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THE RUNDOWN
- Stranger Things part 2 will be released on Christmas Day, December 24, in Australia, with the finale following New Year’s Day, January 1.
- Nell Fisher plays Holly Wheeler, who has taken on a larger role in Season 5. The character was previously played by twins, but was recast this season.
- Nell spoke to ELLE Australia about the season finale, her surprise audition, and her next steps in her career.
When Nell Fisher first auditioned for Stranger Things, she didn’t know she was vying for the role of Holly Wheeler. The casting directors had created a dummy character named “April” to maintain secrecy around the show’s highly anticipated final season. On a whim, the Fisher put her hair in pigtails—thinking it would make her look younger for the nine or ten-year-old character she was reading for. It was pure serendipity. Holly Wheeler, the youngest member of the Wheeler family, had been styled in pigtails throughout her childhood appearances in earlier seasons.
Now, at just 14, the British-New Zealander has stepped into one of the most pivotal roles in Stranger Things Season 5, transforming Holly from a background character into a protagonist who brings back the sense of childlike wonder that defined the show’s earlier seasons. With Season 5 Part 2 dropping on Christmas Day, Fisher is at the centre of what promises to be an emotionally charged finale — one she describes as “heart-warming, heart-breaking, epic, amazing.” We caught up with the breakout star to talk auditions, working with Sadie Sink and the Duffer Brothers, and why pigtails might be her lucky charm.
ELLE Australia: Take us back to the beginning—how did you fall in love with performing?
Nell Fisher: I’ve always loved performing, but my very first role was in this micro-budget Kiwi film called Northspur. I did it for a fortnight and had the best time—I just completely fell in love with it. But I almost thought it was a fluke, like, “Oh well, that was fun, and now I’ll move on to my everyday life.” Then during COVID, New Zealand was pretty much safe, so Hollywood studios sent their work over there. I got a part in Evil Dead Rise, which was this horror flick that smashed the record for the amount of fake blood used—I’m very proud! That made me realise, “Oh, maybe I can do this.” Since then, I was in another Kiwi film called Bookworm opposite Elijah Wood, and then I got the part in Stranger Things, which was pretty incredible.
ELLE Australia: So you didn’t initially know you were auditioning for Holly?
Nell Fisher: No! I first got a self-tape for this cover character called April. It was all very top secret because it’s the final season. In my audition, I had to be like a nine or ten-year-old, and at the time I was about eleven or twelve. So I put my hair into pigtails because I find I look younger that way. I didn’t know it was Holly at the time, but it was quite a lucky coincidence because that is Holly’s signature look! After that, I had a Zoom call with the Duffer Brothers discussing Holly and her character. Then I flew to New York for a chemistry read with Sadie Sink. The day after the final audition, I went up the Empire State Building with my dad, and they have this Wall of Fame with photos of famous people—and up there was the cast of Stranger Things. It was this wonderful moment where you feel like you’re on top of the world, thinking how amazing it would be to be part of that.
ELLE Australia: Ross Duffer said Holly is really key to bringing back that sense of childhood wonder from the earlier seasons. How does it feel to carry that responsibility?
Nell Fisher: At first, I definitely felt a bit of pressure and responsibility because it’s almost like a passing of the baton, right? All the original kids are now grown up, they’re young adults, and Holly has taken on the role they had in the earlier seasons. I wanted to do justice to the show, to the fans, and to the character—because she is a pre-existing character. But I really worked out who Holly is, what her journey has been and is being. The Duffers and all the other directors and I worked together really well to shape that magic that is childhood again.
ELLE Australia: Holly’s wardrobe this season is stunning—especially that princess dress with the scout cape she wears in the forest. Tell us about developing her look.
Nell Fisher: Her wardrobe is actually representative of her little D&D figure that Mike gives her in episode one—it’s a big version of it! Her figure has a blue dress and a cape and a little red scarf, and she has the exact same outfit in real life. It also felt a bit Alice in Wonderland-ish, the fact that she’s in this magical world. I worked with this brilliant costume designer, Amy Parris, to develop the look. It’s all tying into the sense of the wonder of childhood.
ELLE Australia: Holly’s relationship with Vecna is fascinating this season—we see a different, almost playful side of him. What were those conversations like with the Duffers, and do you think Vecna is pure evil?
Nell Fisher: At the start of this season, Holly is quite vulnerable. She’s scared. The Earth has split into four, they’re in lockdown, she’s confused, she doesn’t know what’s happening, and she’s being bullied at school. She has this imaginary friend who is Vecna and takes comfort in that — which is Vecna’s specialty. He likes to prey on his weaker victims. But one of the interesting things about Holly is that she’s always had a sense that something was going on in the Upside Down. She saw the Demogorgon reaching through the wall in season one, and in season three, she saw the trees moving. She’s probably noticed that her brother and sister just disappear for large amounts of time. That was a really interesting idea to toy with this season.
As for whether he’s pure evil—I don’t think anyone can be pure evil. I don’t think it’s possible. We see some very interesting stuff this season that delves a bit into his backstory. If you’ve seen The First Shadow, the play on Broadway or the West End, that also looks into his childhood. He’s damaged, and he’s pretty evil. I wouldn’t say 100%, but a good 99.9%.
ELLE Australia: What was it like working with Jamie Campbell Bower and developing that dynamic?
Nell Fisher: Performing with Jamie was such a wonder. He’s a beautiful guy and an amazing actor. Just watching him—he has a really interesting process, and I found it useful just observing him between scenes. One thing I learned from him was what to do in between takes when the camera isn’t rolling. I’m a big people pleaser, and on a movie or TV set, there are a lot of people to please—the person who gives you water, the person who fixes your wire. Sometimes that can be unhelpful to your performance if you’re supposed to be really upset and then suddenly you’re telling jokes. Just being able to step away and stew in that darker emotion—I learned that from watching him. We’re both fellow Brits, which was really nice.
ELLE Australia: You also had major scenes with Sadie Sink. What was that experience like?
Nell Fisher: Sadie is incredible. She’s such a wonderful actress to work with—so giving, so generous in a scene. She gives you a lot to react off of, because that’s what acting is: responding and bouncing off your co-star. Just watching her and how she performed was really useful to how I performed. I felt like a more mature, better actor at the end of the show, thanks to all the people I was working with. She’s had such an amazing career and is continuing to have such an amazing career. We got really close last year.
ELLE Australia: How would you describe the finale in three words?
Nell Fisher: Heart-warming, heart-breaking, epic, amazing. That’s four, but I couldn’t choose!
ELLE Australia: The promotional tour looks have been so glamorous. What were some of your favourites?
Nell Fisher: I’ve just been getting into the fashion world now that I’m involved in it! I loved both the looks I wore for the LA and London premieres. I wore this wonderful, relaxed green sparkly hoodie for LA, and in London I wore this custom Ralph Lauren short suit that we worked on for quite a long time. I love a dress, but the suit felt elegant and sophisticated, but also very cool at the same time.
The post ‘Heart-Warming, Heart-Breaking, Epic, Amazing’: Nell Fisher On The ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Finale appeared first on ELLE.
