Stranger Things is Netflix’s 1980s sci‑fi juggernaut that, since its 2016 debut, has consistently topped streaming charts and propelled its ensemble cast to stratospheric fame. Fresh faces including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink have become household names as a result of starring in the show, which is the brainchild of the Duffer Brothers.
Now the final chapter is just around the corner. Stranger Things 5 arrives this year, with four episodes due to be released on 26 November, three on Christmas Day, and the finale on New Year’s Eve, with each volume dropping at 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
The chance to join the nostalgia-steeped franchise has passed now that filming has wrapped, but there’s much to learn from the series’ casting director and its actors on standing out in TV auditions.
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Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things opens with the mysterious disappearance of young Will Byers. As his friends rally to find him, they encounter Eleven – a girl with telekinetic powers – and the terrifying parallel realm known as the Upside Down.
Over five seasons, the show has woven teenage friendship, government conspiracies, and supernatural elements into an epic coming‑of‑age saga. What started as a small‑town mystery evolves into a high‑stakes global drama, equal parts heart and heartbreak.
Its multiepisode cliffhangers helped shape binge‑watch culture, and the final season promises to tie up loose ends, resolve character arcs, and deliver more of the retro aesthetic that fans have come to know and love.
Emmy‑winning casting director Carmen Cuba (Behind the Candelabra, The Power of the Dog, Nope) was instrumental in shaping the Stranger Things universe from day one. Cuba conducted an international search – screening hundreds of self‑tapes in which talent performed scenes from the 1986 film Stand by Me – to find child actors who felt authentic and unique. “The original cast members are all real individuals,” she told Backstage. “None of those kids cross over into the same space as another, energetically and emotionally.”
Cuba says she generally responds best to actors who come prepared but aren’t wedded to their choices. “The best habit I think an actor can have is to be prepared enough that he or she can use that preparation to feel confident and playful in the audition – even if it’s not necessarily for a playful role,” she told Backstage. “The worst habit is probably preparing something in such a specific way that if the casting director or director asks you to adjust or do it differently, it causes friction and stops you from being in the moment.”
- Finn Wolfhard (Mike) famously auditioned from his bed while sick, with Cuba praising his charm even in that vulnerable moment. “None of that showed,” she says. “You could tell he had energy and life and was really excited to play the part.”
- Sadie Sink (Max) auditioned at 14 and was initially considered too old, but she begged and pleaded for more audition material – and even lied about her skating ability – before nailing her chemistry reads with Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas).
- Dacre Montgomery (Billy) advises actors to make bold decisions in their auditions – as demonstrated by his infamous tape for Billy. Similarly, Natalia Dyer (Nancy) has advocated for giving casting directors something extra, in the form of taping a few extra scenes, as she did to bag the lead role in I Believe in Unicorns.
If you’d like to improve your chances of getting cast on a future project like Stranger Things, make sure you’re armed with a high-quality headshot and showreel. You can also start preparing yourself for the demands of big-budget productions by gaining on-set experience as an extra or a stand-in.