Due to the long gaps between seasons, Stranger Things' kids and young adult cast are now all much older than the characters they play on-screen, but how much older are they, exactly? A lot has changed in the world of Stranger Things in season 4. The characters are mostly split up, with the storyline beginning in three different regions and then unfolding over more as time goes on.
Because of the expansiveness of the story, as well as all of the new characters who've joined the series, Stranger Things season 4 took longer to film that usual, even when accounting for pandemic-related delays. Season 4's release date is almost three years to the day from when season 3 released, and obviously, the cast have grown in that time. Since many of them started out either as pre-teens or in their early 20s when the show began, they've now aged to late teens or late 20s.
Regardless of how old the Stranger Things cast is, they still portray their characters perfectly. And it all allows for a natural progression in the story, making it work as a coming-of-age tale in addition to a sci-fi series about monsters, dimensions, and wizards. But interestingly, now almost everyone on the cast is at least a few years older than their characters.
Millie Bobby Brown's Age Compared To Eleven
Millie Bobby Brown was born in February 2004 and began filming Stranger Things when actually was 11 years old in 2015. Now seven years and four seasons later, she is 18 years old and has appeared in multiple projects outside the Stranger Things universe. Meanwhile, her character, Eleven, is 15 years old in Stranger Things season 4. Eleven was 12 years old during the show's events in season 1, in 1983, but now that it's spring 1986, she's 15 years old and a freshman in high school.
Finn Wolfhard's Age Compared To Mike Wheeler
Finn Wolfhard is on the older side of Stranger Things' young cast; he is 19 years old and will turn 20 by the end of 2022, seeing as he was born in December 2002. His character, Mike Wheeler, is 14 years old (going on 15) in Stranger Things season 4. According to the Stranger Things comics, Mike was born on April 1, 1971, which means he's a little over a week shy of his 15th birthday in season 4, but it's unclear if that's still canon in the TV show universe.
Gaten Matarazzo's Age Compared To Dustin Henderson
Gaten Matarazzo is slightly older than Finn Wolfhard, having been born in September 2002. He is currently 19 years old and presumably will be 20 years old by the time Stranger Things season 5 enters production. Comparatively, Dustin Henderson is presumed to be 15 years old like his other friends. His birthday has never been revealed - not in the TV show or expanded universe - but it's unlikely he's any older than the other characters.
Caleb McLaughlin's Age Compared To Lucas Sinclair
Caleb McLaughlin is the oldest among Stranger Things' "kids" cast. He was born in October 2001 and is currently 20 years old. He will be at least 21 years old when the show goes into its fifth and final season, and he will join a long line of actors in Hollywood who've played teenagers while in their 20s. So any complaints about his age would largely be unfounded considering every show and movie that's ever come out. Similar to Dustin and everyone else, Lucas Sinclair is presumed to have been born in 1971 and thus is 15 years old in Stranger Things season 4.
Noah Schnapp's Age Compared To Will Byers
Unlike most other characters, Will Byers' birthday is known in Stranger Things canon. In season 2, it was revealed that Will was born on March 2, 1971, which means he recently turned 15 years old in season 4, given the story takes place at the end of March in 1986. Comparatively, Noah Schnapp isn't too far off, as he's currently 17 years old and must've been 16 when he filmed his scenes for season 4. He will turn 18 years old in October 2022.
Sadie Sink's Age Compared To Max Mayfield
Max Mayfield joined the group in Stranger Things season 2 and has been a mainstay ever since. She's presumed to be 14-15 years old in season 4 since she's in the same grade as the other kids, though her exact birthdate hasn't been revealed in either canon or the expanded materials. As for Sadie Sink, she turned 20 years old in April 2022, shortly before season 4's premiere in May, which makes her roughly the same age as most of the young cast.
Priah Ferguson's Age Compared To Erica Sinclair
Erica Sinclair is Lucas' younger sister, who was first introduced in a recurring role in season 2 before becoming a series regular in Stranger Things seasons 3 and 4; it was in season 3 that she truly broke out among the group. But despite her maturity and expert intellect, Erica is quite young, only about 11 years old. Priah Ferguson was around that age when she first debuted in the role and is now 15 years old. She will be 16 later this year.
Natalia Dyer's Age Compared To Nancy Wheeler
Nancy Wheeler is now a senior in high school and is 17-18 years old, depending on the month her birthday is in. She presumably will be 18 years old by the time the school year ends. Meanwhile, Natalia Dyer recently turned 27 years old, seeing as she was born in January 1995. She is currently 9 years older than her character, which isn't as big of a gap as some of her costars.
Charlie Heaton's Age Compared To Jonathan Byers
Similar to Nancy, Jonathan Byers is a senior in high school, but since he was confirmed to be 16 years old in season 1, which takes place in fall 1983, he must now be 18 years old since season 4 takes place in spring 1986. His exact birthdate is unknown, though. Charlie Heaton, however, was born in February 1994 and is currently 28 years old, exactly 10 years older than his character.
Joe Keery's Age Compared To Steve Harrington
Steve Harrington is the oldest among the young adult characters, having graduated from high school the year prior, shortly before the start of Stranger Things season 3. He is believed to be 19 years old in season 4, which tracks with him being one year older than Nancy. Joe Keery is similarly the oldest of the young adult cast, having turned 30 years old in April 2022. He would've been 29 years old when he filmed most of his season 4 scenes.
Maya Hawke's Age Compared To Robin Buckley
Robin Buckley joined the group in Stranger Things season 3 and quickly became one of Steve's best friends, despite the fact that she's still in high school. It's assumed she's 17-18 years old, just like Nancy Wheeler. However, Maya Hawke is the youngest of the young adult cast, as she's 23 years old now and will be 24 around the time Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 releases on Netflix, given her birthday is in July.
Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 releases on May 27 and volume 2 releases on July 1.