{"id":701468,"date":"2025-12-01T00:05:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T21:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stranger-things-star-jamie-campbell-bower-dives-deep-into-villain-vecnas-final-form\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T00:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T21:05:12","slug":"stranger-things-star-jamie-campbell-bower-dives-deep-into-villain-vecnas-final-form","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stranger-things-star-jamie-campbell-bower-dives-deep-into-villain-vecnas-final-form\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Stranger Things\u2019 Star Jamie Campbell Bower Dives Deep Into Villain Vecna\u2019s Final Form"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t[This story contains major spoilers through Volume 1 of\u00a0Stranger Things <\/em>season five.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tCall him Lord Vecna. Call him Number One. Call him by his birth name, Henry Creel. Now, you can add one more moniker to the ever-growing list of names that Jamie Campbell Bower\u2018s\u00a0Stranger Things\u00a0<\/em>villain goes by: Mister Whatsit. However you address the dark heart of the Netflix hit, just know that you\u2019re addressing all of them at once.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey\u2019re all varying entities of himself,\u201d Bower tells\u00a0The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, surveying the many identities he\u2019s taken on to play the big bad. \u201cMister Whatsit, I\u2019d say, is obviously a presentation of who he considers, and wishes, himself to be. But it\u2019s a memory for him more than an actual human being. It\u2019s a performance; an amalgamation of all the things he\u2019s known and of what he thinks would make people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn season five, Bower\u2019s Vecna app<\/a>roaches the master stroke of his years-long plot, concocted in the depths of the Upside Down. The full extent of his machinations remain unknown heading into the second half, but they involve abducting as many children from Hawkins as possible. As abductees, these kids have no idea they\u2019re in a monstrous underworld; instead, for them, they envision themselves in a palatial manor \u2014\u00a0Charles Xavier\u2019s School for the Gifted, in a sense, with a genial Vecna as Mister Whatsit, the veritable Professor X. If that\u2019s what this monster considers a safe image for children?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThen it\u2019s pretty dark,\u201d Bower says, laughing. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a dark season indeed for Bower, who recalls a variety of odd occurrences \u2014 stranger things, if you will \u2014 that cropped up during his time filming the final season. Below, he speaks more with\u00a0THR\u00a0<\/em>about those incidents, what it involved to tap into Vecna\u2019s endgame<\/a> era and what he learned about his character from watching the Vecna-centric\u00a0Stranger Things: The First Shadow\u00a0<\/em>stage production.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tWe can joke about what to call your character, but truthfully, the joke exists because there are all so many various shades and definitions for Vecna. He\u2019s the imposing ultra villain of the show, but also a kid who never grew up. As an actor, you must feel like a kid in a candy shop with this role.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tOne-hundred percent. I felt like I\u2019d bitten off a large amount of something when I was asked if I could join the show for season four. I spent so much time considering him as a child and considering his childhood, his environment and his upbringing when he was more human. When it came to Vecna, it was this idea of pure resentment, and I felt very comfortable there. Then of course, come to\u00a0Stranger Things 5<\/em>, and all of a sudden there\u2019s this new iteration and presentation of the character that felt like another bite. <\/p>\n

\n\tThat was quite a meaty bite to have because as an actor. There are so many times where what you want to be doing is playing the truth, and the truth in this scenario is clearly that Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) is being used in some way, and he\u2019s not telling her. And that is a terrifying thing to sit opposite a child and have to lie; that means it\u2019s really, really scary. As this season progresses, you will see more. Those were moments where that felt like a really big sigh; like a huge breath out. As an actor, it\u2019s a privilege. Personally, it\u2019s also very terrifying. It\u2019s very, very scary to play. A big undertaking.<\/p>\n

\n\tWould you tend to take him with you off set?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I think so. Sometimes. There were definitely some really interesting things that happened to me while making this show. Really spooky things.<\/p>\n

\n\tSuch as?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWell, I had a cat come and live with me. A stray cat came to me and lived with me.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf a cat picked Vecna, he can\u2019t be all that bad!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHe must be kind of cute, right? (Laughs<\/em>.) Then there were snakes that would appear outside my door. Definitely some odd things that did occur. Then personally as well, taking it with you, of course, when you\u2019re existing in that darker space. He\u2019s actually a very lonely character. Very, very lonely. And to talk about coincidences, for the final read-through of the final episode, I got COVID. So everybody was there in the room reading, but I was on a Zoom call.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhich itself is kind of the Upside Down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI agree! I felt like I was hundreds of miles away from the room. So it\u2019s definitely is something you take with you for a period of time. You are always thinking about it. It\u2019s always going on in the back of my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHow much did the Duffers let you inside their plans for Vecna heading into this final season?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI wish I I had known more than I did. Obviously for [season] four, I went into that knowing so much, more than perhaps anybody else on the cast. I felt really sad going into [season] five, not knowing as much as I did, not having that power within me. I don\u2019t think Matt and Ross would mind me telling you this, that as I\u2019m receiving the scripts and going through the process, I\u2019m firing over text message \u2014 just paragraphs of messages of questions, to the point where I think I was in the U.S. and flying somewhere, not even on my way back from the table read. I called them with one very specific question. I was like, \u201cI really, really need you to tell me what this is.\u201d And they were like, \u201cOkay, fine,\u201d and they eventually relented. I managed to get it out of them. But I was as in the dark like everybody else.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you\u2019re walking out into the military base at the end of episode four, there\u2019s such a terrifying confidence to Vecna. You\u2019ve bested the group, taken the kids and there\u2019s this bravado about you. It\u2019s fascinating to think underneath that, you as an actor are having major questions about the character. It\u2019s almost a mirrored image.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt is, and it isn\u2019t, because we talk about coincidences artistically. There were things that would happen while we were shooting [season] five that allowed me to get into that space. Those fears, all those insecurities, all those questions I have. There are definitely times and times on set where we\u2019re working and all of that just falls away, and something happens and something else is there. Those are really powerful moments, and you just have to trust and let yourself go, and know that what you\u2019re doing is right.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

\n

\t\t\t\t\tJamie Campbell Bower with Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things<\/em> season four.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tDo you have a specific example of something like that happening here in five?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYes. That end of the first block of episodes, what you just mentioned. I\u2019d been asking myself all these questions. \u201cWhat is this? What\u2019s happening? Where does this come from? What is going on?\u201d I walked out to shoot the scene \u2014 particularly that scene with Will at the very, very end \u2014 and this very strange thing happened where it was as if I was witnessing myself from outside of myself. I had a full bird\u2019s eye perspective on what it was that I was doing. It sounds psychotic, but it felt like I was able to be just everywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAre you a meditator, by any chance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI am.<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you experience this on the other side of a meditation? It\u2019s happened to me!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWell, it was meditative, but as you know, film sets are so non-conducive to a full meditative state. So it wasn\u2019t quite that. It was just ethereal; otherworldly. That\u2019s all I can say. Otherworldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEthereal\u201d is a fascinating word to use, because that makes me think of something dreamy. But I think of Vecna, especially in that scene, as a nightmare. But to be in character, you have to feel as though you\u2019re on the precipice of making your dreams come true, even if they\u2019re nightmares for everyone else.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely, you have to do that. For me, it is that thing of the end game. \u201cWhat\u2019s the goal here? What is it that I\u2019m trying to achieve? How do I win?\u201d Because ultimately, at the end of the day, all he\u2019s trying to do is win. He wants what he wants, and I have to understand and know that\u2019s what he wants, and how do achieve it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m curious if you ever saw the stage production of\u00a0Stranger Things: The First Shadow<\/em>, and if so, if you had any conversations at any point with Louis McCartney, who played Henry on the West End and now on Broadway.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve seen it twice now. I saw it in preview in London, and then on Broadway. When I went to the preview show in London, Sonia Friedman had produced it. I worked with Sonia at the Phoenix Theater years and years ago, which is the same theater that it\u2019s playing at. I walked into that theater already in a heightened emotional state. <\/p>\n

\n\tI see Sonia and burst into tears. The show starts, and I burst into even more tears. I\u2019m standing outside in the interval. [Producer] Stephen Daldry comes up and says, \u201cYou should come up on stage for the bow.\u201d I was like, \u201cReally? I don\u2019t know.\u201d He insisted, so I went, and that was amazing. Afterwards, Louis and I had a really, really good conversation. Then I saw him subsequently in New York on Broadway and checked in to say, \u201cHow are you doing? This is a lot to carry. Please make sure that you\u2019re looking after yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a really intense performance. I saw it too, and I can\u2019t imagine having to do that day in and day out. There\u2019s probably one other person on earth who can share that experience with him, and it\u2019s you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFor me, the mental gymnastics were very difficult. And of course, the physical gymnastics with regards to the [makeup] application time, and sorting through what it is that I\u2019m doing and making sure I\u2019m bringing the power I need to bring forwards. But Louis is fighting in this show all the time, and that\u2019s a huge thing to take with you. He\u2019s consistently straining himself. I worry for him because he\u2019s young and I love him and he\u2019s lovely. But I had asked myself a lot of questions when I was creating Henry in my mind about his childhood and the relationship dynamic he would\u2019ve had with his parents. <\/p>\n

\n\tOf course, we see in four that there\u2019s this level of isolation. We see this level of suppression. But I also wanted to go deeper and think about the dynamic between his mother and his father, his primary caregivers. In the play, we very, very briefly see a moment where [his mom] hits Henry. It was at that moment that I was like, \u201cThose are the things I\u2019ve been considering and taking with me.\u201d So to see that just felt like I had confirmed the things I thought I knew.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, where is Vecna now? Is he still with you as you\u2019re continuing the press tour? Or did you leave him behind when filming ended?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, he\u2019s gone. I\u2019ve been very fortunate this year to be working on another show, and that\u2019s been a way to release it. Somebody took a photograph of me on my final day of set. I literally look like a man who\u2019s just dropped the weight of the world. So yeah, he\u2019s no longer with us in the room.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tSeason five of\u00a0<\/em>Stranger Things\u00a0will be released in three parts:\u00a0Volume 1\u00a0(consisting of four episodes)<\/em><\/em>\u00a0is currently streaming on Netflix,\u00a0Volume 2 releases on Christmas (three episodes) and The Finale on New Year\u2019s Eve. Check out\u00a0<\/em>THR\u2018s season five coverage here<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This story contains major spoilers through Volume 1 of\u00a0Stranger Things season five.] Call him Lord Vecna. Call him Number One. Call him by his birth name, Henry Creel. Now, you can add one more moniker to the ever-growing list of names that Jamie Campbell Bower\u2018s\u00a0Stranger Things\u00a0villain goes by: Mister Whatsit. However you address the dark…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":701469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Stranger-Things-season-5-3-publicity-H-2025.png?w=1296&h=730&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[139697,1377,24970,152056,96459],"class_list":["post-701468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-jamie-campbell-bower","tag-netflix","tag-stranger-things","tag-stranger-things-5","tag-the-duffer-brothers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}