7 Facts We Bet You Didn’t Know About Stranger Things
Have you seen Stranger Things yet? The 80s inspired Netflix show has become one of the most well-received shows this past year! The original plot and the riveting story made audiences praise the Netflix show. Who would have thought that a sci-fi show set in the 80s with kids as the lead would get such great response? And since it was a landslide victory for the show’s producers, a second season is coming to us soon!
Looking Back at Season 1
Let us go through a quick recap about the show without spoiling some key details. A boy goes missing one day in a town in Indiana. His friends and his mother look frantically for the missing child. Several members of the town’s community join in on the search. Including the town’s friendly police officers. Things take a mysterious turn when signs indicate that something supernatural may have taken our poor little boy.
Tensions rise when a young girl that goes simply by the name of ‘Eleven’ appears in the town. She seems to be unfamiliar with speech and people in general. Plus she exhibits strange and powerful abilities that instantly sets her apart. She later joins the merry band of boys as they search for their friend. Soon they all realize that darker powers were at work. They discover a strange and eerie world known merely as the ‘Upside Down’. Here they realize that a fearsome creature has been roaming around town. This strange being may have been the culprit in the abduction of their friend!
The story takes a climactic turn when they finally face this scary creature and unravel a powerful mystery that envelops their town!
What Made the Show Work – 80s Inspiration
The 80s! The time of Michael Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and knee high socks! Some of the best things that are now classic came out during the 80s!
One of the things that made Stranger Things famous is the 80s theme. People feel very nostalgic about the 80s. It is a time where the classic and golden era of the 50s start to meet the future and modern feel A generation is waking up to a new age of information, freedom, and a whole new brand of curiosity and imagination. Some of the best films and shows came out in the 80s. These were innovative and groundbreaking. So the 80s is certainly the best time to put a bunch of kids and an inter-dimensional monster together!
What Made the Show Work – Kids as Leads
It is also very interesting to note that the leads of Stranger Things are kids! We do not see a muscle-bound hero with a smoking gun fighting aliens. But rather we get to see how a group of young boys discover their courage in the face of the unknown! Stranger Things is not a kiddie show. It is not a plain sci-fi adventure. The show is a wonderful mix of both! This combination captured audiences worldwide and resulted in a massive ratings boost for Stranger Things on Netflix!
Stranger Things 2 Fun Facts
The Show Was Rejected for 15 Times!
We can all see the success and the huge following of Stranger Things today. Its stars are all world-famous. They appear on conventions and press tours all over the globe. The show received so much positive response that a second season is coming. All good things right? But little did audiences know that the show got rejected by many producers and networks for over 15 times! Yes, the smash hit called Stranger Things was initially a project no one wanted to take! But the showrunners stood firm and finally Netflix gave them the thumbs up. And now? Stranger Things is headed towards a brighter future ahead!
Imagine of there was no studio who took the project? There would be no show at all! We would not have met Eleven or discovered the Upside Down. We often forget that many things need to happen before a show actually gets to be seen in front of our eyes. There are tons of work in production and management to be done before a show gets aired. So let us be thankful that Stranger Things finally got to be approved!
More than 1000 Kids Auditioned for the Roles!
You read that right. More than 1000 kids were screened for the roles of our young stars in Stranger Things. Because the producers wanted to get the perfect cast. They called on more than 900 boys and 300 girls for the casting! Imagine going through hours of hours of shoots, script readings, and profiles just to look for the perfect combination for our young heroes!
But producers know that picking the right cast at the onset of the show is crucial. Picking an actor or actress that does not fit the role brings problems in the long run. But being able to perfectly cast someone for a specific role is like knocking the ball out of the park. The character easily comes to life and immediately becomes more real and relatable to the viewers. Picking a handful out of a thousand is hard work! And I am sure our young actors and actresses are very grateful to have gotten the part!
The Kids Became Instant Friends!
It is easy to make friends when you are a kid. Being on set would just be like hanging out and having fun!
What do you get when you go through hours of script reading and rehearsals? You get instant friends! The cast of the show quickly became pals after they got their roles. The producers reported that the young cast would text and message each other over the summer. As kids do, they quickly became friends and were comfortable with each other. This would work very well when the time came for the shooting of the series would start. Their chemistry oozed and became apparent on set and translated well to the screen.
There is More to the Upside Down!
The Upside Down! Just the name itself invokes mystery and horror! The Upside Down is this place, or dimension, where the creepy things come from in Stranger Things. We got a glimpse of it in the first season. But it is an entirely undiscovered and uncharted place. The writers of the show revealed that there is a 30-page document that tells all about the Upside Down. The showrunners promised that we would see more of this dark and dismal place in the second season!
Eleven Agreed to Shave Her Head Only After Seeing Charlize Theron!
As a young actress, your hair is a huge investment! But after seeing Charlize Theron, Millie Bobby Brown agreed to shave her head to play Eleven!
Millie Bobby Brown was elated when she got the part to play Eleven. She soon became a worldwide sensation after audiences saw her as the powerful little girl in Stranger Things! Her strong attitude, girly dress, and clean shaven head became an iconic figure in the entire show. But did you know that she almost did not agree to have her haircut? Imagine being a child star, with a great acting record. And the next show you get on asks you to shave your entire head of hair. What would you say? How would you react? Millie Bobby Brown reacted the same way you would guess any young girl to react, she disagreed!
The producers of the show The Duffer Brothers pleaded with Millie Bobby Brown to agree to cur her hair. And after many discussions, they found the perfect solution to their dilemma! Nearby was a magazine with Charlize Theron on the cover. Charlize Theron is a seasoned and very successful actress. Everyone knows that. She appeared in many successful films and has won numerous acting awards. Charlize Theron is a living legend. At that time, the Mad Max: Fury Road movie was coming out. And her character in it was a strong-willed heroine who…had her head shaven! Millie Bobby Brown saw this and you know what she did? She instantly agreed this time! Charlize Theron is a role model to many young actresses. And now we know that she is the motivation to get the strong and iconic look that Eleven has on the show today!
They Originally Set the show in Long Island, New York
The show had a different name in the first draft and was set in an entirely different place! Stranger Things was originally called Montauk before they changed it to its present title. The Montauk Project was a supposedly secret project of the US government held in Montauk, New York. The government was allegedly experimenting with the possibilities of time-travel and inter-dimensional beings and locations. This was the primary source material for the Stranger Things show that we know today. Many US secrets like Area 51 and Roswell inspired some of the most well-known sci-fi movies and shows today. Independence Day is one example of this. And the stories surrounding the events at Montauk clearly had influence over the creation of the character of Eleven, the monster, and the entire world of the Upside Down.
The Monster Scared Much of the Younger Cast
The kids found the Demogorgon scary! But I am an adult and it still gives me the creeps!
Have you seen the Demogorgon yet in Stranger Things? That creature is the stuff that nightmares are made of! The Demogorgon has slimy and slender limbs. It has a faceless mask that is eerie and haunting. But wait till it opens up and becomes a horror show of teeth and scales! The show’s creative designers certainly went all out on this one. It is like an evil mash-up of aliens and creatures and horror. No wonder the show’s young actors are scared of it! And given the CGI and props that are being used for the film, the creature becomes too lifelike!
But the producers gave another brilliant strategy to ease the fears of the young kids. They said that the young stars should just imagine the Demogorgon as one of the friendly monsters from Monsters Inc! You know, the animated film? This way, they were able to interact with the creature on set and on film without any fears!
Netflix Knows What it is Doing
The show was a massive worldwide success. Netflix surely knows how to select and show content. There are many series on the show-streaming platform that has garnered similar success and attention over the years. One of these is the hit political-drama called House of Cards. Starring multi-awarded actor Kevin Spacey, House of Cards is still running with several seasons under its belt. It is not slowing down. Marvel also has a good history with Netflix. The comic-book franchise has released Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders all on Netflix. And they have received the mass following. I am sure you have also heard of other Netflix originals such as Outlander, Marco Polo, and Designated Survivor. All these shows are top-notch and a must-watch for any binge watching fan.
If you need tips for that perfect binge-watching experience, look no more! We have a complete guide on the things you need and what you should do to perfect the art of binge-watching. So when the time comes that Stranger Things 2 finally arrives, you will be ready! Click the link here for a guide on what you need for that binge-watching opportunity!
Things Will Get Stranger
Hold on to your seats! When the second season of Stranger Things arrives, we can expect more action! Will we discover more of the Upside Down? Are one of our young heroes doomed? Is there more to Eleven’s powers and origins? We have to hold on just a bit longer to answer all of these questions. But I am sure that when the show does come out, we will watch them all straight! The great thing about Netflix is that they release shows with complete episodes! So when our favorite TV series come out, we have all the episodes in tow!
Got a vision to dress up like Eleven?
Want to know how to dress up like Eleven? No need to venture the upside down! We made a guide to make it a snap for you to get into that psychic vibe! Check out our style guide below.
