When you spend the better part of a decade growing up on one of the biggest TV shows in the world, your costars basically become family. For the cast of Stranger Things, that bond is real—so real, in fact, that two of its main stars decided to live together while filming the final season. But as Gaten Matarazzo recently revealed, living with his on-screen buddy and real-life friend Finn Wolfhard was, well, an experience he described as "disgusting."
Key Highlights
- ✓ Gaten Matarazzo called his shared living space with costar Finn Wolfhard "disgusting."
- ✓ The show was rejected by nearly 20 networks before Netflix picked it up.
- ✓ Joe Keery's character, Steve Harrington, was originally supposed to die in season one.
- ✓ Eggo waffles saw a 14% increase in consumption after season two was released.
- ✓ The show was initially titled Montauk and was meant to be filmed on Long Island.
The Roommate Chronicles of Hawkins
Picture this: you and your best friend get an apartment together. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, for Gaten and Finn, it was more like a "college experience" in chaos. Speaking on the Dinner's on Me podcast, Gaten painted a vivid picture of their shared life while filming season five, admitting that after about three months, he'd look around and think, "This place is disgusting. What are we doing?"
You might think there was one messy roommate and one clean one, but Gaten explained that wasn't the case at all. "We match each other's energy a little bit," he said. Because they were so close for so long, they "didn't really hold each other to a standard." The result was an "Ah, f--k it. Whatever, man. We'll get to it later" attitude that led to clothes cluttering, laundry piling up, and dishes taking over the sink. It became their little secret sanctum of mess.
The real moment of truth would come whenever anyone from the cast wanted to hang out. If someone suggested meeting at their place, it was instant panic. "Both of us would be like, 'No. Do not come [within] 10 feet [of] our home,'" Gaten recalled. The good news? Their friendship survived the ultimate test, and they eventually got better at cleaning up. It's a sweet reminder that even global superstars deal with roommate shenanigans.
Shaping the Characters We Love
That close-knit vibe isn't just for show; it's been part of the series' DNA from the very beginning. The casting process itself was a masterclass in finding magic. To find their four main kids, the Duffer brothers had young actors audition with iconic scenes from the classic movie Stand By Me. It was clear they were looking for authentic chemistry, and they found it in spades.
What’s even more fascinating is how much the actors themselves influenced their characters. Mike Wheeler, for example, was originally written to be more like Mikey from The Goonies. But then Finn Wolfhard auditioned. Matt Duffer explained that Finn had this "really anxious, twitchy energy about him," and they loved it so much they rewrote the character to match his personality. The same thing happened with Dustin Henderson; they met Gaten Matarazzo and tailored the character entirely to him.
The Power of Eleven
And of course, there's Eleven. At just 12 years old, Millie Bobby Brown had to shave her head, a moment she later called "the most empowering moment of my whole life." Her inspiration for the look came from Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road and old yearbook photos of her costar, Winona Ryder. As for perfecting that American accent? She credits an unlikely source: Miley Cyrus's Hannah Montana. Yep, the Disney Channel classic helped create one of sci-fi's most iconic characters.
From Rejected Idea to Global Phenomenon
It’s hard to imagine a world without Hawkins, Indiana, but the show almost never happened. According to Vulture, the concept was passed on by almost 20 different networks. The big hang-up? Executives didn't believe audiences would invest in a show with four kids as the main leads. Thankfully, Netflix saw the potential and took a chance on the Duffer brothers' vision.
The original idea was also quite different. The show was initially called Montauk and was set to be filmed on Long Island, as a nod to Jaws (which used the area as the basis for Amity). But shooting there in the winter proved too expensive and miserable, so production ultimately moved to Atlanta, which has since become the iconic backdrop for the series. It's wild to think how a few practical decisions completely changed the course of television history.
Secrets, "What Ifs," and Fun Facts
Beyond the main plot points, the world of Stranger Things is filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes stories. For starters, everyone's favorite babysitter, Steve Harrington, was supposed to be a "jocky douchebag" who died in season one. But the creators fell in love with actor Joe Keery's performance and decided to give him a redemption arc instead. Thank goodness for that!
Another near-miss was the controversial season two episode, "The Lost Sister." It focused solely on Eleven's journey to find another child from the lab, Kali. The Duffers were worried it would disrupt the season's pacing and even considered scrapping it entirely. They ultimately kept it because, without it, Eleven's big return in the finale "just didn't land at all." Interestingly, Kali's character was originally written as a boy, and the episode was titled "The Lost Brother."
The casting what-ifs are just as intriguing. Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan auditioned for the role of Robin, which eventually went to Maya Hawke. And before she was on Outer Banks, Madelyn Cline had a small role as Hawkins High mean girl Tina in season two. Even the audition tapes had legendary stories—Dacre Montgomery, who played Billy, sent in a tape of himself dancing to 80s music in nothing but a G-string to make an impression. It was a risky move that definitely paid off.
The Unstoppable Impact of Hawkins
The show didn't just become a hit; it became a cultural force. After Eleven's love for Eggo waffles was featured, Kellogg's reported that consumption shot up by a whopping 14 percent in late 2017. The cast, especially David Harbour (Chief Hopper), also leaned into the fandom in hilarious ways. He went viral after agreeing to take senior photos with a fan for 25,000 retweets and even got ordained to officiate another fan's wedding.
As the show's popularity exploded, so did the paychecks. By season three, the younger cast members were reportedly earning over $200,000 per episode, a massive jump from their initial $30,000. Veterans like Winona Ryder and David Harbour were pulling in around $350,000 per episode. It's a testament to just how massive this once-rejected show became, with season four episodes reportedly costing a staggering $30 million each to produce.
Conclusion
From Gaten and Finn's messy apartment to the near-death of beloved characters, the story behind Stranger Things is just as compelling as what we see on screen. It’s a series built on happy accidents, brilliant casting, and a deep, genuine friendship among its stars. As we gear up for the grand finale, it’s incredible to look back and see how a little show about kids, monsters, and waffles, that almost no one wanted, completely turned the world upside down.
