‘Stranger Things’ star didn’t know they were doing their most difficult scene until they got on set

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 5.

Stranger Things actor Caleb McLaughlin wasn’t aware he’d have to do Max’s death scene on the day that it happened. McLaughlin plays Lucas on the Netflix series, the nerd turned basketball player who’s had a hard time trying to live in both worlds. In season five, Max (Sadie Sink) is plagued with grief and by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) who terrorizes her, and by the end, it looked like she succumbed to his attacks.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, McLaughlin explained how he had to quickly prepare to play the emotional scene.

“I didn’t even know we were doing the death scene that day. So, I just had to understand my feelings and my place in the scene. I knew my lines and what I saw prior to what was happening. I don’t really like to rehearse scenes like that because I want my natural reaction. I want to be real and raw in the moment. So, I went off the cuff, just went for it. Of course, as we did more takes, it got better and felt more real. And it helped that [Matt and Ross Duffer] allowed me to improv and catch the energy of the scene.”

The climactic season five finale had Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) entering Max’s mind to fight off Vecna. She searched through her friend’s memories and engaged the monster in battle inside Max’s memory of their prom. It looked like Vecna had won at one point with both girls bound and unable to move as Max’s body suffered great harm in the real world.

Lucas, meanwhile, was fighting psycho jock Jason (Mason Dye) in the Creel House and after he beat him, he rushed to Max. He cradled her broken body in his arms and cried out. When his younger sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) entered the room, McLaughin improvised the heartbreaking line, “Erica, help!” showing that despite not knowing he would be doing the scene, he was more than prepared for it.

Max was only technically dead for a minute, but it was enough to open the fourth gate and destroy large portions of Hawkins. She’s in the hospital in very critical condition with Lucas by her side hoping she recovers.

Stranger Things has been one of Netflix’s biggest shows and it’s the first English-language show to reach 1 billion hours in watch-time. With season four officially over, fans now eagerly await the fifth and final season of the show, which will be based primarily in Hawkins and feature the pairings from season one.

Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix.