Stranger Things season 2 cast: the actors, their characters, and their age at filming
Season 2 · Cast · The newcomers of 1984
Season 2 keeps the whole 1983 cast and adds seven faces, from the skater Max to the RadioShack manager, Bob. Here are all the actors of the second season, the new ones first, with their age at filming, between November 2016 and June 2017.
The essentials
- Newcomers: Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Brett Gelman, Linnea Berthelsen, Priah Ferguson
- Back: the whole party, the high-schoolers, Winona Ryder, David Harbour
- Filming: November 2016 to June 2017
- Release: October 27, 2017
Contents
The newcomers
| Actor / actress | Character | Age while filming |
|---|---|---|
| Sadie Sink | Max Mayfield, the new girl from California | 14-15 |
| Dacre Montgomery | Billy Hargrove, her stepbrother | 22 |
| Sean Astin | Bob Newby, Joyce's companion | 45 |
| Paul Reiser | Dr. Sam Owens | 60 |
| Brett Gelman | Murray Bauman, the journalist | 40 |
| Linnea Berthelsen | Kali Prasad, Eight | 23 |
| Priah Ferguson | Erica Sinclair, Lucas's sister | 10 |
Sean Astin and Paul Reiser are two winks at 80s cinema: Astin was Mikey in The Goonies (1985), Reiser the traitor Burke in Aliens (1986). The Duffers said they wrote Bob thinking of The Goonies, and Owens by reversing Reiser's role in Aliens: this time, he is on the right side.
Max's T-shirt, the new girl of 1984.
In the shopWomen's Max's Mixtape T-shirt39,90 €See the product
The group, a year later
| Actor / actress | Character | Age while filming |
|---|---|---|
| Millie Bobby Brown | Eleven | 12-13 |
| Finn Wolfhard | Mike Wheeler | 13-14 |
| Gaten Matarazzo | Dustin Henderson | 14 |
| Caleb McLaughlin | Lucas Sinclair | 15 |
| Noah Schnapp | Will Byers | 12 |
Season 2 is Noah Schnapp's, almost absent from Season 1, who carries Will's possession. Millie Bobby Brown, for her part, spends part of the season away from the group, in the cabin then in Chicago.
The high-schoolers and the adults
| Actor / actress | Character | Age while filming |
|---|---|---|
| Natalia Dyer | Nancy Wheeler | 21-22 |
| Charlie Heaton | Jonathan Byers | 22-23 |
| Joe Keery | Steve Harrington | 24-25 |
| Winona Ryder | Joyce Byers | 45 |
| David Harbour | Jim Hopper | 41-42 |
| Cara Buono and Joe Chrest | Karen and Ted Wheeler | — |
| Randy Havens | Mr. Clarke | — |
| Aimee Mullins | Terry Ives | — |
Barb's returnShannon Purser does not appear in that second year, but Barb is everywhere in it: the investigation by Nancy and Jonathan, the Hollands, the funeral. The show answered the fans' “Justice for Barb” campaign without bringing the actress back.
What becomes of the newcomers
| Character | After Season 2 |
|---|---|
| Max | Present through season 5, a central character in season 4 |
| Billy | Dies in season 3; appears in Max's visions in season 4 |
| Bob | Dies in season 2, at the lab |
| Owens | Present through season 4 |
| Murray | Present through season 5 |
| Kali | Does not come back after season 2 |
| Erica | Main character from season 3 on |
Cast markers
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| August 2016 | Season 2 ordered; announcement of Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery |
| October 2016 | Sean Astin and Paul Reiser join the cast |
| November 2016 | Start of filming |
| June 2017 | End of filming |
| October 27, 2017 | Season release |
The Bob figure, the RadioShack hero.
In the shopLego Max Mayfield mini figure on a bike14,90 €See the product
How the newcomers were picked
Sadie Sink got Max by claiming, at the audition, that she could skateboard and roller-skate. She could skateboard, not roller-skate; she recounted years later, on a TV show, that the two were not as close as she had thought. Dacre Montgomery, an Australian actor, was announced at the same time as her, in October 2016, when Noah Schnapp and Joe Keery were promoted into the main cast.
Paul Reiser is a special case. In their presentation of the season, the Duffers had designated Dr. Owens's character under the name "Paul Reiser," in an explicit nod to his role in Aliens: James Cameron had chosen him because the audience would naturally trust him, and the turn would only be stronger. Reiser's son was a fan of the show; when production called his agent, the actor was already sold.
Sean Astin, Samwise from The Lord of the Rings and Mikey from The Goonies, brings Bob Newby the innocence of the 80s cinema the show cites. Brett Gelman and Linnea Berthelsen arrive in recurring roles, Murray and Kali, both called back through the last season.
The new faces of 1984
| Actor | Character | Age while filming | Becoming in the show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sadie Sink | Max Mayfield | 14 years | Central character through the 2025 finale |
| Dacre Montgomery | Billy Hargrove | 22 years | Antagonist, then victim, in season 3 |
| Sean Astin | Bob Newby | 45 years | Dies at the lab, episode 8 |
| Paul Reiser | Dr. Sam Owens | 60 years | Comes back in season 4 |
| Brett Gelman | Murray Bauman | 40 years | Present through the last season |
| Linnea Berthelsen | Kali / Eight | 23 years | Comes back in season 5, where she dies |
| Priah Ferguson | Erica Sinclair | 10 years | Promoted to the main cast in season 3 |
The 1984 shoot
The table reads started the first week of November 2016, and the shoot on November 7, in Atlanta. As early as November 14, set photos were circulating, showing the Season 1 group; the names of Max and Billy on the trailers gave away the newcomers. The shoot wrapped on June 3, 2017, after the last episodes filmed in April on the Woodland sets, already seen in Season 1.
Between the two seasons, the children had grown a year and a half. It is visible on screen, and it is a choice: the Duffers set the season a year after the first, in October 1984, so that the actors and their characters would age at the same pace. That constraint ended up dictating the calendar of the whole show.
What season 2 changed for the actors
Season 2 is the one where the young actors became known faces. Between the two seasons, they stacked television sets, ceremonies, and magazine covers; Finn Wolfhard shot It, Millie Bobby Brown was nominated for an Emmy for Season 1. That fame weighed on the later negotiations: for Season 3, the press reported salaries that went from about 20 000 dollars per episode in 2016 to more than 200 000 for the four boys.
It also changed the cast itself. The roles of Sean Astin and Paul Reiser, two faces of 80s cinema, were written knowing the audience would recognize those references. The show no longer merely cited the films of the period: it hired their actors.
The Season 2 poster.
In the shopKids' Max Mayfield track jacket34,90 €See the product
TakeawaySeven new faces, including Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery. Sean Astin and Paul Reiser, two nods to The Goonies and Aliens. The whole 1983 cast is back. Bob does not survive the season; Max and Erica become pillars.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the new season 2 actors?
Sadie Sink (Max), Dacre Montgomery (Billy), Sean Astin (Bob), Paul Reiser (Owens), Brett Gelman (Murray), Linnea Berthelsen (Kali) and Priah Ferguson (Erica).
Who plays Bob in season 2?
Sean Astin, the actor who plays Mikey in The Goonies and Sam in The Lord of the Rings.
Does Shannon Purser come back in 1984?
No, the actress does not appear, but the investigation into her character's death occupies the whole season.
How old was Sadie Sink at filming?
Fourteen to fifteen, between November 2016 and June 2017.
How did Sadie Sink get the role of Max?
By claiming at the audition that she could skateboard and roller-skate. She only mastered the first, which she admitted laughing years later.
Why Paul Reiser for Dr. Owens?
For the same reason James Cameron had chosen him in Aliens: a face the audience trusts. The Duffers had written "Paul Reiser" in their presentation even before contacting him.