Key Takeaways:
- New Face for Holly: British actress Nell Fisher will play an adolescent Holly Wheeler in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.
- A Major Role: Previously a background character, Holly Wheeler will become a central protagonist, with a storyline that echoes Will Byers’ disappearance in Season 1.
- Return to Roots: The Duffer Brothers are elevating Holly’s role to revisit the show’s original themes of lost innocence and childhood vulnerability.
- Vecna’s New Target: Holly’s journey will see her taken by a Demogorgon and have a mysterious connection with the series’ main antagonist, Vecna.
The final season of Stranger Things is set to bring one of its most familiar, yet quietest, characters to the forefront. Nell Fisher, a 14-year-old British actress, is joining the cast to play an older Holly Wheeler, who will step out of the periphery and into a pivotal role in the fight for Hawkins.
A New Era for Holly Wheeler
For four seasons, fans have known Holly as Mike and Nancy’s little sister, a role previously shared by twins Anniston and Tinsley Price. Now, as the stakes get higher, Fisher will portray a version of the character who becomes a key player in the unfolding supernatural events.
“Holly’s been important but on the periphery, and this season, Holly becomes a protagonist,” Fisher explained. “Things start happening to her, and she starts getting things done. I’m really excited to be able to play this character.”
Echoes of Season 1
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer are using Holly’s expanded storyline to bring the series full circle. According to executive producer Shawn Levy, the decision was a deliberate callback to the show’s origins.
“For this season, the Duffer Brothers wanted to centralize Holly as a main character,” Levy said. To underscore this, the season’s second episode is titled “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler,” a direct reference to the series premiere, “The Vanishing of Will Byers.”
Levy added, “Centering Holly not only gives us a new character to explore and root for, but is also very thematic because, in many ways, this show has always been about childhood, about the vulnerability of innocence, but also the superpower of innocence.”
Holly’s Journey into the Upside Down
So, what does this new central role entail? The upcoming season will see Holly embark on a terrifying coming-of-age journey. Her story begins with an imaginary friend named “Mr. Whatsit,” who is later revealed to be none other than Henry Creel, or Vecna.
Her connection to the supernatural world deepens when she is attacked and taken by a Demogorgon. To understand the chaos unfolding around her, Holly reportedly uses the classic science fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time as a guide to navigate the horrors of Hawkins and the Upside Down.
For Fisher, joining the beloved series for its final chapter was an exciting, if intimidating, experience. “My first day I was filming with Cara Buono and being directed by the Duffer brothers in the Wheeler House set,” she recalled. “It was pretty terrifying, but everyone was so kind and welcoming and I eased into it.”
Image Referance: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/stranger-things-5-nell-fisher-holly-wheeler-interview