AS the years fly by, the cast of Stranger Things is experiencing both a growth spurt and an increase in age.
Although this is expected for any long-running series, it is a bit of a problem for the cast of the Netflix hit series because they are getting older than their on-screen characters, such as in last year’s fourth season, in which the core cast of children were 15 years old in the show but the actors playing them were almost 20 years old.
For example, Caleb McLaughlin was 20 years old, while his character Lucas is still 15. On the adult side of the spectrum, Charlie Heaton (who looks like he is in his 30s) and Natalia Dyer are 28 and 27 years old respectively, while their characters are both 18.
The show’s production for its fifth and final season is currently paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and the delay certainly is not stopping the cast from continuing to outgrow their on-screen characters.
From the outside, this seems like it may be a big issue, but Stranger Things series executive producer and director Shawn Levy is not the least worried.
“We’ve already watched the cast of our show grow up in the public eye, and between 12 and 22, every human being changes profoundly,” he told Variety in an interview.
Admitting that the gaps in production are not helping, Levy is convinced that the series’ crew is more than capable of dealing with the situation.
“Our hair, makeup and wardrobe departments are pretty exceptional, using costumes, wigs and makeup. We’re going to use all the tools available to us”.