When I first auditioned for Stranger Things, I was just living in Chicago. Just looking for a job. Working at a restaurant, doing commercials and bit parts on shows. I honestly would have been happy booking anything. But I remember seeing the concept trailer the Duffer Brothers put together. The boys took these bits and pieces from all the movies that inspired them — Jaws, E.T., The Thing, Firestarter — and they cut them together into a mock trailer for what they wanted the vibe of the show to be. I was like, Oh, man. This would be so, so cool. But as an actor, you audition for something and forget about it, because you figure, Yeah, that was really fun. Probably won’t get it. On to the next one.
Joe Keery for GQ Magazine.