00:00Congratulations, it's opening night.
00:02There's so many things that I want to ask you,
00:04but I know Jamie Campbell Bower played this role
00:07in the television series.
00:09How much influence did you take from the show
00:10versus you originated the show on the West End,
00:13so how much of it did you kind of craft on your own?
00:15Yeah, it's been such a journey.
00:18You know, when I auditioned, I had this character brief,
00:21and it was about this tormented kid
00:23living in the shadow of the boy he once was.
00:26You know, he's fiercely loyal,
00:27he wants connection more than anything,
00:30and when I found out it was Henry Creel,
00:32it sort of all made sense.
00:33You know, when you look at Jamie
00:35and then young Henry in our play,
00:38you sort of have to, like, be a detective
00:40and cross the dots,
00:42and he was just this bridge
00:44that I was able to just walk across
00:46because he did the work.
00:48He is so interesting in the TV show,
00:50and we've talked about the character.
00:52He came to see London,
00:54and we had a lovely conversation,
00:56and it's been great,
00:58and it still grows every day.
01:00He's just been the kindest, sweetest person,
01:03actor, friend in kind of taking me
01:05into the Stranger Things family
01:06and showing me the way
01:08and just giving me the thumbs up
01:10and being like, you're doing great.
01:11You know, keep going, keep building.
01:13This show is also,
01:15the special effects are insane.
01:16It's a very physically demanding,
01:18technically demanding show.
01:19What was the biggest challenge for you
01:21in terms of staging some of these scenes?
01:23Oh, yeah, the time,
01:27because everything changes with our play.
01:31Stranger Things is so human and visceral
01:34that you want to honor that, you know?
01:37So when you bring tech into something,
01:39the tech sort of needs to have limbs
01:42and a heart and arms as well,
01:44because if we just throw smoke at you
01:46and say it's Stranger Things,
01:48it doesn't make sense.
01:49It needs to be grounded to something heartbreaking
01:52or funny or exciting, you know?
01:55Like our opening sequence is thrilling
01:58because of the great team that we have
01:59that works with it.
02:01You know, we make a ship disappear
02:02and reappear on stage,
02:04but the guys who are in that Upside Down
02:06are fighting for their lives
02:08and they're like, what is going on?
02:10That's the most important aspect, you know?
02:11It's, you gotta work on that.
02:13But yeah, I think it's just been realizing that,
02:16working on that and giving it the time it deserves,
02:20but also remembering to keep grounded
02:22and remember the beautiful storyline
02:23we're trying to tell.
02:25And having been in this role now for over a year,
02:28I know you're invested in this character,
02:30so what do you hope happens
02:32with Henry Creel slash Vecna
02:34in season five of Stranger Things?
02:36How do you hope this story wraps up?
02:37Great question. I know what happens.
02:39Oh, okay, tea, spill it, spill it.
02:42Never, sadly not, but I guess not.
02:46But for Henry Creel,
02:49I hope he just doesn't make the wrong choice, you know?
02:53It seems that every single choice he makes,
02:55his morals are so skewed because of his conditioning,
02:57because of his mom,
02:58and because of the way he's been brought up
03:02to think, to fit in.
03:03And when you have power like that,
03:05you want to change everybody else
03:07because you think you're perfect.
03:08And I just hope everything works out for him,
03:10but it's Stranger Things, and it will not.
03:13So, we don't know.
03:15You never know.
03:16We don't know.
03:16Amazing. Well, congratulations again,
03:18and break a leg tonight.
03:19Nice meeting you.
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