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Stranger Things 5: Linda Hamilton on How Casting "Ruined" Show for Her

Stranger Things 5 star/series fan Linda Hamilton explains how joining the cast "ruined" the show for her and shares how things are going.

Yesterday, we had a chance to check out how Weeks 5 & 6 went with filming on Matt Duffer & Ross Duffer's Stranger Things 5  – including a look at Natalia Dyer's Nancy Wheeler. But for this go-around, we're getting a chance to check in with none other than the amazing Linda Hamilton, who was confirmed to be joining the cast last summer during Netflix's TUDUM global fan event. In an interview with US Weekly in support of her SYFY series Resident Alien, Hamilton discussed what it was like joining a series that she's been a fan of over the course of four seasons. In addition, we learn what she knows (and doesn't know) from the Duffer Brothers regarding her character (still under lock & key) & the season's story, and more.

Why Being Cast "Ruined" The Show for Hamilton: "I've watched every season with relish. I just love it. So it's kind of, like, imposter syndrome where I don't [feel that I] fit in there. That's a whole world set in the '80s," Hamilton shared regarding her initial feelings about joining the cast. "When you really buy into something, you don't see yourself in it. So I think, in a way, it kind of ruined the show for me. I never watch [a project] once I'm in something. It would just completely take me out of the reality of it to see myself in there. So I won't be watching [season 5]."

The Duffer Brothers Are Holding Out on the Whole Story – And For Good Reason: "I Zoomed Ross and Matt Duffer, and they gave me the shape of the character, but not of the story. Because they have to be very careful with their story. So I still don't know how it ends. And it takes a lot of discipline to not know where it's going to go. But that's to protect it from all of the people that want to know," Hamilton explained, adding that she is making sure not to share any intel with friends "out of respect and love for the Duffer brothers."

Hamilton Feels "Thrilled to Be a Part of It": "I do get to be there for table reads and watch it unfold and be part of it. I'm thrilled to be part of it. But I just never, ever saw that one coming. It is different when you're a fan of the show to sort of go, 'Well, how do I fit?' But we're working on it. It's good. It's really good."

Stranger Things 5 "Like Season One on Steroids"

During an interview with The Guardian, Ross & Matt discuss the pressures of ending the series in a way that works creatively and satisfies the audience's expectations and how this final run with these characters will feel "like season one on steroids."

"The nine hours that precede the ending can be amazing. But if you stumble at that one-yard line, people will never forgive you for that. And they'll forget the previous nine hours of awesomeness! So it's amazing what they will forgive if you score a touchdown at the end," Matt Duffer explained when discussing their feelings on how series finales are viewed. "Endings of shows are like opening a restaurant in terms of the success-failure rate – there's an 80% failure rate, I'd say. But I think one very particular way to fail is to attempt to appease everybody."

Matt continued, "We have a huge variety of fans that span a huge age range, and I'm sure they have all their own ideas of how they want the show to end. But we're not consulting social media on this. Then you just hope and pray that it resonates. But it was funny: once we got there, it just felt right, and we're going to go for it!"

As the duo had stated previously, the universe will live on after Stranger Things 5 – but the characters that viewers have grown to love & connect with will see their stories end with the fifth season. With that much on the line, the Duffer Brothers aren't going out quietly. "This season – it's like season one on steroids. It's the biggest it's ever been in terms of scale, but it has been really fun, because everyone's back together in Hawkins: the boys and Eleven interacting more in line with how it was in season one. And, yes, there may be spin-offs, but the story of Eleven and Dustin and Lucas and Hopper, their stories are done here. That's it," Matt shared – before adding, "Outside of the play. So if you want to see more of some of them, go see the play."

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