Character Breakdown: STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW Cast Unpacks Their Roles

I play Henry Creel in the show

In the TV show, he's played by Jamie Campbell-Bauer. And what I love about the character is there's so much to him that even after a year

I still discover stuff. Like, he's not actually a bad kid. in the TV show Henry Creel is a psychopath, he's a killer

That's what the play is about. It doesn't necessarily define Henry Creel as that character

He has a multitude of personas that, like, he code switches to fit different scenarios because he's shy and he's insecure

And he wants to do one school and he just wants to get a girlfriend and have a good time

But his mom's telling him one thing. Brenner's telling him one thing. The mind flair is trying to guide him in this direction

And I love that. It's like I can pick a direction each night. and it still makes sense

Kate's written this fabulously human play where that whatever you try to do

it just ends up coming from this place of grounded tragedy. And he's such a fallen hero

And I just love being able to play him every night and go through that journey with him

Yeah, I play Dr. Brenner. And what I love about him is his ambition, his tunnel vision on the scientific method

And I was going to say, it such an advantage having Louis in the cast who done it before We trying to do it this time mounting it on Broadway But it has like Kate Tree Fry has written such an incredible script

with a flavor profile unlike anything else. I mean, it's like 10 things I hate about you meets The Exorcist

I mean, you know, like the funny parts are funny, the entertaining parts are entertaining. The scary parts are scary

So it's got something for everyone. I'm playing Virginia Creel, Henry's mother

And I love her. I think she's full of contradictions. and that's what my favorite characters to play

And her objective is very clear. What she wants for her son and what's happening to him is terrifying

And as a mother and as just a human, that story is really scary, you know

just to have your son changing before your eyes and not knowing what to do. So I just try and tap into that every day

But it's really juicy and fun. Victor Creel is Henry's father, so we're married

I think, oh, God, it's so, he's got a little problem with the drink

and everything that comes along with that. So everything that he's trying to cover and hide

and eradicate in his life with that. And so that's always... It's like, I mean, at the end, this is like a..

It's a tragedy. It just has all of these magical effects. I mean, it's just..

It's, you know, to play someone who is trying in their own way

but is just really doing a crap job at it is a it a beautiful challenge but it it it it it it it it a if that sounds weird maybe it sounds weird just call that fun but it you know because you leave the end of the

rehearsal day and you're like, why do I feel, why do I feel lousy? And it's like, oh, because you've just been

you know, you know, being a lousy parent for the last, you know, seven hours. Yeah, these, yeah, they're really

struggling. But it's, it's, it's, it's, it's just, that's the thing about this. It's such beautiful

The story is cool. So much is packed into it. All of these lives, all of these people who are sometimes trying their best, but mostly just failing

Even if they're not trying their best, they are failing. And not intentionally. And that's exciting to play

So I play Joyce Maldonado. So, yes, young Winona. What I love about her so much is her headstrong nature

The way she takes care of other people, although it may be tough, she is looking out

she's looking out all the time, kind of like leave no man behind. Such a genuine, heartfelt, grounded energy of like

I'm going to take care and I'm making sure that we're doing it together. I'm playing James Hopper Jr., right

David Harbour, the one and only, right? And I think what David did so well and what the writing is so clear about

is that it's a learner learning to allow himself to be a part of a community

to allow himself to be loved and to love. And I think that this story doesn shy away from that If anything it truly the origin story of that love Yes and I feel like that the beauty of this show and all of us in Hawkins is it a bunch of loners finding themselves in a place where you not so alone And it may take a while to get there

but we're held, you know, and we find each other. Yes, so I play Patty Newby. She's a new character

in the Stranger Things universe. She's Bob's adopted sister. And what I love about Patty is that

she's noble and she's resilient and that's a trait that we both share. I think that people are really

going to love the fact that Patty shows Henry's humility and humanity. So I think that that's a

vital part of our storytelling in the journey of how he becomes Vecna

Man, I'm playing Bob Newby, and how grateful am I for this opportunity to be of service to

Sean Ashton and the work he created. I've been a longtime fan of Sean Ashton. Shout out Doug

in 51st States. And, man, I think his was a story that fans felt they needed more of, the whole

Justice for Bob campaign. I was one of those fans at the time. And I'm so grateful and happy to

hopefully provide to fans some backstory to Bob to understand why he is the way he is and how

even though the whole worldviews him as a Clark Kent, he is Superman. Stranger Things screams, right? We're used to it. That happens all day long

He does that. I mean, we got to, we actually, we need to talk with someone about that. He keeps, he keeps screaming just at random moments. It's like his natural, it's the natural

environment, if you will. It's where he's most comfortable