“You Can’t Really Prepare For Them”: Stranger Things Star Teases Season 5’s “Powerful” Vecna Moments As He Reflects On His “Odd” Final Filming Days

Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower shares what his experience was like during the show's last days of filming on season 5, in addition to teasing some intense Vecna filming moments. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the hit Netflix fantasy horror series first released in 2016, becoming a major hit. Following the release of season 4 in 2022, Stranger Things season 5 is now poised to bring the show to an end at some point this year, and Vecna, who made his debut in season 4, is set to return.

During a panel at MegaCon Orlando for which ScreenRant was in attendance, Bower shares what it was like to shoot his final scenes for Stranger Things season 5. The actor explains that, even when they weren't filming, the show and his character was on his mind, making it "odd" to have to say goodbye. Check out his comment below:

Yeah, it was really weird. It was just odd. Yeah, I had a few final days.
Somebody took a photo of me after we finished the last scene and I just looked like a man that's just been carrying so much weight for so long and it's just been like, there you go. So that's how it felt.
I was in tears, it was weird, I didn't want to say goodbye but I definitely was ready to put down what I had been doing for some time. Because it's not just about, when you do a show like that, it's not just about shooting it. We had a break for a few years between season four and season five and then obviously we had the strike as well and it's constantly playing in my mind. So to let go of that has been, it's definitely felt like I was sort of shedding.

Though he doesn't delve into spoilers about what's to come from Vecna in season 5, Bower does tease that he had some major moments on set filming as the character:

And I think with season five, you know, there were moments where I was like, really worried and just kind of pushing through and just like being like, just come on, Jaime, you know, we've done this before, we can keep going. But I, again, without giving anything away, you know, I have had some artistically, really powerful moments this season, that as an artist, you just hope happen, you can't really prepare for them.
They just kind of appear out of thin air. And in those moments, the whole room goes like dead quiet. And you'll finish a take. And like, I'll turn around. And I'm like, you should go home now. It's not getting any better. So yeah, you know, I definitely felt a level of pressure that you just try to kind of ignore and focus on the task at hand and take it day by day. And I think, you know, that's what I've been saying whenever I've done a red carpet for another show, or a movie, people have been asking me about it. And I'm like, I'm just taking it day by day. All I can do right now is just focus on what I'm up to in this moment, you know, rather than the end product. So the product that came before is just, just be here, be here now. Be as present as possible.

What Bower's Comments Mean For Stranger Things Season 5

Vecna Isn't Fully Vanquished Just Yet

Eleven in Stranger Things season 4 next to Hawkins on fire

Reviews for Stranger Things season 4 were generally very positive and the season, like its predecessors, was a massive viewership hit for Netflix. The pressure is on, then, for season 5 to succeed and deliver a satisfying conclusion to this epic tale. Though audiences want to see the story come to a strong ending, Bower's comments make clear that ending the show is very different for the cast, many of whom have now been playing and living with their characters for nearly 10 years.

After the Stranger Things season 4 finale featured Hawkins becoming ground zero for an Upside Down incursion into the real world, it's clear that there are some major battles ahead. Though Eleven defeated Vecna in the finale, he remains alive in the Upside Down, and Bower's comments suggest that he isn't done trying to take over the world just yet. Since season 5 will start with a time jump from the season 4 finale, it's entirely possible that Vecna has regained much of his power since his defeat.

Stranger Things season 5 takes place in the fall of 1987, making the time jump after season 4 around 18 months.

Our Take Bower's Stranger Things Season 5 Comments

Saying Goodbye To The Netflix Show Will Be An Emotional Experience For Audiences

It sounds like it was an emotional time on set for the Stranger Things cast when filming for season 5 ended, and the show's ending is sure to be emotional for audiences too. Those who have been with the show from the beginning have essentially seen these young actors go from children to young adults, and it will be sad to say goodbye to them as these characters.

The anticipation surrounding season 5 means it's sure to be a major viewership win for Netflix, too. It will be challenging for Stranger Things to nail its final episodes with so much hype surrounding them, but it certainly sounds like audiences are in for lots of action, another Vecna showdown, and plenty of emotion.