With the thrilling conclusion of Stranger Things after five intense seasons, fans are still processing the end of the beloved Netflix series. Meanwhile, one of the younger cast members has reflected on the show with a heartfelt tribute.
The actresses who originally portrayed Holly Wheeler in the first four seasons have shared an emotional look back at their time on the sci-fi series. This included a touching video montage featuring moments on set with stars like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Carla Buono.
While these memories mark a significant chapter in their early career, fans were particularly surprised to learn that Holly had been played by twins from the start.
This revelation left TikTok users astonished, with many commenting: “THERE’S TWO?!”
Another viewer shared their disbelief, saying: “Wait, like the Holly from Stranger Things has a twin?”
A third fan added: “How did I not notice?!”
Identical twins Anniston and Tinsley Price were cast as Mike and Nancy’s younger sister when the show debuted in 2016 and continued in the role for four seasons.
However, in the show’s final season, the role was recast, and Nell Fisher took over as Holly, who played a more significant role in the concluding episodes.
Matt Duffer, one of the co-creators of Stranger Things, explained the recasting decision to SFX, stating: “Once you see the full season, you’ll have a better understanding of why it was so important to add her to the cast.”
Ross Duffer expanded on the choice to cast Nell Fisher in an interview with Variety: “If you watch the previous seasons, Holly barely talks at all. So we didn’t really have much of a character there. She was just a little kid. Even Season 1, when we’re filming her, it was basically whatever one of the young twins would do, we would just try to capture it in real time.
“So we didn’t really have a voice for her. In the initial scripts, Holly was a little shyer and a little more withdrawn. And then, as we found Nell, who’s such a character […] we started infusing Nell’s personality into Holly.”
Matt further commented: “We were really nervous about [recasting Holly]. It is not like she had to look identical to the twins who were playing Holly in the past, but she had to resemble them enough that you weren’t totally confused.
“But more important than that, they have to be an incredible actor.”
Shawn Levy, the executive producer, mentioned to TUDUM: “For this season, the Duffer Brothers wanted to centralize Holly as a main character.
“Many, many years ago, we had two 3-year-old twins play Holly, back when I was shooting her following Christmas lights down a hallway.”
“So this time around, there was both an opportunity, but also a necessity, to find someone to play Holly who is around the same age — that innocent, defining age — that our kids were when this started.”
Despite the changes, fans warmly bid farewell to the twins, and Anniston and Tinsley graciously welcomed Nell on Instagram: “Can’t wait to see where you take our girl, Holly. We know it’s going to be amazing!”