- Eddie, what's lovable about him is he's himself.
I think that that's a pretty endearing quality.
Would I be friends with him in high school?
Yeah, go on.
If he'd have me, yeah.
The guitar sequence in episode nine was really fun.
I remember it being, kind of, pretty daunting
when I read the script and, kind of, thought that,
how have they come up with this?
This better be good, otherwise it's gonna fall pretty flat.
So, I went and bought a guitar
and started practicing as much as I could.
And on the day of, I remember there was just a real sense
of excitement on set in everyone
because it was the first time that people had, kind of, been
in a, kind of, live music, "live music,"
environment since the pandemic.
So everyone was kind of,
it felt a bit like a concert, really.
Being on top of the caravan with Gaten [Matarazzo]
and just getting to play "Master of Puppets"
in the Upside Down isn't something you do every day.
I remember telling myself like,
"Really try and be here as much as you can,
"because this is a really rare moment."
And it was so fun.
Hello, Joe Quinn from 'Stranger Things.'
We're gonna be going through the Top 5 heroic moments
of Volume 2 of Season 4.
The first heroic moment from Volume 2 is Dustin going back
to save Eddie,
when he goes back into the Upside Down, it's gotta be.
He knows that all of those bats are up there
and he's still going there because he's --
he loves his friend.
And that's pretty heroic, in my book.
Working with Gaten was a treat.
He's a great guy and wonderful to hang out with
and very funny and doesn't take himself seriously.
He's always cracking jokes and yeah,
I didn't really find it hard to, kind of -
I didn't have to crowbar any chemistry in there.
I can't speak for him.
He might have had to work pretty hard,
but he's a very affable man.
That special thing about that moment
where Eddie grabs Dustin and tells him, "Never change."
It just feels quite funny
because it's obviously, like I'm talking about my work here.
So if it, like, can't help but sound grossly narcissistic.
But I dunno, I think, kind of, what's special about
that moment is it's, kind of, personally speaking,
plagued with, kind of, doubt and, kind of, self-criticism.
What's lovely about people that care about you,
and friends, is that they love you regardless
of, kind of, you know, when you're having a bad day
or when you're having a good day.
And I think, kind of, that moment is just him telling him
to, kind of, just stay, be yourself,
because we love our friends
and, kind of, when you see them on good days, it's the best.
And when you see them being unkind to themselves
or not backing themselves, it's frustrating.
And it's makes you feel sad because you know
that they're great.
We're not always our, kind of, number one fans.
I guess there's something
just very kind of poignant about that.
I really liked the kind of -
Gaten and I really wanted to, kind of, like, lean
into, kind of, the physical aspect of, kind of, the way
that guys express love to each other,
which, kind of, tends to be quite physical.
And yeah, we just, kind of,
we tried to get a little wrestle in there before.
Why do I think that Eddie and Dustin are heroic?
Well, they are.
I think, kind of, to volunteer yourself,
to try and get however many hundreds of Demobats
to come and fly at you that, you know,
it doesn't get more heroic than that.
Another heroic moment from Volume 2 of Season 4
is Eddie sacrificing himself to the bats, definitely.
Everyone knew when we started properly filming
because the scripts were written during the hiatus.
Yeah, I knew Eddie's fate
before we, kind of, really started going.
So that was kind of helpful, but a little bit gutting.
I thought, like, if I, kind of, worked hard enough,
maybe they might invite me back for Season 5
but it felt like they'd already decided
what they were gonna do with me.
But that's OK.
There was a time before me
and there will be a time after me and they'll be fine.
We were very lucky to have that time together.
Filming Eddie's death.
It was a treat, really.
It was great fun.
It was a bit weird logistically.
We filmed the whole, kind of, bat sequence
and the Metallica sequence in one, kind of, night shoot.
And then towards the end of that night shoot,
I mean, we were trying to cram so much into it.
And then at the end of the shoot day,
as it were a day,
I kind, of, went into makeup surgery
and had, kind of, five brilliant makeup artists,
kind of, putting stuff all over me and stuff in my mouth
and put in contact lenses.
And then I was, kind of, wheeled out, chucked on the floor.
We had, kind of, maybe the 20 minutes before
the sun came up.
We managed to get my coverage,
but we didn't manage to get Gaten's.
So then months later, we shot Gaten's coverage.
Yeah, so there was a, kind of, big gap,
which is quite weird.
It was obviously a great treat to be able to do that
with Gaten because he's, yeah, he's amazing.
Am I satisfied as an actor
with the way that Eddie's been received?
Yes. Yeah, I am really.
Well, satisfied is a dangerous word.
I'm relieved.
People seem to have responded well to him
and liked him, which is great.
But yeah, I think,
you know, it's been a long time.
It was a long shoot.
So I think, kind of, I'm very relieved
that, kind of, people have been so, kind of, welcoming.
But I think, kind of, if ever you feel,
kind of, too satisfied
with yourself and your work that's when
stuff gets a little rumbly, so.
I'm relieved.
Another heroic moment
from Volume 2 is, I think,
Nancy's shotgun take down of Vecna.
I think that bit is pretty heroic.
I remember seeing some footage of Nat [Dyer] doing that,
kind of, earlier on in the shoot
and just thinking, "That's gonna look -"
'Cause she just looks, she's just working that thing.
Like, I dunno, like Keanu Reeves or something.
It's amazing.
Joining a cast like this,
where they have become galvanized through this, kind of,
this crazy experience that they went through.
Like, they had no idea
how successful the show would be when they joined it.
So, I think that they feel very, kind of, close
that I, kind of, initially thought
that they might be a little
cliquey maybe, but they weren't at all.
They were very welcoming and kind and reassuring.
So, that was great.
Another heroic moment from Season 4, Volume 2,
is just Eleven, generally.
She's just one heroic moment after another.
She spoils us with her heroic moments.
I think the heroic moment that jumps to mind
is when she finds the strength within herself
to fight Vecna through the beautiful words of Mike,
played by Finn Wolfhard.
That moment gutted me.
Yeah, it devastated me.
I was a wreck.
That moment where Vecna's about to have at Max
and then gets sent sideways is a pretty heroic moment.
She has so many questions about herself and, kind of,
and is uncertain about so many aspects of herself,
but is gifted with this extraordinary power.
We find that captivating as an audience.
I just think that Millie [Bobby Brown]'s performance is
just breathtaking as well.
I think it's impossible to not be captivated by that.
The last heroic moment of Volume 2
is when Max volunteers herself to bait Vecna.
I don't wanna go in the Creel house.
I really wouldn't wanna go in there
but she goes in there willingly with nothing but a lamp
and two friends, one of which is an infant.
So, I think that takes a lot of bravery.
We need people of all different genders,
races, being heroes.
And that's just how it should be.
I guess the fact that we're still commenting on it
means that there's still a long way to go
but I think it's just brilliant.
They're just fantastic actors and they deliver.
I think Sadie [Sink] is obviously,
has had a lot of heavy lifting this season
and is getting the response that she deserves.
Millie is clearly a, kind of, divinely gifted actor.
I think a lot of the show's success is based on,
not exclusively her performance at all,
but I think she, kind of, elevates.
She brings something that is other-worldly
to this performance.
And I think, kind of,
for young women to see themselves represented
on screen like that, it can do no harm, can it?
I think that it shows, collectively,
that young people can really be heroes.
I think in times of trouble and difficulties in our lives,
we all have our own Vecnas, you know?
We don't know what's around the corner
but you always have your friends there, God willing,
to help you in times of adversity.
Heroism is leaning on people and sometimes asking for help
and sometimes being there for people.
And I think that's, kind of,
some of the, kind of, prevailing things in
'Stranger Things.'
This show showcases that beautifully.