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Cosmopolitan
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Finn Wolfhard Talks 'Stranger Things' Finale, Dating, and New Album 'Happy Birthday'
It was the morning after Finn Wolfhard shot his final Stranger Things scene. He and his castmates had stayed up, hanging out on set all night, soaking in what might be their last time together for months. Now it was time to drive home, and Finn's heart felt like it was sinking. The show he'd spent 10 years of his life on—nearly half of his total years on this planet—was truly over. He asked himself the question you have while going through a breakup, because that's what this felt like: Is this going to last forever, this horrible hole inside me? Thankfully, his costar Sadie Sink was there. She told him to give it a week; he'd be fine. Probably. Today, you'd assume the 22-year-old is just that, fine, if his IMDb and Instagram are any indication. His feature film directorial debut, Hell of a Summer, hit theaters on April 4. The A24 film he starred in, The Legend of Ochi, came out on April 18. Finn's debut solo album, the indie rock Happy Birthday, packed with yearning, nostalgia, and romance-coded lyrics, comes out June 6. And that's just the stuff he was able to accomplish while wrapping up Stranger Things, the five-season juggernaut that made him famous and begins its final run later this year. He and his core costars started as a group of prepubescent kids with barely any onscreen experience. In Finn's viral audition tape, he adorably introduces himself to the camera by saying he's 'sick, late, 4 foot 11, and 12 years old.' Now, they're all 20-somethings with a combined Instagram following of 160 million. They attend the Met Gala. Their weddings are featured in Vogue. There's a Stranger Things musical on Broadway. Kids dress as Finn's character, Mike Wheeler, for Halloween. 'The best thing I can compare it to is Harry Potter,' Finn says, sitting across from me, drinking tea at the Park Lane hotel in New York City. Like the stars of that franchise, he and his castmates grew up in the public eye, becoming cultural touchstones for entire generations. That's both a blessing and a curse, as most child stars would tell you. And while Finn admits he wishes Hollywood studios would pay for counseling, he's not resentful. He doesn't do the thing where an actor starts to shit on the project that gave them their career. Quite the opposite, actually. He's still missing his Stranger Things life, holding on to the experience—to his people—for as long as he can. 'That's the hard part,' he says, 'that me and the rest of the cast are never going to be hanging out in the way that we were when we shot the show.' Good thing he's got months of press for season 5 to ease the transition. We thought about that in season 3 or 4. We were like, 'Dude, can you believe that one day when the show comes out, the last season, we're all going to be able to drink together at the bar?' Gaten [Matarazzo] or Caleb [McLaughlin]. They love a good night out. I'm the homebody of the group. I'm like, 'Hey guys, maybe we should go home early.' I like being comfortable in a house, playing a board game or whatever.1 1. He says costars Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton have this down to a science. 'They love playing Catan. I would take that over a night out any day.' Last night. We hadn't been in the same room together since we wrapped in December. We all lived around the corner from each other when we were shooting. We saw each other daily and started a little commune. These guys really are like family in a lot of ways. I had this fear that after we were done, it was going to be weird to see them. Yeah. I went on a trip with Caleb, Gaten, and Noah a month or two after we wrapped, and it really helped the transition. You know that feeling that whenever you go home, you kind of go back into your role that you were when you were a kid?2 It's like an archived version of yourself. Within that group, I'll always be a kid. I'll always be their 12-year-old buddy.3 2. This might be more real for Finn, who lives with his parents in a house he was able to buy in Vancouver. 'The weird part is talking to them like they're your roommates, like, 'Just so you guys know, I'm having people over tonight.'' 3. He and the other members of the younger cast are now the same age as Natalia, Joe Keery, and Charlie were when they started the show. 'We ended at their age when they started. Being able to build these really awesome friendships with them as equals, even though I'm 22 and those guys are 30, 31, we have a really strong relationship.' It feels all the more important. There used to be this expectation from all of us that if we didn't talk to each other between seasons, it didn't really matter. It's kind of like school in that way where it's just like, 'I'll see you when I see you.' Then last year, we were like, 'Oh, this is it. We're not going to just see each other just because.' It deepened all of our relationships, going through the ending of the show—and then being able to come out the other side and still be friends. In a lot of ways, and I feel comfortable with this, I'll never really feel like it's the end because the show continues to be introduced to people. And I'll always be recognized as the guy from the show, and that is fine. I like that. And I wouldn't be here talking if it wasn't for the show. So I don't know if it'll ever feel truly over. The scary part to me is the pain that comes along with being reminded of the show. Not because I feel pain about what I think of the show, it's more just like, 'Oh wow, I really wish I was with those people right now.' And part of me saying that it's never ending is blind optimism and something that I choose to believe in, because it's just a tentpole part of my life. In a lot of ways, obviously, I want to move on. That's why I'm doing all this stuff and I'm directing. I obviously have aspirations outside of the show that I really want to do. And for me, it's more about the connections with people, less about the show. Yeah. I think as you get older, even with people at parties or friends or friends of friends, you see that angle. You see people that are being a bit more, I don't know, fake or something like that. Yeah. The more you see it, the more you start to identify it. And when I was young, when I was 13, 14, it was hard to see that because you're getting all this attention and it's like, this is great, and it's not something you really think about. When I was really young, I expected Stranger Things to be a niche thing. In my head, the furthest it went when it came to fame was just like, 'Oh, maybe once in a while, I'll get recognized in the street; maybe I'll be on a podcast.' It snowballed and became this big thing, and I think my brain is still there—I still see it as this small show, even though it's massive. Making this kind of music, I get to recapture that feeling. I'd love for people to listen to it, but I'm not chasing after playing stadiums or being a pop star. I'm just trying to do this thing that I've always liked. If I can play a club I like, that's all that matters. There was this channel on cable when I was really young that was a movie trailer channel. I would watch it for hours with my family at home. I started writing this song from the perspective of my mom. I'm not a mother and I never will be, but I imagine that as a mother, you have kids and they're your entire world. And then it's like the minute they turn 18, they're just out of there. I wrote this song about the nostalgia of watching this trailer channel and from the perspective of a parent who's really missing their child. She doesn't actually know. She'll probably find out when this interview goes live. 4. In my defense, the lyrics to the song are 'Oh, my darling, don't stop loving / You're the one I see / Even with the lights out / Trailers after dark,' so you'll forgive me for the confusion. I don't like conflict. I don't like having hard conversations with people. But it's necessary for a lot of things. Being able to have conversations that are tougher—like, 'This is the problem that I have, how can we get through it together?'—is really important. Filmmaking helped me do that, because it forced me to deal with uncomfortable feelings. Definitely. There are so many advantages to being a people pleaser. With people pleasers, I think there's an overall kindness and optimism for things to be okay. Sometimes you need that. But then at a certain point, you have to be realistic, because you're just doing other stuff for other people. And that's not good or healthy for you as a person. Exactly. But being able to have empathy for people and want to do right by them, that's a good feeling to have. Camp slashers are typically ultra-sexualized in a really gross way, in a really violent, sexist way. We just didn't want to do that. A lot of guys might watch the movie and be like, What the hell? There's not enough boobs or blood or naked people. We didn't want to do that. It can be harmful. But we wanted some kind of innuendo. We wanted something sexual. I feel like there's an age-old thing among partners, the classic conversation of, do they give? There's that cliche, oh, if you're a good partner, you give. So we basically were like, what would be a thing that she would be stoked about? And the idea that he gave her head for the entirety of Spider-Man 2 was funny to us. We had talked about, what's a funny movie to put on? And I'd said, 'Well, Spider-Man 2 is pretty long."5 5. Spider-Man 2 clocks in at 2 hours and 7 minutes, so yes, that counts as giving. My mom was a big summer camp person. She went for years and she always wanted me to go. But either we didn't have enough money, or if we did, I was too scared to go on my own. I would try to get friends to come with me, and no one ever would. And then I got Stranger Things and the show became really big, so it wasn't one of those things that was easy, like, Oh, I'll just go to camp. I think there's a lot going on when you're young, subconsciously in your brain, and you don't know what these feelings are. A big thing with child actors is that because they're acting and they're on set, they're looked at as like, 'Oh, they're in heaven. They're fine.' It's like they don't need the attention of, 'Hey, how are you doing?' My parents did such a great job, but we were all experiencing it for the first time together. So I wish I had someone say to me, 'Hey, all of this stuff that you're really excited about, all this attention, it's great, but it's not real.' It might make you a better performer, but it's not going to make you a more well-rounded person. I think that there's a baseline thing when it comes to all child actors. When people ask a kid, 'Are you okay?' They'll say, 'Yes.' And that means nothing. Kids don't want to disappoint anyone. They don't even know if they're okay. I find it odd that these big studios that have so much money and they have media training, training actors to give good interview answers, and they don't have counseling. It's not anyone's fault, but it's not really talked about. This is going to sound so crazy, but because I was playing a character that was really awkward, it's almost like I tricked myself into believing that I wasn't going through that stuff, because I was just doing it while acting. Then, in my normal life, I was normal and cool. It's so not true. The whole time I was going through my most awkward years. I mean, it's not great going through puberty in front of the whole world, but I wouldn't change it. 6. I did come up with this question after accidentally encountering a picture of my 11-year-old self. Finn's handling it much better than I am. No. I don't think so. Because this made me into who I am today. But I think for my son or my daughter, I would say, 'If you want to act, you have to wait.' I'd probably allow them to take classes, do high school theater. Because acting's really hard. I would've put myself in therapy at 12. That wasn't because the show was so crazy. I just wish I would've had a therapist that was like, 'Hey, what's going on? How do you actually feel?' Just really asking. Because once you are on a show that's big, you don't really have time to stop and think, Did I like that thing that that person said to me? Did I like doing that interview? You're just doing it. But also, if I were to go back in time and ask my younger self if I was okay, I'd probably say, 'Yes. Get the fuck away from me. This is awesome.' It's just important to be there or to ask. I think, through therapy, I've learned how to not treat life as a crisis. You go through these periods where you feel super anxious or super depressed, and in your head, you just think that this is your life now and that this is what it's going to be. I have learned to treat them as little pockets of hard stuff, hard things. And that's something that when I was a teenager, whenever I would get these horrible panic attacks and I wouldn't know how to get through it, I wouldn't think like, Oh, I'm going to be fine soon, or I'm going to feel normal really soon. It's more just like this thought, Oh yeah, I'm going to die and this is who I'm going to be forever. Even though I'm so lucky to have the family that I had and I had as normal of a life as I could, there's things that I've missed developmentally, questions that I have about myself that I'd like to experience or answer before I throw myself into a committed relationship. It's more about being comfortable with myself, honestly. Because no one is actually comfortable, everyone's faking it all the time, and I think I would like to be in a place where I kind of admit to myself, Oh, it's okay to not be perfect, or It's okay to not be in a place where you don't feel like you're in the right place at the right time. I'm really hard on myself in that way. I'd like to be less hard on myself. Because I don't want to subject someone to that. But that is part of being in a committed relationship, bringing that side of yourself that's lost. As a person that people know about, I don't think it's a very wise decision to go out and start randomly meeting people, because you don't know if they have a preconceived idea of you. And not in a paranoid way, but you do meet people that don't want to be around you because they want to be around your personality. They want to be around you because of who you are outwardly. And that's not a fun feeling. It feels risky and doesn't make me feel very good about myself. For me, it's always about meeting someone who I just like talking to. It's hard to meet someone like that. I've never been a very romantic person. I've never been a guy who has flings with people. I like having a relationship with someone and I want to be able to like them and have a conversation with them and talk to them. I am comfortable waiting for someone who is cool, nice, simple, and stable. But in my life now, with how busy I am, I'm chasing stability, basically. I would love to be in a place where I'm in-the-moment happy. Just being able to see what's right in front of me and be like, 'This experience is so great. And I love this thing, or I love this person.' I'm always thinking about what's ahead. As far as work goes, I just want to do the stuff that inspires me. I'm in a very lucky position to say that. If I was waiting tables in New York, I'd probably say a very different thing. And not in a 'I'm not like other girls' way, but I just want to do things that I want to do that don't necessarily equate to what other people think I'm going to do. And also, I'm really excited to take a vacation. I haven't figured out where yet. Maybe Europe and just sit somewhere on a beach. Just look out at the water. That's what I'm looking forward to. Top look: Bode jacket, Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood pants, Our Legacy sneakers, Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses, Eliburch Jewelry ring. Styled by Brandon Tan. Grooming by Ruth Fernandez. Shot on location at Newark Makerhoods at the Krueger-Scott Mansion. Director of video: Grayson Vaughan. Director of photography: Cal Christie. Expensive Taste Test—Vice president of video: Jason Ikeler. Director of video: Amanda Kabbabe. Senior producer/director: Brian Murray-Real. Director of photography: Alvah Holmes. Editor: Chris Green and Robert Arrucci. Associate cinematographer: Jay Aguirre.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Finn Wolfhard shares his working experience with Willem Dafoe in 'The Legend of Ochi'
Actor and musician Finn Wolfhard shared his working experience with Willem Dafoe on their new movie, ' The Legend of Ochi '. "For the first few days, it was hard not to see Norman Osborn," said Wolfhard in an interview, referring to Dafoe's portrayal of the fan-favourite Spider-Man villain, reported People. Dafoe portrayed Osborne, the founder and CEO of Oscorp Technologies and the father of Harry Osborn, who also becomes the Green Goblin, in 2002's Spider-Man, opposite Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero. He reprised the role years later for 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw Maguire also reprise his Spider-Man/Peter Parker role, opposite Tom Holland doing the same, as well as Andrew Garfield . as per the outlet. Wolfhard and Dafoe now star in The Legend of Ochi an A24 film that follows a young girl (Helena Zengel) who goes on an adventure to return a young forest creature, which she had been taught to fear, to its family. Reaclling the time he spend working with Dafoe, Wolfhard shared that there was "definitely" one thing that stood out about the actor -- "his voice," according to People. "Whenever I would hear his voice, I'd be like, 'Oh, my God! He's real,' " he shared. "He's in every movie of all time, and his voice is so iconic, and his acting is so legendary." Wolfhard, whose directional debut, Hell of a Summer, is also currently in theaters, shared, "I really got to watch him, and through watching him, I feel like I learned a lot about acting and the craft of acting. ... He's just always been someone who I think just is in it for the art of it," reported People. The Legend of Ochi is in theatres now.
Newsweek
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
'Stranger Things' Star Tricked Into Spilling Final Season Secret on Podcast
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard was tricked into revealing a final season secret during a recent podcast. On Thursday's episode of Mythical Kitchen's Last Meals series, the 22-year-old spoke out about the hit Netflix show's highly anticipated fifth installment after host Josh Scherer found a loophole to discuss it. Newsweek reached out to Wolfhard's representative via email for comment. The Context Stranger Things has become a cultural phenomenon following its release in 2016. The science fiction drama captivated audiences with its 1980s nostalgia and relatable cast. In addition to Wolfhard—who plays Michael "Mike" Wheeler on the show—the cast boasts actors including Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, David Harbour, and more. The most recent season of Stranger Things, Season 4, was released in 2022. Finn Wolfhard attends the Neon's "Hell of a Summer" New York premiere at the Village East Cinema on April 1, 2025 in New York City. Finn Wolfhard attends the Neon's "Hell of a Summer" New York premiere at the Village East Cinema on April 1, 2025 in New York To Know On Last Meals, Scherer chats to celebrity guests while dining on what they would choose for their last meal. During his conversation with Wolfhard, the The Culinary Bro-Down Cookbook author playfully teased the Canadian actor. "I reckon you can't say anything about the final season of Stranger Things in the plot; however, if I guess right, legally you do have to nod your head yes," Scherer said. "Hear me out. So episode six is called, what is it, 'Escape From Camazotz'? They've released the episodes' [names]. Camazotz is a bat demon in the Mayan language. There actually ends up being a Game of Thrones crossover where Mike Wheeler tames the bat demon, learns to ride it, breathes fire, fire burns everyone down, saves the day." In response, Wolfhard said, "This sounds..." before turning toward the camera and nodding his head. "We cracked it!" Scherer shared. "It's honestly a predictable show. If you really look at it, it's predictable. Everyone could have done this." "Sounds right," Wolfhard added. "Listen, Game of Thrones. Some people were mad about the last episode of Game of Thrones... We go back. We go back, and we rewrite history." What People Are Saying Scherer wrote about Wolfhard's episode via his Instagram: "Big shout out to @finnwolfhardofficial for coming on Last Meals and also for turning me onto vermouth and soda. Can't say enough good things about him. He carries himself with a professional confidence years above his age, and the film he directed when he was just 20 years old, Hell of a Summer, shows it. Go check that out immediately. Finn's one of those people where you're excited about what he's going to do next, but even more excited to see what his career looks like 10, 15, 20 years in the future. Also a big thank you to work husband @gatenmatarazzo for picking up a random FaceTime haha." What Happens Next Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to be released this year.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Critics Have Seen Until Dawn. Did They Survive The Night With This ‘Ridiculous Grab-Bag Of Carnage'?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Horror fans have been absolutely feasting so far this year, and with more genre flicks like Sinners and Hell of a Summer on the 2025 movie calendar, that's unlikely to change anytime soon. One of those upcoming horror movies is Until Dawn, an adaptation of the popular video game, and critics were able to screen the film ahead of its April 25 release. Let's take a look at what they're saying. First reactions to Until Dawn called the movie a blast, especially if seen with a crowd, and our own Eric Eisenberg mostly agrees. The plot revolves around a group of friends being brutally murdered by different horrifying creatures every night unless they can survive until sunrise. In CinemaBlend's review of Until Dawn, Eisenberg compares it to snacking on appetizers at a cocktail party — you get some satisfying bites but never feel satisfied. He gives it 3 out of 5 stars, writing: The film is undeniably a love letter to scary storytelling, and it's built in such a way as to try and capture the many different facets of it – with a central premise that allows for exploration into a wide variety of nightmares. There is a great deal of passion to it to go along with a strong foundation, but it's also a movie that isn't quite able to reign in its vast potential and bites off more than it can chew with its scale. The result is a feature that is enjoyable but also feels like it could have been… more. Kristy Puchko of Mashable says the movie tries to mirror gameplay as it explores horror subgenres, but like CinemaBlend's critic, Puchko says that despite some intriguing bits, Until Dawn as a whole is a 'gloppy mess.' She continues: At first, the time loop seems a clever way to bring an element of the original gameplay into the theater. In a lot of video games, the character dies and gets bumped back to the beginning of the level (or save point), and the player uses what they learned from this failure to get further the next time. … There's just two problems with this time-loop device in the movie Until Dawn. For one thing, that's not how the game worked. … The other, bigger issue is that the movie gives up on this device partway through, and for no apparent reason. Alison Foreman of IndieWire grades the Until Dawn movie adaptation a B-, saying director David F. Sandberg misunderstands what was so fun about the video game, betraying it with thin characters, weak scares and plot holes. Foreman continues: Caught between Cabin in the Woods and the mystifying Serenity, Until Dawn makes countless gestures at being an incisive horror comedy — some good, some bad — but works better approached as a full-blown spoof. If that was the intent here, a better name might have been something like Video Game: The Horror Movie (or maybe Horror Movie: The Video Game: The Horror Movie?) A self-aware original moniker that could not only better prepare audiences for the ridiculous grab-bag of carnage to come but even help sell the highest-scoring moments in this baffling attempt as camp. Chase Hutchinson of IGN agrees, giving it a 'Mediocre' 5 out of 10. The critic says Until Dawn is more disappointing than deadly, leaving all the promise of the horror game behind for a jumble of horror-movie re-creations. Hutchinson writes: Until Dawn shares a title and some key details with the game that inspired it, though it mostly tries to do its own thing – to mixed results. While Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg is able to find moments of bloody fun and tension – particularly in the way he shoots darkness – the lackluster script he's working with isn't doing him or the movie any favors. It isn't a total disaster, but as it pushed its one-dimensional characters through a cycle of horror cinema's greatest hits, I wished that the morning could come as quickly as possible. Nick Schager of The Daily Beast says to 'Skip This,' as the film gets lazy after a few deaths by showing a montage of kills via cellphone video, and elsewhere, its concepts are so tiresome that Until Dawn raises the bar for how bad a video game movie can be. Schager continues: David F. Sandberg crafts a gory riff on Groundhog Day, trapping a group of friends in a nocturnal cycle of mayhem and madness. His whirligig contraption, however, lacks any sense of internal logic and is even lighter on surprising scares, dispensing only clichés that are as moldy as the haunted house in which his characters are confined. While Until Dawn's premise does give the filmmakers a way to showcase all different kinds of horror within one movie, the critics seem to think the overall effect isn't very impressive. That said, there's no doubt that the movie includes plenty of gory kills and fun hijinks that might just keep genre fans enthralled for 103 minutes. If this sounds like a movie you want to check out, Until Dawn hits theaters on Friday, April 25.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Finn Wolfhard, 22, Reveals Why He Still Lives with His Parents After 'Stranger Things' Success (Exclusive)
Home is where the heart is for Finn Wolfhard. The actor, 22, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that he is currently living with family — even amid the success he has found as an actor through Stranger Things and other film and television projects. "I lived alone for a few years, I guess two years, and then I moved back in with my family for a year. And then, last year, I was living alone in Atlanta for the year while shooting Stranger Things, but I have since moved back in with my family," Finn says. "We have a place in Vancouver. We all have our separate space, but we still live together, and it's great," he continues. Adds the Hell of a Summer director and star: "I rarely get to see my family. I think it's a nice home base to have, just because, if I'm going to be away for most of the year working, then I might as well have a place [to come back to] with my parents." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Related: Finn Wolfhard Reveals the 1 Thing He Would Do Differently amid His Breakout Stranger Things Success (Exclusive) Finn was born in December 2002 and raised in Vancouver, Canada, by dad Eric Wolfhard and mom Mary Jolivet. The pair is also parents to Finn's older brother, Nick Wolfhard, who is in the entertainment industry as well. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! During an interview with Ryan Reynolds for Interview Magazine in December 2019, the star reflected on his parents' decision to raise him in Canada. "There's no way I'd be the same person if I wasn't raised here in Vancouver," Finn — whose upcoming feature, The Legend of Ochi, will hit theaters on April 25 — said. Related: Saturday Night Star Finn Wolfhard Details What His Dream SNL Hosting Gig Would Look Like (Exclusive) Living in Canada, Finn tells PEOPLE he is just like any other young adult — even with his impressive résumé. "I like to walk around Vancouver. I like to play music, play guitar in my studio and record music on my own. It's a great feeling," he says. "I am also always watching a lot of stuff, just a ton of TV and YouTube," continues Finn. The actor also knows that "it's important" to take "a break from the daily routine and everything," explaining, "There's a lot of multitasking and a lot of doing five things at once, so it's important to get time off as well." "I'll plan for a vacation in the next few months, for sure," Finn adds with a laugh. Read the original article on People
