‘Stranger Things’ recap ahead of season 5
Catch up on “Stranger Things” before season 5 with key plot twists and epic showdown details
The kids from “Stranger Things” are all grown up.
Since the first season of the Netflix science fiction horror series premiered to critical acclaim in July 2016, the actors portraying children on the show have been making their marks in Hollywood, on Broadway and in modeling.
The first batch of episodes from the fifth and final season is available for streaming at 8 p.m. Nov. 26.
Here’s where you might have seen the youngest actors in the “Stranger Things” main cast since the show’s debut.
Finn Wolfhard
Age: 22
Character: Mike Wheeler
Wolfhard moved to the big screen, playing in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s “It” and followed that up with flashback scenes in 2019’s “It: Chapter Two,” co-starring in “The Goldfinch” that same year. The year 2020 saw him star in “The Turning,” “Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia,” and the short film “Rules for Werewolves.”
He co-starred in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” in 2021, and was cast in A24’s “The Legend of Ochi” and co-directed, co-wrote and co-starred in “Hell of a Summer.”
He’s voiced characters in a slew of animated projects, including “Carmen Sandiego” on Netflix and Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio.”
He modeled for Saint Laurent’s Fall/Winter ’19 campaign.
In July 2017, Wolfhard co-directed a music video for the band Spendtime Palace’s song “Sonora.”
He was the lead vocalist for the rock band Calpurnia before joining The Aubreys. He released his debut studio album, “Happy Birthday,” in June 2025.
Millie Bobby Brown
Age: 21
Character: Eleven
Brown has starred in the 2019 film “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and its sequel “Godzilla vs. Kong,” released in 2021.
She also starred in and produced Netflix films “Enola Holmes” in 2020, “Enola Holmes 2” in 2022, “Damsel” in 2024, and the Russo brothers’ “The Electric State” in 2025.
In January 2017, she modeled in Calvin Klein’s “By Appointment” campaign, then appeared in the summer 2018 advertisement campaign for Moncler. Brown has been on the cover of “Vogue” magazine, represented Pandora’s Pandora Me collection in 2019, and became an ambassador for Louis Vuitton in 2022.
The year 2019 saw the launch of her Florence by Mills cosmetics line and her “Millie By You” customizable sneaker collaboration with Converse.
Gaten Matarazzo
Age: 23
Character: Dustin Henderson
From 2019 to 2021, Matarazzo hosted and executive-produced the Netflix hidden camera series “Prank Encounters.”
He co-starred in the 2022 Paramount+ comedy film “Honor Society” and voiced Boris the Dragon on the animated fantasy film “My Father’s Dragon” as well as Bubba in “The Angry Birds Movie 2.”
Matarazzo also joined the Broadway cast of the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” in 2022; and in 2023 played the role of Tobias in the “Sweeney Todd” revival.
Caleb McLaughlin
Age: 24
Character: Lucas Sinclair
McLaughlin, who began his career playing young Simba in the Broadway musical “The Lion King,” appeared in the drama film “High Flying Bird” in 2019 and “Concrete Cowboy” in 2020.
On TV, he starred as young Ricky Bell in the BET miniseries “The New Edition Story,” (2017) and has had several television voice acting roles.
Noah Schnapp
Age: 21
Character: Will Byers
Schnapp, who voiced Charlie Brown in the 2015 animated film “The Peanuts Movie” and co-starred in Steve Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies” that same year, starred in independent films “Abe” (2019) and “Waiting for Anya” (2020).
He also appeared in the 2020 Netflix film “Hubie Halloween” and the 2023 thriller “The Tutor.”
Schnapp is a film student at the University of Pennsylvania, scheduled to graduate in 2026.
Charlie Heaton
Age: 31
Character: Jonathan Byers
Heaton starred in the 2017 psychological horror film “Marrowbone,” and filmed “The New Mutants” that same year. He starred as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball in the latter film, which wasn’t released until 2020.
He appeared in the independent film “No Future” and the drama “The Souvenir Part II” in 2021.
Heaton is heard drumming on the track “Room Next Door” on the 2024 self-titled record of the London-based garage punk band Luxury Apartments.
Natalia Dyer
Age: 30
Character: Nancy Wheeler
Dryer appeared in the independent dramedy film “Yes, God, Yes” and the horror movie “Velvet Buzzsaw” in 2019, “Things Heard & Seen” in 2021 and the Peacock comedy thriller series “Based on a True Story” in 2023.
Joe Keery
Age: 33
Character: Steve Harrington
Keery acted in the independent movie “Spree” (2020), and co-starred in the 2021 comedy film “Free Guy” and in the 2023-2024 season of the crime comedy-drama series “Fargo.” He also voiced John Greenwood in the 2025 PBS documentary mini-series “The American Revolution.”
The actor was a founding member of Chicago-based garage band Post Animal, but left the band in 2018. He released the solo studio albums “Twenty Twenty” (2019) and “Decide” (2022) as Djo. His third album, “The Crux,” was released in April 2025. Keery rejoined Post Animal, and the band released the album “IRON” in July 2025.
Sadie Sink
Age: 23
Character: Max Mayfield
Sink, who starred in the title role in “Annie” on Broadway from 2012 to 2014 and played a young Elizabeth II in “The Audience” on Broadway in 2015, appeared in the horror films “Fear Street Part Two: 1978” and “Fear Street Part Three: 1666” in 2021. She next starred alongside Brendan Fraser in 2022 drama “The Whale,” receiving a Critics’ Choice Movie Award nomination.
Sink starred in the 2025 Broadway production of “John Proctor Is the Villain,” earning a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She plans to reprise her role in the film adaptation of the play.
The actress made her modeling debut in 2018 and has worked with Miu Miu and Kate Spade New York.
She also had a leading role in the Taylor Swift-written and directed “All Too Well: The Short Film,” released in 2021.
Sink has been cast in an undisclosed role in the film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” to be released in 2026, and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” to be released in 2027.
In March 2026, she will make her West End stage debut as Juliet in “Romeo & Juliet.”
Contact Midwest Connect reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.
