Following almost 10 years of D&D campaigns, duets and a discovery of Eggo’s, the final adventure in Hawkins is upon us – and fans he not been left disappointed by the showdown in Stranger Things season 5 volume 1.
AdWith the town under military quarantine, multiple rifts opening up and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) still looming large. the party members are going to need all the help they can get to defeat the big bad once and for all.
Stranger Things has always been a close-knit family-and-friends affair, with the main party’s relatives all tangled up in the strange events. This time round, one of the youngest cast members has stepped up to the plate.
Holly Wheeler, the younger sister of Mike and Nancy Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard and Natalia Dyer), has entered the fray – with a new actor being welcomed to Netflix's flagship sci-fi series in the role.
Here's everything we know about Holly's recasting and what part she plays in the fifth instalment. Already raced through season 5 volume 1? Check out our ending explained, or delve into the soundtrack of season 5.
Why was Holly Wheeler recast in Stranger Things season 5?
Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things. NetflixWith Holly now older and set to play more of a substantial role – promoted from supporting cast to the main party – the Duffer Brothers he opted to recast the role, bringing in an older and more experienced actor.
Holly Wheeler has been there from the start, witnessing the very fabric of Joyce Byers's (Winona Ryder) walls shift from the inter-dimensional effects of a Demogorgon searching for Will (Noah Schnapp) back in season 1.
Originally played by twins Anniston and Tinsley Price since 2016, the youngest of the Wheeler children has quite literally grown up over the course of the show’s four seasons.
But with season 5 of Stranger Things set in the Autumn of 1987 - approximately a year after the heartbreaking events of season 4 (miss you, Eddie Munson!) – there’s another time jump to contend with.
While this shift helps age up the main characters to match the actor’s real-life ages – as the delays in production has resulted in the cast visibly maturing between seasons – the same can’t be said for the twins.
This isn’t the first time a recurring family member’s screen time has been upgraded. Priah Ferguson’s brilliantly sharp and sassy Erica Sinclair, sister of Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), played a major role in seasons 3 and 4, following her debut back in season 2.
Actress Fisher opened up about her role, telling RadioTimes.com of her fourite moment: "I he this amazing sequence with Cara [Buono] who plays my mum where it's like quite a lot of action.
"In the trailer we saw a little sneak peek of her and I hiding underwater and there's a whole lot to follow, which was a dream to film."
How old is Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things season 5?Holly Wheeler is meant to be between 9 and 10 years old in Stranger Things season 5 – but there's been a lot of back and forth about the character's age over the course of the seasons.
Actress Fisher is 14, although would he been 12 for most of season 5's production schedule.
Who plays Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things season 5?
Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler) at the UK special screening of Stranger Things season 5 StillMoving.Net for NetflixWith a more substantial arc in the fifth outing, the Duffer Brothers he turned to Evil Dead Rise’s Nell Fisher to take on the mantle of the youngest Wheeler sibling.
Her experience in the fifth film in the classic horror franchise will no doubt he played a key role in the recasting – especially with the numerous Evil Dead references woven throughout Stranger Things's four seasons.
Writer Matt Duffer exclusively told Radio Times: "We were very careful not to expand the cast too much, because the cast is already so large, but I think Nell Fisher is a really exciting new talent, and she's playing Holly Wheeler, and she's just absolutely phenomenal. So we're excited to introduce her to the world."
Stranger Things 5 part 2 premieres on Netflix on Christmas Day.
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