES Surprisingly, the Stranger Things kids mostly
prefer to spend time together in an old-fashioned way.
"As soon as we're working, we're kind of like those '80s kids again." That's how Brown explained
their decision to play cards and Monopoly instead of video games. During the 2016 Halloween,
the youngest Stranger Things cast members, however, got together to play videogames and
watch scary movies. Well, it was the initial plan… What they really did was trick-or-treating.
It took place right after the show came out, so they were able to mostly avoid recognition.
Besides, all the cast members were dressed up. Millie recalls it as follows: "One kid
was like, 'Are you the cast from Stranger Things?' And I was all like, 'No, I'm Harley
Quinn." Okay, Mills, now we know YOUR favorite character!
MILLIE’S OTHER HALF Noah Schnapp once said: 'We all trust each
other very much. We're all part of a big family now. We're not just friends – we're like
brothers and sisters.' Apparently, he meant it! Also, Noah seems to be particularly close
with Millie, which is ironic considering the fact they barely have any scenes together.
In one of her Instagram posts, Millie called her co-star (quote) "the greatest friend a
girl could ask for!" In another post, published on Schnapp's birthday, she mentioned him as
her "other half" and "partner in crime." And for Brown's birthday, Schnapp prepared a framed
list of things he loves about her. It couldn't get any sweeter! Wait, actually, it could.
When Millie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Noah posted an Instagram photo with
the following caption: "If you keep working so hard you don't have a site to put all the
Emmy's" awards. Millie responded: "The nominations are a wonderful thing, but not as much as
our friendship."
THE ONLY GIRLS IN THE GROUP Okay, cool, we know now who’s Millie’s
best male friend on the show. And what about girls? Oh, it’s definitely Sadie Sink. Why
are we sure about it? Mainly because Sadie is the only girl in the group except Millie.
As the two explained to Vulture, it was the reason why they clicked immediately.
In August 2017, young actresses even went on vacation to Cabo San Lucas together. Brown
posted a photo on her Instagram page saying: "love you Sade! thank you for coming to #CABO
with me! These memories will last forever to me."
Another thing they have in common is that both actresses share bizarre stories about
their on-set kisses. In Season 1, Eleven and Mike's friendship turned romantic after they
kissed each other.
"It was, like, my first kiss, so it was kind of weird."
Little did she know it was the very beginning of her awkward kissing scenes with Finn Wolfhard!
In 2019, the two talked about their romantic scenes in Season 3 in a candid interview with
Extra TV.
And what about Sadie? You probably remember her character's kiss with Lucas at the Snow
Ball, right? Oh, what a beautiful and sweet moment it was! Not for Sadie, however. In
the second episode of Beyond Stranger Things, Sink made it clear: she didn't sign up for
that kiss. Sink admitted she was just stressed out by the scene – mainly because it was
performed multiple times in front of a packed room of extras, plus the actors' parents and
the crew. Caleb, who played Lucas, revealed it was the very first kiss for him. And yes,
he also said it felt weird. Maybe Caleb, Sadie, Finn, and Millie were simply too young for
such intimate on-set moments?
MORE THAN JUST FRIENDSHIP Luckily, "weird" is not the right word to
describe all the Stranger Things onscreen kisses. In fact, some of them even led to
the real ones. What we mean is, of course, the romance between Natalia Dyer and Charlie
Heaton.
Rumours about them dating started to spread in September 2016. Neither of them officially
confirmed their romance, referring to each other as “just friends”. The actors definitely
spent a lot of time together outside of work, and they didn’t even try to hide it: paparazzi
were catching Natalia and Charlie together all the time. Once a reporter approached the
two and asked them a very specific question. Guess what they replied.
Obviously, the actors couldn’t hide their relationship
forever. Natalia and Charlie multiple times showed up on the red carpet events as a couple
and also did joint interviews. Besides, back in 2017, Dyer stood by Heaton after the actor
was suspected of carrying an illegal substance.
Natalia has recently revealed that she and Charlie are still going strong. We hope they
will overcome all the troubles side by side!
UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT As Stranger Things cast members have proved,
being in a romantic relationship is not the only reason to support each other. In November
2017, Finn Wolfhard was unfairly criticized on Twitter for not stopping to sign autographs.
In response, Shannon Purser, who played Barb in Season 1, wrote: "Okay, no. No actor is
under any obligation to stop for anyone. Finn is an incredibly kind human. But he's human,
and he needs breaks too." Noah Schnapp agreed with Purser's tweet and defended Finn in his
own way: "So true. we really love the fans. Finn is the nicest guy u will ever know. we
all work so hard, and need a break sometimes".
FRIENDS OR RIVALS? We have no doubts now that the Stranger Things
kids are real friends. And we sincerely believe their friendships will last when they all
inevitably grow up and reach even greater heights.
The real test of the cast’s friendship is right now, considering the fact that many
of them are already major celebrities. Brown is obviously the most popular member of the
group so far. With Millie appearing in the new Godzilla: King of the Monsters movie and
its sequel Godzilla vs King Kong, it’s expected she could reach the top of Hollywood stardom
really soon. Minding all this… It would make sense to question whether there's a place
for jealousy in the world of Stranger Things stars... Well, even if there is, we are sure
they can handle it. Anyway, with such a great start on the Netflix hit show, it’s not
only Brown but all the cast members who’ll have a lot of great opportunities in the future.
Young actors have proved they are more than just buddies or colleagues. In fact, they’re
even more than just friends. They’re like a big family, and maybe it’s that very thing
that makes Stranger Things so special. Do you also look forward to seeing them all in
Season 4?