Netflix Tudum recently released the audition footage of Jake Connelly, who plays Derek Turnbow in Stranger Things Season 5. He is the younger brother of Tina Turnbow, portrayed by Caroline Elle Abrams. He’s often referred to as “Dipshit Derek” due to his tendency to lash out easily and bully his classmates.
Jake Connelly’s audition tape for Stranger Things Season 5 released
Netflix Tudum took to X (formerly Twitter) to release Connelly’s audition tape for Stranger Things Season 5. The clip begins with Connelly giving his introduction, “Hi, my name is Jake Connelly. I’m 4 feet and 11 inches tall.”
Between the audition clip, Matt Duffer reveals why Connelly was an apt choice for the role, sharing that he was so impressive they decided to expand his character’s role across the season. He said, “We knew he would be a perfect Derek, but he was so charming and hilarious to us that we started to gradually increase the size of his role throughout the season.”
The tape then moves on to Connelly asserting that he’s not “Dipshit Derek” today but “Delightful Derek.” This is followed by his and Winona Ryder’s Joyce’s similar sequence from the hit series.
In a conversation with Netflix Tudum, Connelly shared his experience on the sets of Stranger Things and talked about the stand-out moment from the script. He said, “I seriously gasped at the first three episodes because I learned that Holly was taken and what happens after that. And I remember when I was reading the scripts for later in the season in my trailer, I learned I got to flip off someone and yell something that I won’t spoil, but it’s pretty amazing.”
For Connelly, the hit Netflix series marks his major acting debut, given that he has only acted in a local Chicago furniture commercial in the past.
