Finn Wolfhard opens up about being overwhelmed with emotion as he wrapped filming on Stranger Things
In a frank chat with Variety, actor Finn Wolfhard has opened up about being overwhelmed with emotion as he wrapped filming on Stranger Things.
Finn Wolfhard has opened up about being overwhelmed with emotion as he wrapped filming on Stranger Things.
The 22-year-old actor described the final moments of filming the Netflix phenomenon that turned him and his castmates into global stars in a chat with Variety after he shot his last scene for the show on 20 December at the Atlanta studios where the series has been filmed for nearly a decade.
He said: “When I walked out from doing the scene, it was just one of the greatest moments in my entire life.
“I didn’t process it at the time because it was just so emotional. There was a lot of Champagne.”
The occasion drew a crowd of hundreds – among them cast members who had wrapped days earlier, and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos – who all gathered to witness the end of an era.
“Everyone was thinking about the end and was down,” Finn said – adding: “And I would just be like, ‘Yeah, but we’re all here hanging out. It’s fine.’ And I would push it away.”
The actor added: “I turned around from the monitors, and it was hundreds of people just hanging out for the first time in the same room after 10 years of working. And they were just watching.
“So if that wasn’t enough of a mindfuck there, it was also like, ‘Wait, that means it’s ending.’”
Finn, who has played Mike Wheeler since the show’s debut in 2016, was joined on set by Natalia Dyer, 29, Charlie Heaton, 30, Joe Keery, 32, and Maya Hawke, 26 – all of whom returned to the studio despite having completed their scenes.
Final direction came from Matt and Ross Duffer, the brothers behind the 1980s-set paranormal coming-of-age drama.
While details of the finale remain under wraps, Finn confirmed he appears in the closing scenes with “some” of the “kids”, referring to co-stars Millie Bobby Brown, 20, Gaten Matarazzo, 22, Caleb McLaughlin, 23, Noah Schnapp, 20, and 22-year-old Sadie Sink.
He said: “There was a moment where there was true joy from everyone because of a moment that happened.”
Wrapping the series means for the first time since childhood, Finn is no longer bound to the role of Mike, the spirited, justice-driven teen who led a ragtag group of friends against the dark forces lurking beneath Hawkins, Indiana.
Unlike Eleven – played by Millie – Mike never had supernatural abilities.
Instead, his strength lay in his loyalty and quick thinking, shaped by endless board games and a sense of moral clarity.
Outside of Stranger Things, Finn has built a film career that includes 17 movies grossing more than $1.8 billion worldwide.
Among them are the It franchise and two Ghostbusters films.
