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Stranger Things 5 star Jamie Campbell Bower revealed the pop culture inspirations that drive his various takes on Henry Creel/Vecna.
Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: stranger things
Stranger Things 5: Vecna Inspired by "The Shining," Mr. Rogers: Bower
Stranger Things 5 star Jamie Campbell Bower revealed the pop culture inspirations that drive his various takes on Henry Creel/Vecna.
Article Summary
- Jamie Campbell Bower reveals unexpected inspirations for Vecna in Stranger Things 5's final season.
- The Shining, Funny Games, and Alone heavily influenced Bower’s chilling performance as Vecna.
- Mr. Rogers and Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood shaped Vecna’s eerie new approach.
- Season 5 sees Vecna morphing forms and intensifying his hunt in Hawkins in the lead-up to the finale.
In the latest batch of episodes of Stranger Things 5, to set up the series finale, Jamie Campbell Bower has been doing quite a bit of work as Matt & Ross Duffer's major villain, Vecna. He's also been changing forms throughout, from the demonic Vecna to the hat and glasses-wearing human form of Mr. Whatsit, and his original form as Henry Creel, the unassuming Hawkins Lab orderly revealed to be One. In the final season, he's not only working to enact his final plan, which involves kidnapping elementary-aged schoolchildren, but he's also trying to snuff out the Hawkins heroes along the way, who are in his way. Bower spoke to Entertainment Weekly about what he pulled from to inspire his various performances in character.
Stranger Things 5 Star Jamie Campbell Bower on His Various Inspirations for Henry Creel/Vecna
From Bower's initial casting, "I used The Shining, so the Kubrick-ian stare was obviously something I was very eager to utilize, even in season 4," he revealed. "For season 4, I used Funny Games — the American remake, particularly the way that Brady [Corbet] and Michael [Pitt] hold themselves. You can see that I've…borrowed. Credit where credit's due." For season five, he credits the 2020 horror film Alone and 1957's The Pied Piper of Hamelin as inspirations, as well as tapping iconic children's host Fred Rogers, "Mr. Rogers was a really interesting reference because that actually bled into music as well," Bower says. "I used Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, but that score is really eerie as well, with some real moments of spook."
For more on how Bower approached the role with the current Christmas batch of episodes, which includes tidbits about Henry's past, you can check out the full interview. The Stranger Things finale comes to Netflix and theaters in a simultaneous release on New Year's Eve.
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