Stranger Things has undoubtedly become a pop culture phenomenon since its debut in 2016, and with the way fans have grown attached to all the interesting characters, The Duffer Brothers have been very careful about the way they introduce new ones.
The showrunners revealed to IndieWire that bringing in new faces means that more time is stripped away from the legacy players, and so whoever is introduced must be “an integral part of the narrative.”
“Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative. So that’s something with Eddie this season, where we go, “Well, we need a character here for this storyline to really work, and to give it the engine that is needed.” But every time we do that, we’re nervous, because you go, “We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors.”
So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing. And then specifically in the casting process, it took a very long time to find Joe Quinn, and you just go through so many edits, because you know that we can’t add someone that’s going to just take away from our characters if they’re not terrific.”
Most recently, the fans took an overwhelming liking to Eddie Munson, played by British actor Joseph Quinn in the fourth season. Though he was initially nervous as to how his character would be perceived, Eddie instantly became a fan favorite.
Season four of Stranger Things was met with a very positive reception, and garnered a whopping 13 nominations at the upcoming Emmy Awards, including the coveted Outstanding Drama Series nod. The fifth and final season is in the works if a long way away from premiering on Netflix, and perhaps a new face or two just might pop up.