The young stars of Stranger Things have matured significantly since the show’s debut, yet in Season Five, it’s apparent that their characters have not aged at the same rate as the actors themselves.
The newest series, divided into three segments on Netflix, thrusts the group back into action as Hawkins becomes the epicenter of Vecna’s ominous scheme, with Eleven being pursued by the military.
With three years having passed since the previous season, many of the high school characters are now portrayed by actors old enough to legally purchase alcohol.
When Stranger Things premiered nine years ago, the main cast was comprised of promising young child actors. Now, they are well into adulthood, with bright futures ahead in their careers.
The Dungeons and Dragons-loving team reaches the age of 16 as Season Five unfolds, though only four years have canonically passed since the show’s inception, with some actors being as much as eight years senior to their roles.
Eleven is experiencing challenges both in and out of school this season, but the actress portraying her, Millie Bobby Brown, is now 21, though she was 20 during filming.
Initially cast at age 12 to play the similarly aged Eleven, Brown’s age gap with her character has increased with each new season.
Now officially Millie Bonnie Bongiovi after her marriage, she has appeared in multiple productions since Stranger Things began, including Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Enola Holmes.
Mike Wheeler is also 16 when the new season kicks off. However, after nine years of filming, actor Finn Wolfhard is now 22 years old.
The young performer has landed several roles due to his central part in Stranger Things, including a role in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
Earlier this year, Wolfhard released his first directorial feature, the comedy horror film Hell of a Summer, shot just before Season Five.
Gaten Matarazzo, one of the oldest actors among the Hawkins kids, is now seven years older than his character, Dustin Henderson.
At 23, Matarazzo is slightly older than Wolfhard and had notable acting experience before joining the series, including roles in two Broadway musicals before turning 13.
Caleb McLaughlin is now an impressive eight years older than his character Lucas Sinclair, making him the eldest of the original cast at 24.
McLaughlin also made his debut on Broadway, portraying young Simba in The Lion King before earning his role on Stranger Things.
In 2020, he debuted in the feature film Concrete Cowboy alongside Idris Elba and has participated in four additional films since, including 2023’s The Book of Clarence.
Among the younger cast members, Noah Schnapp, who portrays Will Byers, is 21 with a five-year gap between him and his on-screen character.
Schnapp began his acting journey at 11, voicing Charlie Brown in 2015’s The Peanuts Movie and portraying an agent’s son in Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies that same year.
Since becoming Will Byers, Schnapp has launched a YouTube channel that has amassed 4.5 million subscribers.
Sadie Sink, who joined the series in its second season as Max Mayfield, plays a 16-year-old character at the age of 23.
Max’s character has faced numerous challenges, but since her Stranger Things debut, Sink has earned significant roles and acclaim.
This includes her performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-winning film The Whale in 2022, sharing the screen with Brendan Fraser, who stars as a morbidly obese man striving to reconnect with his daughter.