Joe Keery has admitted he didn’t think his character, Steve Harrington, would make it past season 1 of Stranger Things.
The actor admitted during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week that he didn’t get all of the scripts for the first season upfront, and so remained uncertain about Steve’s fate.
“I read one, maybe, episode of the show – two episodes,” he explained. “And it was kind of like a – we read three episodes, and then they had two more.”
He continued: “It was really, they [series creators the Duffer Brothers] were building it out as they were going. It was day-to-day [for me].”
Keery only had a recurring role as Steve in the first season as Nancy Wheeler’s (Natalia Dyer) annoying boyfriend, but has since become a core Stranger Things cast member and major player in the battle to save Hawkins from evil.
Fans had to wait a long time for the fourth season of the nostalgic sci-fi series to arrive on Netflix, but they certainly lapped it up once it arrived back in July 2022.
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According to Netflix, the new episodes were watched for a total of 287 million hours in the three days after being added to the streaming platform, making it the biggest-ever premiere weekend for an English-language series.
Reflecting on the success of Stranger Things, Keery told Fallon: “It feels like such a small thing when you’re doing it down there (in Atlanta), when you’re shooting and working, and then so many people have seen it, it’s crazy.”
Keery is set to return as Steve for the fifth season of Stranger Things, which will also be the show’s last.
Stranger Things 4 is currently streaming on Netflix. Stranger Things seasons 1-3 are also available on Netflix.
Check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
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