“Stranger Things” star Joseph Quinn talks to Eddie with help from Black Saturday and a hint from the “Les Miserables” character.

[This story contains spoilers for Stranger Things season four, Volume 1.]

Joseph Quinn knew he wanted to wear a lot of rings.

How he brought his break Weird stuff A live-action character from the fourth season of the popular Netflix television series, the English actor used various sources as a reference. ONE breakfast club With the bad guys growing up, Quinn had a keen eye for Hellfire Club leader Eddie Manson.

It would only take two audition discs for Quinn to play her role in the brothers’ favorite TV series, a character viewers (presumably) initially weren’t sure they liked. Eddie was something of a bully before Chris Cunningham was taken and violently killed in front of him. On the run, as the prime suspect, it becomes clear that Eddie is just a scared kid who has been single most of his life (with the exception of his favorite D&D club). But now he has real friends who will clear his name because he is helping them in life.

in an interview the hollywood reporterQuinn, who also had a supporting role as Conner Game of thronesHe discussed how he created his breakthrough. Weird stuff The character, the fan response to his character and they laughed that they have no idea what to expect from the second volume.

Clearly, the new season is being swallowed up by the masses. How was your reaction? Fans love Eddie Manson.

very relaxing, it’s really a relief. I think doing something like that, which is already established, you are such a new prop in the car. You don’t want to be the one to screw it up. So it’s really gratifying to know that people would accept and greet Eddie. ნიშნავს means a lot.

How did you get to this fantastic part?

It was a pretty standard color process actually. I sent two tapes from my home in London to America and the brothers painted them both and then gave me a job that is mental. it never happens. I can’t tell you how many times I sent the tapes to America and nobody got back to me, so it was kind of crazy.

Tell me, how did you play Eddie once as an actor?

It is brilliantly written and everything was on the page. It was clear how he was introduced and how he was investigated, he is an incredibly likable character. It was a real opportunity, a real lottery ticket. I wanted to look younger, so I stopped eating pizza and drinking beer. (laughs.) Try to lose weight to get back the years. And I worked quite intensively with an excellent dialect coach named Mary Howland. He is incredible.

I noticed that you were playing Engorras in a television production. The miserable. Overcome the fear of being a leader. Is it on Eddie? Did you remove him from other 80s characters?

This is a smart observation. I think Eddie is starting to freak out a little. I think when you get to know him, it’s kind of a sense of self worth for a teenager. And it imposes itself on others, which is its ability to protect itself from its own vulnerability. I think you really know who you are under pressure, so when he’s under pressure, he’s very traumatized and vulnerable. I don’t know if he’s a coward. And, finally, he is received by a gang and from there they impose themselves. So there are small Engolras.

breakfast club It was a movie that I discovered had a quest for such wonderful characters. But I didn’t want to rely on anything. There was little reference at school to people older than me who impressed me, who seemed to me to be quite nonconformists.

And the music? Were there any bands or songs you sang to get into Eddie’s atmosphere?

Lots of metallics. (laughs.) And I listen to a lot of Black Sabbath, especially “Master of Reality” by Black Sabbath. This album has been in my head for years. I never liked thrash metal so much when I was a kid. I knew about new metal bands popping up in the 90s that I liked, but I wasn’t obsessed with that music.

What about Dungeons and Dragons? Did you play or learn a lot?

You think I’m going to learn something. (laughs.) I bought a book, read some, and said, “Well, that’s not going to happen.” With all due respect to the D&D community, I just didn’t do anything wrong. The first game I played was when we did some publicity in Los Angeles a few months ago. It all depends on your Dungeon Master and we had a lot of fun.

Join such a well-established and incredibly popular franchise, how did you manage to be a part of the team? Did it dive straight in or did it gather slowly?

It cannot be calculated. I didn’t dive in or turn around, I just let it happen. In my opinion, I would very much like to make friends with the people involved in this because I knew that without friends it would probably be a very lonely and scary experience. They were very welcoming and encouraging and I went out with some very dear friends.

Did you notice Eddie’s epic face?

very cooperative [costume designer] amy [Parris] s [department head hair] Sara [Hindsgaul]. We spent about three weeks trying out different looks. I wish I had lots of rings. I saved the rebox. I was very grateful for the opportunity to say a little.

Is that cool Keep the Hellfire Club shirt?

(laughs.) Yes, I have a full cart.

And the hair: all of you or an epic wig?

This is a beast of a wig! I didn’t grow up, it would take half a decade.

Game of thrones It’s on your resume. Was the experience with these massive products radically different or more similar than you imagined?

It was nice to be around so much emotion. Game of thrones. I mean, I was literally in one episode and I had a bunch of scenes, which I’m still very grateful for, but I can’t compare. With that experience, I still had a lot of sunken teeth. He felt much more cooperative. But part of both was a great feeling.

Eddie became an instant favorite. I know you mentioned earlier that everything was on the page, but did the paper expand when the colors saw what you brought to the table?

I really don’t think I can deserve this much. It was brilliantly written and the dialogue is very clear. I was definitely trying to bring my own ideas to Eddie and I was very encouraged. Yes, some of them are ready, for which I am very happy and grateful. But I think the writers and directors are their creations and I was lucky enough to help them.

Two of my favorite Eddies are the moment he plans his graduation day and the moment Dustin hugs him after finding him safe in the woods. Can you tell me about those production days?

The cafeteria scene was my audition. It was very funny. I was nervous, but in the end it was fun and I had wonderful companions. All the Hellfire guys were wonderful. And the hugs that were with you?

At first I didn’t know if I liked Eddie. He came in as a rapist, or at least quite aggressive. And then, as the season went on and the layers receded, we saw that he was a nice guy who didn’t have people who cared about him. And when Dastin [Gaten Matarazzo] Hugging her, meeting Eddie face to face with her friends who really care about her. But maybe I read too much.

It’s wonderful to have chosen that. I think it’s kind of interesting, right? Sometimes we don’t want to reveal how much people mean to us and when you see those little windows into people’s personalities, it’s quite satisfying. I’m glad you like it.

I know you can’t say no to Volume 2, so I won’t even argue. But can you talk about how hard it is to stop, especially when it’s been so long since the pandemic?

I say total nonsense in my life. (laughs.) Talking about something without talking about it and imagining what’s going on without revealing anything is a constant high-level act. I’m very new to this business, but Netflix hasn’t kidnapped my family yet. (laughs.)

This is satisfying about the release of the first volume, because obviously we’ve been sitting on it for a long time and it was difficult to film. It was 300 days of shooting, but we really bonded over the fact that the scripts were so brilliant and we were really motivated to do our best.

I think what’s really gratifying is the fact that people actually responded, they went through a long time and patiently waited for the second volume. So I think we deserve that trust. And I really think we’re going to exceed people’s expectations with Volume 2. People are really going to like what Duffers has in store.

The interview is edited for length and clarity.

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix, and Volume 2 closes the season with its final two featured episodes that will be released on July 1.