Stranger Things Season 5’s Actor Ages Shouldn’t Be A Problem Now — It’s Been Happening Since Season 1

Review

Though the larger differences between the cast members and their characters’ ages in Stranger Things season 5 have been subject to complaints, it shouldn’t be a problem when remembering how season 1’s teens were cast. Since the show debuted in 2016, audiences have watched Stranger Things’ younger cast grow up via the small screen. In season 1, the Party (Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Eleven) were all about 11 years old, with their actors’ ages falling between 10–14 during filming. However, as the time between seasons has steadily increased, so has the gap between the actors and characters’ ages.

While over nine years will have passed between the series debut and Stranger Things season 5’s fall 2025 release, the show’s timeline will only have progressed about four years. Season 1 began in fall 1983, with season 5 picking up in fall 1987. Therefore, though Millie Bobby Brown and Eleven were both 11–12 years old in season 1, the actress was 20 while filming season 5 whereas her character is about 16. These larger age differences among the younger teen group have been seen as a problem, but they actually now align with Stranger Things’ original teen casting trend.

Stranger Things Season 5's Teen Actor & Character Age Differences Are Similar To Season 1's High Schoolers

Joe Keery Was 6 Years Older Than Steve Harrington In Season 1

The larger gaps between the Party’s character and actor ages are more noticeable because of how minimal they were at the start of the series, but these differences aren’t too far from what they were for the older teens back in season 1. When Stranger Things‘ timeline began, Steve Harrington was about 16 or 17 years old, whereas Joe Keery was about 23 when filming the show’s first season. Similarly, Jonathan Byers was 16 during Stranger Things season 1, whereas Charlie Heaton was about 21 while filming. Meanwhile, Natalia Dyer was 20 compared to Nancy Wheeler being about 15 or 16.

The five-to-seven-year age gaps for the older teens back in season 1 are about the same or even greater than those for the younger group of teens in season 5. The difference, of course, is that we hadn’t been ing those older characters from the time they were young kids. Since Stranger Things’ older teens had already gone through their most stark physical changes before season 1, their different appearances between seasons were easier to ignore.

The older teens’ actors going from about age 24 to 27 between seasons 3 and 4 isn’t as jarring as the younger ones going from ages 14 to 17 during that same time period. If Stranger Things season 6 had ever been part of the plan, the differences between the younger generation of characters and their actors’ ages would have been even less significant due to how much less noticeable those changes in appearance would be.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 will be released on November 26, volume 2 on December 25, and volume 3 on December 31, 2025.

Since there have only been five seasons in nearly a decade, however, it still makes sense why it’s more difficult to come to terms with the Stranger Things “kids” now being about the same age that the older “teens” were during season 1. Noah Schnapp is 20, Millie Bobby Brown is 21, Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo are 22, and Sadie Sink is 23 and Caleb McLaughlin are 23, while all playing 16-year-old characters. Still, if they had been auditioning for season 1’s Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan today, they’d be in the exact age range of the actors who landed the roles.

Stranger Things' Most Noticeable Actor Age Gap Changes Already Happened In Season 4

Season 5 Won't Be As Jarring As Season 4's Return

Three years is a long time for a teenager’s appearances to change as they grow up, and that gap happened twice between seasons of the series. Stranger Things season 4 was released three years after season 3, with season 5 similarly arriving about three and a half years after season 4. However, it was the jump from Stranger Things’ season 3 finale to the season 4 premiere that marked the most jarring changes for the younger cast members. While filming season 3, the Party’s actors were largely still young high schoolers. However, by season 4, they had mostly become adults.

It wasn’t just their change in appearance by season 4 that felt so different, but also their manner of carrying themselves as they grew from childhood to adulthood off-screen. Though they’ll still look older, of course, the actors’ dispositions in season 5 won’t be wildly different from how they were by Stranger Things season 4’s ending. With Stranger Things season 5 making plenty of callbacks to the series’ beginnings, it’ll be the stark contrasts to how the actors and characters appeared in season 1 that will be more shocking to compare than how they were in season 4.