[This story contains major spoilers to the finale of Stranger Things 4, Volume 1.]
When Stranger Things first announced Jamie Campbell Bower’s casting, the character was named Peter and described as a caring orderly at a psychiatric hospital. When he made his debut in the fifth episode of the new season, which released its first seven episodes ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, he was listed in the credits simply as “Friendly Orderly.”
His opening line seemed friendly enough. “Someone’s a sleepyhead this morning,” he tells Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who was 8 years old when they first met, as the series travels back in time to help the Hawkins superhero reaccess her powers through memories.
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However, by the end of the seventh episode, the audience knows his character by three names: Henry, “One” and Vecna.
Not until that finale of Volume 1 is Bower revealed to be this season’s villain, an evil being named Vecna who lives in the Upside Down and who preys on the psyches of several Hawkins teens by haunting and, eventually, violently killing them. (The fourth season of the sci-fi series releases in two parts, with the final two episodes coming July 1.) But before he was Vecna, the monster was Henry — the human son of Victor Creel (who is played by horror legend Robert Englund) and the first patient, 001, at Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) Hawkins Laboratory who would spark the program leading to Eleven, aka 011.
The epic reveal provides the audience with answers to Vecna’s origins, as well as Eleven’s. Once Henry identifies himself as One, Eleven uses her telekinetic prowess to open the first-ever gate to the Upside Down and seal him away, where he would spend years honing his powers before re-emerging in Hawkins to threaten everything the group has fought for three seasons to overcome.
For Bower, who comes from the worlds of Twilight and Harry Potter, releasing his character’s secret feels both “terrifying and amazing.” Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter days after Netflix viewers devoured the latest offerings from creators the Duffer brothers, setting a new binge-watching record for the streamer, the British actor described the experience as a catharsis.
After methodically prepping to play the manipulative and terrifying trifecta of a role — which, as Vecna, required seven-plus hours of makeup and less CGI than the audience might expect — Bower opened up below about his intense process (one that even frightened his scene partners), finding a connection with his outsider and what viewers can expect to see from the villain when Stranger Things returns: “It felt like I had this chest that had a padlock on it, really deep down around my stomach area, and the box is being blown open, and it’s all kind of pouring out. It feels amazing to talk about it.”
It’s been six days since Volume 1 of Stranger Things 4 was released, which means the audience has had some time to consume and think about what they just watched. You are no stranger to this kind of fandom. How has the reaction been so far?
It’s been amazing. I’ve been part of some major popular culture pieces of work, so I was aware of what would come. I’ve been around that enough times, but to be in the middle of it is quite an interesting experience. (Laughs.) The love that people have shown, and the fact that people love this show and enjoy the work from all of us, is really fulfilling. I feel very grateful to be a part of it.
I never go into something thinking about what other people are going to think. I have to remove myself from that, do my work and know why I’m there. So when I give something over, it’s quite weird. It’s quite terrifying because it’s been so personal. I was talking to Matt and Ross [Duffer] about it yesterday. We exist in this bubble, and all of a sudden, that bubble is blown open and we have to watch what everybody does with it! I can become so obsessive: “Does everyone like it? Oh my God, is it good?!” So I’m trying to remove myself from that thinking now to try and stay as grounded as possible. You know, this is not normal; what’s going on is not normal. So I need to constantly remind myself of what is normal in the reality of life. But overall, I’m so glad that people like it!
You are credited as “Friendly Orderly.” And when your role was first announced, he was named Peter Ballard and described as “a caring orderly who, tired of the brutality he witnesses day after day, may be poised to take a stand.” What was the character description you auditioned for?
As far as memory serves, there wasn’t a description. It was one of those things where it was, “Hey, Stranger Things is casting. They have two sets of sides for you.” And this is kind of out in the blogosphere — I don’t know if I can or should say this — but at the time, the character had a different name. And whether that was for protection or not, I’m unaware. But there was no breakdown. It was just two sets of sides from Primal Fear and Hellraiser and, “Can you go and tape as soon as possible?” And from there, anyone can sort of piece it together as to what this is.
That you will not be playing a good guy.
Exactly. (Laughs.)
I read that eventually, in your audition process, the Duffer brothers filled you in on the entire scope of your character, complete with 3D renderings of Henry, One and Vecna. What attracted you to playing out this evolution?
It was always the arc and, like you say, the evolution. I wanted to track that as much as possible. If I’m to be honest about the attraction, being able to be a part of this show and working with Matt and Ross, who are so intelligent both mentally and emotionally, was a very, very big draw. And on the work side, it was the opportunity to play sort of three different people — even though Henry and One are the same person, he’s presenting a very different version of himself. So to track that throughout episodes five, six and seven, I saw as a great possibility — not even an “opportunity,” because that would sound like I went into it knowing I could do it. I went into it thinking, “Holy shit! Am I going to be able to do this?”
I remember speaking to [makeup effects artist] Pat Foad, who works with Barry Gower [the makeup effects designer responsible for Game of Thrones’ Night King], and they knew a bit. I was talking to Pat about the whole thing, and I said, “Pat, I’ve got to present this super nice version, but underneath it all is this sort of darkness, manipulation and hatred and anger for the world.” And he said, “It’s an opportunity to show your rage.” From an outside perspective, yes. But on the inside, I was fucking terrified!
Vecna is the most sinister villain of the series, who psychologically preys on teens’ worst fears to torment and kill them. What were your conversations with the Duffers about how dark you wanted to go?
There were none, actually. There were no real discussions as to how dark, personally, I was going to take it. Obviously, I was reading the scripts and looking at how the kills happen; the limbs snapping and the eyes bleeding is written in there. So from that, you’re able to go, “OK, this is no-holds-barred; I can go as far as I want.” But we never sat down and said, “Let’s make something really terrifying.” I’ve mentioned this already, but I’m an obsessive. So when I latch on to something, I’m going to go as far as I possibly can. That’s just my nature. So to have it be no-holds-barred in the script and know that they trusted me enough, I felt like I was going to go for it. I thought, “Great. I’m just going to be really horrid!”
How method did you get in your preparation to get into the psyche of Henry/One/Vecna?
I have my own practice and my own method that is constantly developing. I sound like such a wanker when I say it in my own mind, but I love art and I love being an artist. And so, with that, I will always push myself to go as far as I can, and that is constantly developing. I would take four days before filming anything [to get into character], and those first two days are about clearing everything out. There’s a lot of life happening to us all the time. So those first two days are really about clearing the space so that I’m open. A lot of people call this channeling. But for me, it requires more attention. Prior to this, I will know exactly what I’m stepping into, exactly the intentions that I have. I will have done enough character research and buildup to be able to really focus, actualize and visualize, at which point I’ll start digging that up.
One of the most terrifying parts of the process was when I was having to be really nice to [Eleven]. Because I had to have built up that horrid fire and fury within and then mask that with a nice gentleness, there was always a fear when I was looking at Millie, particularly when playing One, where I was thinking, “Please don’t see what I want from you. Please just see this sort of facade.”
I went as far as I possibly could, and it involved a lot of heavy meditation and, particularly with Vecna, a lot of fury and rage and saying the same thing over and over again to make sure that’s the only thing in the mind. I didn’t need or want anything else but to be able to be so present in that character. And it didn’t mean that when we were working and on set that I wasn’t able to interact with people. I’d done enough work prior that I was able to snap in. But I went pretty far. I had this vial of black widow [spiders] that I would sit and stare at for hours. And I had this book that I would write and draw in, quite like the younger version of Henry in the show. I spent hours looking at my fingers and just actualizing and visualizing them being longer. Punching things also came later on (laughs) to get this fear out. I was hitting things in my house. It was really weird, but it was great because that fire came up within me. And away from people, I would mutter things under my breath.
One of the really interesting things that did come up quite often with Vecna was this phrase, “Let me drive.” It was almost like there was this other person who was taking control of my body. Like my mind had completely died by that point; my ego-self was gone, and it was just like, “Let me drive, let me drive. I’m going to do this.” And that wasn’t coming from any thought. It was coming from all over. Strange thoughts would come up, particularly in that monologue with Millie in episode seven. I still had a sense of self, but a thought would pop up, and I’d be like, “That’s weird! Once they call cut, I’m just going to step out for five minutes to have a cigarette and calm down.”
Before hearing you speak about this role, I assumed Vecna was brought to life mainly with visual effects. But to hear that it was you (beneath a ton of makeup) means you had more scene partners than just Millie Bobby Brown. You and Sadie Sink had the epic final scene of episode four, for example. And you had another scene partner in Martie Blair, who played the 8-year-old Eleven. How contained was your role among the ensemble?
We all knew. Everyone knew. (Laughs.) I remember so vividly the test day we had for Vecna. I think everyone was quite worried because doing a full creature VFX thing, it’s done, but it’s not often done that well. We did the test and I had everything down; [my] sense of self just disappeared as we were filming it and the boys asked me to talk, and there was this sort of collective sigh of relief going, “Fucking hell, it works. Thank God for that!” Everyone knew, but a lot of people hadn’t seen it until it was in front of them.
In terms of you and Millie, how did you two find your footing and, as a Stranger Things veteran, did she give you helpful tips along the way?
We found our footing immediately. I remember at the read-through doing stuff from episodes four and five, you notice little things. She turned to look at me as I was talking to her, I was sat behind her, and I knew from that moment we trusted each other and there was a real connection here. She was so lovely to me and so inviting and warm. I have notes that she would just leave on my chair, little things like that. It was lovely and very, very sweet. We never really talked tips. I think we just knew each other immediately, and we’ve become great friends, and I’m so grateful for that. She’s an incredible actor and person, and that set is so trusting of all of us — that really brings out the best in us. It brings out the best in any performer. If you go on set and somebody is shouting and fucking throwing things around, you’re not going to feel comfortable enough. But that set is very special.
One of the most vivid memories I have with Millie was tweeted by the Netflix writers account, and it’s with Martie, who plays young Eleven. It was after Eleven had evaporated Henry against the wall at the end of episode seven, and Martie is having to do that whole scene again where Brenner comes in [for the season opener] and says, “What have you done?” I’m watching from Eleven’s dorm room because the set is so large, and we have these monitors on iPads. She’s doing this scene and all of a sudden, I see Millie come in and direct this kid. And I thought the takes were good beforehand. But Millie, who was 17 years old, keep in mind, starts directing Martie, and when they do the take, it’s fucking perfect.
The reveal that your character was the one who murdered the other kids at Hawkins Laboratory redeems Eleven. Viewers enter the season and spend the majority of it thinking Eleven was responsible, only to find out it was you in the finale. Did you have conversations with Millie about that redemptive arc and being able to return Eleven to her superhero status?
That’s interesting. That was never a thought that I had at all, but it’s interesting the journey, particularly at the end of seven, with the face-off against one another. You’d have to ask her, but I know from personal experience that when any actor or artist is given the position of power in a scene, whether that power be emotional or supernatural, there is a real inner strength. She’s a very confident person, so I don’t think her confidence was not there when she didn’t have her powers, but I can only imagine from within her when she’s able to use them, that I know I would feel a “fuck yeah” moment.
Shawn Levy described your twist reveal and origin story as reframing everything the audience knows about the show. How deep did you find yourself going into Stranger Things mythology?
I knew the show already. I started with this mind map of Will Byers in the middle and then all the other characters around, the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down, and then it went out into more reference territory for my character. There was always this knowledge of the world. But I’ll tell you how deep I got: I got so deep that the fact that Millie is 011 and I’m 001; in Greek, one and 11 are Alpha and Omega, which is light and dark. It’s everything. I remember going up to Matt and Ross and being like, “I’ve just discovered that there’s Alpha and Omega. What does it mean? Is this purposeful, or is this just happenstance?” I won’t tell you their answer! (Laughs.)
I also wanted to know more about the personal side of things. Max [Sadie Sink] has this deep guilt with Billy [Dacre Montgomery, who makes a cameo in season four], but I also wanted to know why they moved initially, why did they come to Hawkins and what was the purpose? I did as much as I could. The really interesting thing about this show for me, and I think in general, is the way things just happen to line up. This Alpha and Omega thing, it’s spooky. So a lot of things kind of came to me having known the show, but also out in the ether or being able to absorb it. It was odd. But yes, I did a lot! (Laughs.)
I saw you describe the CGI breakdown for Vecna as being 90 percent you. How many hours of makeup were you in?
Seven and a half hours is the process of application, and then about an hour to an hour and a half of removal.
How did you find Vecna’s voice?
It was really tough. I started with this weird kind of [grunting] thing in the read-through, and you know when you’re doing something wrong, the room goes cold. I knew I hadn’t gotten it at that point, that I had to work more at it. And it was predominantly through meditation that I found it. One of the most fascinating things about Henry/One/Vecna is that there’s constantly this level of truth. And for me, when I tell the truth, I’m still and my voice gets so much lower. It happens to all of us. And when we’re excited, and we’re not breathing properly [our voices go up]. So it took me to calm down, be as open as possible to it and let it come. And I remember the day that it happened, but it took a minute. I filmed myself doing it on my laptop; I would send Matt and Ross voice notes. I would have music on in the background; quite dark, low-frequency music. It was just one of those things that over time naturally came, but I think because what he says is so rooted in truth, that was always the thing that was there: Be in the belly; it’s all in there, you know what to do; don’t think about it too much.
It’s interesting that you refer to him as Henry instead of One. Was there anything you couldn’t quite nail that the Duffers offered a key piece of direction on?
I see [Henry] as a person. I love him. I had to love him, and I do love him. And I do believe quite a lot of what he says! I think people presenting a false version of themselves, whether it be conscious or unconscious, is quite real. And being the outsider, I can recognize that 100 percent. But I don’t think there was anything that we struggled on or needed massive pointers for. They were always there throughout the entire process to communicate. As things would come up, I would send them emails and I would say that it was very much a “Yes” conversation. Although there was one thing that I wanted to do that they said, “Absolutely not!” I called them and I was like, “So you know how Henry is in the facility, but he’s the friendly orderly. What if my head was shaved so that when there’s this big reveal, it kind of all makes sense?” And they were like, “No, that’s a huge tell. You’re an idiot.” I was like, “OK, I’ll shut up!” (Laughs.)
For a lot of the character stuff, particularly with Vecna, it was always about this methodical stillness, and that was very apparent in the script. So for me, it was about bringing that to myself. There was never a point in time where I was doing something really wrong. It was more, “OK, I get this. Now how do I do this in my way? How do I feel comfortable doing it?” It was always a very collaborative, creative sort of pressure, but we never got into a corner where we were worried about anything apart from the voice after the read-through, and that managed to come to fruition within a couple of months, thankfully.
We have not seen the end of Vecna. How will he evolve in Volume 1, and will more of the backstory of how Henry became One and then an orderly be revealed?
I don’t know if I’m allowed to give any spoilers away. I think what you will see is more of the human aspect of Vecna. Let me say that much. And there’s a huge, great, cool thing — I need to keep my mouth closed! — but there’s a huge, great, cool thing you see as well! You still witness a bit more of an evolution — quite a bit more of an evolution, particularly for Vecna and Henry to Vecna.
Other villains have returned for more than one season, and the Duffers have always had a master plan. How will Vecna factor into the show’s endgame as Volume 1 sets up the final season?
Let me put it this way: I know about season five. Take from that what you will.
Were your co-stars scared of you on set, particularly the ones you had scenes with?
Millie. She was terrified, absolutely terrified. She’s a very open, receptive individual as a soul. I’ve become very friendly with her parents, too, and her mom finds it hilarious. Every time I see her, she will say, “Millie thought you were so scary! She’d call me. She was in tears. She said, ‘Jamie wasn’t there anymore!'” Sadie is amazing. I think because of the interaction that we have and because the character is so strong. In this season, she’s suffering. But she has this inner strength, and obviously, she defeats me in episode four — which is infuriating! I’ll get you, yet! (Laughs.) I remember the boy that plays Fred in episode two, he was very spooked. He found it scary. And the poor actress who plays Chrissy. The Chrissy kill was my first day on the job and I would be talking to myself in the house; she’d be in the hall and I’d be in the bathroom calling out her name, and she was really spooked. Also, we filmed that at four in the morning, which doesn’t help! That’s scary for anyone.
On our recent Drama Actress Roundtable, Emmy Rossum, Lily Collins, Sandra Oh and Rosario Dawson spoke about how there is always a lot of talk about transforming into a role but not much about coming out of it psychologically. What has it been like for you to come out of this role, or do you still feel connected because the season has the final two episodes?
They always stay with you. There’s always a part of it that stays with you. I remember even characters from auditions that I love that I didn’t get. There’s parts of those people still in me. The ones who really stay with me are the ones who have a lot of truth to them. They awakened a part of me that needed to be reawakened. In terms of the rage and the fury, and the anger, I knew the steps in, so I knew the steps out. I was never worried that I would forget myself. I’m very much a leave-it-all-on-the-floor kind of guy. It would take me about two days to recover from the experience. There’s a level of catharsis to that; you’ve given it to the camera, you’ve given it to the actor, it’s happened. The thought process is still going on. I find myself to be very drained after those experiences.
Going sort of full circle to your original question about, what did I do to prepare? There are certain things that I did that I’m not comfortable talking about; they were personal things that didn’t affect anyone else, but they were pretty rough. I was driving around yesterday and I remembered doing them, and I was like, “Man, that’s fucking mad. I wouldn’t do that again right now. That’s really dark!” But I was never worried that I would lose myself. A friend of mine I work with in music said to me once, “The only thing you have to lose is your mind.” I was like, “Great, I mess with that. I really mess with that.” We’re all evolving all the time, and I guess it’s just an evolution of self. Who am I? I don’t know. I am this.
A little different after each character.
Exactly.
Interview edited for clarity.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things 4 is now streaming on Netflix, with Volume 2 concluding the season with its final two feature-length episodes releasing July 1.
