What if Stranger Things was called… Montauk? This was indeed the original title of the Duffer Brothers, a reference to the “Montauk Project”, the name given to an urban legend of paranormal experiments that allegedly took place near the village of Montauk, New York in the early 80’s. State of York.
It’s hard to imagine that Stranger Things was considered a project without any potential by American networks and platforms, and yet… especially because of the low profile, the Duffer brothers faced many rejections before Stranger Things was finally picked up by Netflix. Original project.
At the time, the duo also had an idea for an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel It , but couldn’t get the rights to the book (a new version finally saw the light of day in 2017 under Andy’s direction. Muschietti especially thanks… Stranger Things!).
The series is full of winks and other references to 80s movies. Among the main sources of inspiration for Stranger Things are Steven Spielberg’s ET, Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist or Richard Donner’s The Goonies. The series’ second season also paid for the luxury of hosting Sean Astin, who played Mike on The Goonies.
Many iconic actors from the 80s also appear in the cast of the series, such as Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice), Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket) or Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride). The fourth season was no exception with the appearance of Robert Englund, and this season 4 plot paid homage to his iconic film, Nightclaws.
In order to find the perfect actors to portray the children of Stranger Things, nearly 1,000 boys auditioned for the male roles, and over 300 young women tried out for the role of Eleven. In a sign that doesn’t lie, the cast members formed a bond of friendship even before filming began on the first season, which greatly strengthened the chemistry of the group and brought credibility to the series.
If she comes across as an excellent actress in the Joyce camp today, Winona Ryder was not the Duffer brothers’ original choice for the role. The latter previously targeted Marisa Tomei and Naomi Watts. David Harbor was also not the creators’ first choice to play Hopper, as Ewan McGregor and Sam Rockwell were initially considered.
In order to convince Millie Bobby Brown to shave her head before filming the first season, the Duffer brothers cited Charlize Theron and her shaved head in Mad Max: Fury Road as an example. Fascinated by the looks of the South African actress, Eleven’s translator agreed to a haircut, which greatly contributed to her popularity after the series aired on Netflix!
Most viewers discovered Millie Bobby Brown through Stranger Things. But Stephen King, in turn, can boast that he was one of the first to welcome the talent of a young actor. In a tweet from September 2014 (almost two years before the show premiered on Netflix in July 2016), the American author actually praised Millie’s performance in the fantasy series Intruders.
(“Millie Brown, the young girl from Intruders, is amazing. Is it just my imagination, or have child actors become even better than they already are?”)
Determined to leave nothing to chance, Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer wrote thirty pages about the upside-down world, but also the nature of the series’ creatures, describing their physical characteristics but also their personalities. A true working bible that served as their compass to move the program forward in a thoughtful and coherent way.
Shooting with children is not easy. In addition to the schedule adapted to the young age, the puberty of the actors also caused concern for the production. Especially in the case of Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), whose voice changed so much during the filming of the first season that it was impossible to re-record some of his dialogue, as is usually done in post-production!
Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
