Caleb McLaughlin Reflects on His Journey From ‘Stranger Things’ To ‘Concrete Cowboy:’ “I Still Feel Like a Child”

You may know him as Lucas from Stranger Things, but Caleb McLaughlin leaves all traces of Hawkins, Indiana behind in Concrete Cowboy.

Netflix’s new movie—which began streaming today—is partly a father-son drama, partly an urban western, and partly an urban western. McLaughlin stars as Cole, a teenage boy from Detroit with behavioral issues, who gets sent to live with his father in Philadelphia. His father (played by Idris Elba, who also produced the film alongside Lee Daniels), it turns out, is no ordinary man—he’s an honest-to-God cowboy, who keeps stables and tends to horses.

Cole gets a crash course on the Fletcher Street Stables—which is home to a real-life non-profit horseback riding club in North Philadelphia, known as the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club—but he also gets mixed up in the shady dealings of a childhood friend, Smush (Emmy-winning When They See Us star Jharrel Jerome).

McLaughlin threw himself into the world of Philadelphia horseback riding for the role, and it shows—you won’t see a trace of the kid from Stranger Things when you watch him in this film. Decider spoke to the 19-year-old actor about the history of Black cowboys, bonding with the horses, Stranger Things Season 4, and his hopes to someday be a superhero.

Decider: How did you first hear about Concrete Cowboy, and what was your first impression of the character and the film?

Caleb McLaughlin: I was sent the director Ricky [Staub]’s work, and I got the script as well. Before I even read the script, I saw Ricky’s film The Cage. I was so blown away. This film was amazing. I knew whoever this guy was, this creator, I needed to work with him. Reading the script was a cherry on top. I was like, “Man, this role is so special.” Cole’s character is so complex and so different from who I am. I knew this would be a great challenge for me, and as an actor and for my career.

Then once I found out that I got it, I spoke to Ricky every day before I got to set and went to Philly. He was telling me, “We’re going to get you on horses. I want you to learn everything you need to learn about horses. When people see this film, I want them to see Philly. I don’t want them to see Caleb or any other character you’ve ever played. I want them to see Cole.”

Had you ever ridden a horse before this film?

I mean, the last time I rode a horse before the film was my sister’s sixth birthday party. So that was it. But this was an intense training that I had to do. It was nothing like I’ve ever done before. I spent like a week before actually hopping on the horse just building a relationship with a horse. A lot of people don’t realize—it’s not, “Okay, I’m gonna hop on a horse and say ‘Yeehaw!’ and ride out into the sunset.” It’s like, you have to build this special, spiritual bond with this horse. When you’re training with the horse, the horse is also training with you.

Did you know about the Fletcher Street Riders before this film? 

I didn’t know anything about them until I was introduced to the script and the community. It was all an experience for me—learning something I didn’t know about. I related to Cole, in a way, but honestly, I can’t even relate to him, his situations, and his life. So it was a new learning experience for me.

You worked with several real-life Fletcher Street Riders on-screen—what kinds of conversations did you have with them?

They’re not the first generations to ride horses. When you speak to them, they’re like, “My great uncle was one of the best horse riders!” Just hear them talk about their community and their family… I’m like, “Wow, this is a real community. This is not a made-up story.” Then you see it in the film—gentrification and how that takes a big toll on the community. I’m just happy to be a part of their legacy. They welcomed me in to tell their story. And on top of that, it’s just history! It’s a part of history—before there were cars, there were horses. This is how everyone got around. Black people being the original cowboys and cowgirls was like, wow. I never was biased to the idea of Black cowboys and cowgirls, but just knowing that this is an actual thing, it’s not made-up—it’s good and it’s wholesome.

Were any of the riders Stranger Things fans?

Yeah, there were a lot of people that I met in Philadelphia that were like, “Oh, hey you’re in Stranger Things!” So, like, during cuts and stuff, they’d be like “Can I take a picture with you?” But then they were like, “Tell me about Stranger Things,” and I’m like, “Ah, I can’t do that right now. I’m trying to get into Cole. None of that Demogorgon and fantasy stuff right now! This is some real-life stuff I need to get into.”

One scene I particularly love in the movie is the heartbreaking moment where Cole asks his father, “Why do you hate me?” How did you approach that scene? What conversations did you have with Idris Elba to prepare?

That day we filmed was a long day. It was a long night, actually. Idris and I, between shots—actually before we even went into the house—we were like, “Alright, let’s sit down and talk about it. What is the luggage? What is the baggage that they’re holding behind-the-scenes that we don’t see? The 15 years of absence of his father not being there—what is that? What is Cole talking about?” We sat down and talked about our relationships with our fathers.

My dad was there. He was talking about his relationship with his father, how he didn’t have one with his father—it was almost similar to Cole and Harp. Every time my dad talks about he gets emotional—how his father hasn’t been there for him. So I took some of his emotion and put it into my performance. And I talked about this with Ricky before I even knew I got the part. I remember auditioning and he was like, “I want you to audition, I’m willing to give this to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity or not, or if you’ve been on Stranger Things. You got to earn this.” And I was like, “Bet, I’m down. This is what I’ve done. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’m a theater actor.” I’ve always got to prove myself. So yeah, it was a process. I’ve been trying to become Cole before I got to Philly, for like two months prior to filming. So I was ready.

I also love the scenes between you and Jharrel Jerome, you guys seem to have a fun chemistry, even for the darker scenes. Did you get along on and off set?

Oh, yeah, he’s a really great guy. I met him a few times at award shows—and on an airplane, one time. That was funny—I was on the plane and he’s sitting next to me. I just look to my side, he’s like, “Yo, you’re Caleb! You’re on Stranger Things, right?” He was like, “Yo, that’s crazy! That’s what’s up man! We met each other at the award seasons a few years ago!”  I was like, “Oh, yeah!” Because he was in Moonlight at the time. He was like, “Yeah man, I’m filming this TV show in North Carolina. Yo, where you from?” I was like, “I’m from New York.” He’s like, “What part?” “The Bronx.” He was like, “Me too! That’s crazy.”

He was just a super nice, warm dude. I really appreciate it when other actors give you props. We were both fans of each other. We had a great conversation and we really embraced each other. I was like, man, “This guy’s a great actor, I gotta work with him!” I think two weeks later, I got the script for Concrete. I put it out into the universe that I wanted to work with this guy! So once I was able to work with him, we clicked. He’s like a brother.

You’ve been filming Stranger Things Season 4 this past year. So what can you tell me about what’s in store for Lucas this season? 

You won’t be expecting this facial hair! A lot of people ask me, “How are you gonna film Stranger Things? You look so old!” I’m like, trust me, it’s literally the facial hair. When I take it off, I look like a different person. The same Caleb. We’ve been filming for a minute now and we had to stop during the pandemic. It was challenging, but, you know, we’re back.

Is there anything you can tease about the upcoming season?

We’ve been filming since last year, the end of last year. We’re trying to get everything together so you guys can see it. But I can’t really say too much about it. We want to keep it a secret. So you guys can check it out!

I think a lot of fans are responding to how much you’ve grown physically, but also how you’ve grown as an actor—especially with the release of Concrete Cowboy. How does that feel?

Feels good, because it’s genuine. A lot of people always asking you about, like, “How is it going up as a child actor and then transitioning into an adult actor?” I’m really am not. I mean, I’m technically an adult, but I still feel like a child. This is all I know. I’m doing the things that I love and things that speak to me. Doing Stranger Things is awesome. Now I’m able to do Concrete, and it’s a different level of working amongst great actors and great creators. I think it’s genuine and I appreciate the response that people are really loving and following me in my career.

We’ve been told that this might be the last season, or that Season 5 might be the last season of Stranger Things. Do you feel ready to move on from the show?

No, I love Stranger Things! I’m down to do it. It gave me so many opportunities. I remember just from Season 1, just loving the script and loving the story. Lucas is a great character. So I’m down to do whatever the directors and Netflix want to do you know. I’m ready. I’m down to tell the Stranger Things story.

All the reboots, all the sequels?

All the reboots, all the sequels!

Love that. But assuming it does someday end—what kind of roles and projects are you hoping to pursue moving forward?

I’m looking forward to doing stuff that really connects to me. That’s one thing about Concrete Cowboy. You get so many scripts now that you look at it and you’re just like, okay, it’s good, but it doesn’t really speak to you. When Concrete came to my table, it put that spark in me and gave me that sense of happiness. This is why I love acting. That’s why I’m in the business right now. So, I’m down to do anything that really speaks to me. But… I would love to be a superhero. I know a lot of people want to see me as Miles Morales or Static Shock and, you know, I’ve been working out for it. I’m prepared! Just give me the call.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Watch Concrete Cowboy on Netflix