Stranger Things season 3 cast: the actors, their characters, and their age at filming
Season 3 · Cast · The actors of summer 1985
Season 3 brings in Robin, Mayor Kline, an odious journalist, a Russian scientist and a Soviet killer. It also promotes Erica to a main character. Here are all the actors of summer 1985, with their age at filming, between April and November 2018.
The essentials
- Newcomers: Maya Hawke, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey, Alec Utgoff, Andrey Ivchenko, Francesca Reale
- Promoted to series regular: Priah Ferguson (Erica)
- Filming: April to November 2018
- Release: July 4, 2019
Contents
The newcomers
| Actor / actress | Character | Age while filming |
|---|---|---|
| Maya Hawke | Robin Buckley, Steve's colleague | 19-20 |
| Cary Elwes | Larry Kline, the corrupt mayor | 55 |
| Jake Busey | Bruce Lowe, Hawkins Post journalist | 46-47 |
| Alec Utgoff | Alexei, the Russian scientist | 32 |
| Andrey Ivchenko | Grigori, the Soviet killer | 45 |
| Francesca Reale | Heather Holloway, the lifeguard | 23-24 |
Cary Elwes, the hero of The Princess Bride (1987), is the season's cinephile wink, in the role of the mayor who sold Hawkins to the Russians. Maya Hawke, daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, was hired for a supporting role; the Duffers expanded Robin from the first scenes.
The Scoops Ahoy T-shirt, Robin's.
In the shopMen's Scoops Ahoy T-shirt39,90 €See the product
The group, in the summer of 1985
| Actor / actress | Character | Age while filming |
|---|---|---|
| Millie Bobby Brown | Eleven | 14 |
| Finn Wolfhard | Mike Wheeler | 15 |
| Gaten Matarazzo | Dustin Henderson | 16 |
| Caleb McLaughlin | Lucas Sinclair | 16-17 |
| Noah Schnapp | Will Byers | 13-14 |
| Sadie Sink | Max Mayfield | 16 |
| Priah Ferguson | Erica Sinclair | 12 |
Season 3 is the season of the couples: Mike and Eleven, Lucas and Max, and Will who refuses to grow up. The actors, for their part, grew more than a year between the two seasons, and the show makes a subject of it.
The high-schoolers and the adults
| Actor / actress | Character | Age while filming |
|---|---|---|
| Natalia Dyer | Nancy Wheeler | 23 |
| Charlie Heaton | Jonathan Byers | 24 |
| Joe Keery | Steve Harrington | 26 |
| Dacre Montgomery | Billy Hargrove | 23 |
| Winona Ryder | Joyce Byers | 46 |
| David Harbour | Jim Hopper | 43 |
| Brett Gelman | Murray Bauman | 41-42 |
| Cara Buono | Karen Wheeler | 47 |
| Gabriella Pizzolo | Suzie Bingham | 14-15 |
Suzie existsGabriella Pizzolo, a Broadway actress (Matilda), only appears in the finale, by radio then on screen, for the NeverEnding Story duet. She will be back in Season 4.
Robin and Erica, the two casting wins
Two characters written as supporting roles came out of season 3 as pillars of the show. Robin, Steve's sarcastic coworker, was meant to serve as a foil; Maya Hawke gave her a delivery, a look, and a scene in the movie-theater restroom that made her the most loved character of the summer of 1985. Erica, the little sister who demanded free ice cream, became the key to infiltrating the Russian base and the best comic spring of the season.
The Duffers admitted they rewrote part of the episodes during the shoot to give more room to the two actresses. That has been the show's method since Steve in Season 1: the casting corrects the script.
What becomes of the newcomers
| Character | After season 3 |
|---|---|
| Robin | Present through season 5, a main character |
| Mayor Kline | Arrested; does not come back |
| Alexei | Dies at the fair |
| Grigori | Dies in the Russian machine |
| Heather | Dies, absorbed by the flesh monster |
| Billy | Dies at Starcourt; comes back in Max's visions in season 4 |
Cast markers
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| December 2017 | Season 3 ordered |
| March 2018 | Announcement of Maya Hawke and Cary Elwes |
| April 2018 | Start of filming |
| November 2018 | End of filming |
| July 4, 2019 | Season release |
The Steve figure, in an ice-cream parlor uniform.
In the shopLego Robin Buckley Scoops Ahoy mini figure14,90 €See the product
How the newcomers were picked
Maya Hawke was announced in March 2018 for a role described as an "alternative girl," who we later learned would be Steve's colleague at Scoops Ahoy. Cary Elwes, the hero of The Princess Bride, and Jake Busey followed in April: the first as Mayor Kline, "a classic 80s politician, more concerned with his image than with his town," the second as Bruce, a crooked reporter at the Hawkins Post. Francesca Reale took the role of Heather, the lifeguard.
Casting was not finished in September 2018, while filming had been going for five months. Carmen Cuba, the casting director, explained that delay by the secrecy around the plot and by roles whose importance changed as writing went on. Alexei, the Russian scientist played by Alec Utgoff, is one of those: planned as a supporting part, he became one of the most loved characters of the season, and his death at the fair one of its most commented moments.
The new faces of 1985
| Actor | Character | What he brings |
|---|---|---|
| Maya Hawke | Robin Buckley | Steve's coworker, the translator of the Russian code, a revelation |
| Cary Elwes | Larry Kline | The mayor sold to the Russians, arrested at the end |
| Jake Busey | Bruce | The journalist who hounds Nancy, then possessed |
| Alec Utgoff | Alexei | The Russian scientist who loves cherry slushies |
| Andrey Ivchenko | Grigori | The Soviet killer, the season's Terminator |
| Francesca Reale | Heather Holloway | The lifeguard, the first possessed after Billy |
| Gabriella Pizzolo | Suzie | Dustin's girlfriend, at the other end of the radio |
The Season 3 salaries
Season 3 is the season of the renegotiations. According to the American press, Winona Ryder and David Harbour went to 350 000 dollars per episode, against 150 000 and 80 000 before. The four boys of the group, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp, got more than 200 000 dollars per episode, maybe 250 000, against about 20 000 in Season 1. Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery were brought to about 150 000 dollars. Millie Bobby Brown's raise was not made public.
Those figures say the evolution of the show: from a bet on unknowns in 2015 to a franchise whose actors have become stars, in three years.
Those who leave with the season
Season 3 is Dacre Montgomery's last as a regular: Billy dies in the mall, and the actor only comes back in Season 4 for a memory scene, at his character's grave. Alec Utgoff and Andrey Ivchenko also leave the show, Alexei and Grigori both dying in the last third of the season. Cary Elwes does not come back either: Mayor Kline is arrested, and the town changes administrations.
Conversely, two 1985 arrivals settle in for good. Maya Hawke becomes one of the pillars of the cast through the last episode of the show, and Gabriella Pizzolo, the Suzie of the radio, comes back in season 4 for the decoding of "Nina."
The Season 3 poster.
In the shopScoops Ahoy Steve and Robin vest29,90 €See the product
TakeawaySix new faces, including Maya Hawke and Cary Elwes. Erica becomes a series regular. The party is between 13 and 17 at the 2018 shoot. Alexei, Grigori, Heather and Billy do not survive the season.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the new season 3 actors?
Maya Hawke (Robin), Cary Elwes (Mayor Kline), Jake Busey (Bruce), Alec Utgoff (Alexei), Andrey Ivchenko (Grigori) and Francesca Reale (Heather).
Who plays the mayor in season 3?
Cary Elwes, the actor from The Princess Bride, in the role of Larry Kline.
Who plays Alexei?
Alec Utgoff, a British actor of Ukrainian origin, born in 1986.
How old was Maya Hawke at filming?
Nineteen to twenty, in 2018.
How much did the actors earn for season 3?
According to the press, 350 000 dollars per episode for Winona Ryder and David Harbour, more than 200 000 for the four boys, about 150 000 for Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery.
Why was the season 3 casting delayed?
Because of the secrecy around the plot and roles whose importance changed in the writing: in September 2018, after five months of filming, not all the roles were cast.