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Stranger Things Season 5 begins with a striking visual callback that takes fans back to where it all began. The first five minutes feature a digitally de-aged Noah Schnapp as young Will Byers, who is trapped in the Upside Down. The young actor Luke Kokotek served as the body double for 11-year-old Will, while Lola VFX worked on placing Schnapp's face and hair onto Kokotek.
The sequence displays Will sheltering in Castle Byers with a rifle while humming The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go. This technological achievement mirrors similar work done for Millie Bobby Brown's character Eleven in the fourth season. The process blends CGI with performance from a young actor to recreate the former days of the beloved show. Both actors had surreal experiences guiding their younger counterparts through the shooting process, offering insight into their own growth as performers over the years.
Learning from a friend on the set of Stranger Things Season 5
Schnapp turned to his real-life best friend and co-star Brown for guidance before shooting his de-aging sequences. He reached out to her for advice on working with the child star who would bring young Will back on screen. The experience gave him a chance to step into a mentoring role that he rarely gets on the show. He had to think carefully about his own acting choices from years ago and communicate those details to Kokotek.
. "I asked [Millie] for help, honestly. I was like, 'How did you work with the kid when you had to do it?' It was fun to step into those director shoes that we don't really get the chance to do on the show,"
Schnapp told Deadline.
"And think introspectively and reflectively of how I act and how I did act and move and breathe and turn and look and kind of relay that onto this little kid, who was so cute. It was a fun experience. It's a little digital-looking. It's hard to make it look perfect, but it turned out pretty well."
A director's perspective
The process proved educational for Schnapp in unpredictable ways. He had to analyze his own performance style from the early days of Stranger Things.
He needed to recall how he moved, breathed, and took turns, so that he looked like the same actor. Passing that experience to a child actor was unforgettable for him. While Schnapp acknowledged the challenges of making digital effects look seamless, he felt satisfied with the final outcome and enjoyed the opportunity to mentor young Kokoteck throughout the filming.
Millie Bobby Brown's experience
Brown had already navigated this territory in Season 4 when her character Elven appeared in flashback sequences. She worked closely with Martie Blair, who stood in for her during the intense scenes, revealing how Henry turned into Vecna.
The actress found the process revealing as it forced her to examine her past performance choices. Brown was eager to see how the same technology would work for Schnapp's scenes in Stranger Things season 5.
"I was able to direct her for a couple of episodes. It's really interesting because [it] taught me a lot about what I did. I was like, 'Yeah, how did I, why did I? Okay?'"
Brown said.
" I was like, 'Wow.' I just screamed and threw out my hand, without any sense of embarrassment. And it's so interesting. 10 years ago, social media wasn't a thing. It was not what it is like [now] at all. I posted pictures of my dog, and I had like 25 followers. It's interesting, the sense of humility you really have to leave at the door."
Creating a supportive environment in Stranger Things season 5
Both actors focused on making their younger counterparts feel at ease during the filming. Brown emphasized the importance of dropping inhibitions when dealing with sequences involving supernatural powers.
She worked hard to reassure Blair during their intense sequences together, creating a mixed atmosphere on set.
"I really worked with the little girl I worked with in terms of, 'It's okay. Just like, it's fine.' We are going to look silly because we aren't actually moving anything with our minds, but let's just harness that in a superhero you have together," Brown said.
"And so I sat there behind a wall and screamed with her, threw out my hand behind camera so that she felt like she was with me."
This hands-on approach helped the young actress feel helped while performing difficult material that required commitment and imagination.
Technical achievements in Stranger Things season 5
The de-aging work in Stranger Things season 5 represents a significant technical accomplishment. These opening moments required careful coordination between actors, visual effects, and body doubles to create a seamless trip back in the story.
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The technology enables the series to explore its mythology while maintaining visual consistency with previous seasons. For audiences invested in the characters' journeys, seeing young Will again lends emotional depth to the start of the final season.
Stranger Things season 5 utilizes cutting-edge technology to honor its past while moving the narrative forward, creating exciting moments that connect longtime fans with the show's origins.
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