Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Stranger Things season 4.
Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 ended in an explosive way that no one would have predicted, setting up final season that is sure to be both haunting and exhilarating. The latest villain in Hawkins is the terrifying Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Bower (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), who was revealed to be heavily tied to the Upside Down and shared something very significant in common with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
Bower was first introduced during the premiere of Stranger Things season 4, but he was not shown as anything other than the monstruous Vecna until he was revealed as the infamous Number One who went on to massacre the Hawkins National Lab. Now that a fan-favorite character has fallen victim to him in a gruesome finale, Stranger Things season 5 will certainly see Eleven and Vecna go head to head for the last time.
Ahead of volume 2’s premiere, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Joseph Quinn to discuss Stranger Things season 4, his nerves at joining the Netflix series, his character’s tragic fate, preparing for his epic music sequence and more.
Screen Rant: I loved these episodes. I’m sure this is a common question, but have you decided what your Vecna song is?
Jamie Campbell Bower: Yeah, I have. I decided this a few weeks back and completely shot myself in the foot. I chose a really silly song, and I wish I hadn’t. It was Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.” So, I’ve got to say that every time now. Fool, fool that I am.
I just love imagining you running from Vecna and being like, “Party in the USA!
Jamie Campbell Bower: God help me.
Mine’s ABBA, for sure. There was this meme that was formed a week or two ago, and it was you in the Vecna makeup but holding an iced coffee from Starbucks. Have you seen this? It is my favorite. What did you think of it?
Jamie Campbell Bower: Yes, I’ve seen it. [Laughs]
Oh, I do not know. I was never sure; I was unsure. No, people have said that it humanizes me, so I’ll take that.
How long is that makeup process?
Jamie Campbell Bower: About seven hours? Roughly.
What is your favorite thing to do once you’re actually in the Vecna makeup? Are you messing with people on set?
Jamie Campbell Bower: I try not to mess with people too much. After I would have the application put on, I would go back to my trailer, sit there, and just take about half an hour just to reset. And then go onto set, sit in a dark room on set – if the boys needed to do touch-ups, I’d going into a tent. But that was that was kind of it.
I loved talking in the voice. That was always my favorite thing, talking in the voice. So, at the end of a long day, the things that were coming out of my mouth in the Vecna voice were always very interesting and very funny. But, I really like just skulking around and being grim.
I was gonna ask you about the voice? Is that something that you know you do on cue and how did you find that voice?
Jamie Campbell Bower: It’s not something I can do on cue. It’s something I have to warm up for. I probably could do it on cue now, but I had to learn how to relax. I’m a singer, but I often have sung in a higher register. So, to relax into the more bass baritone register of my voice was interesting; to relax the larynx and then to warm up the diaphragm as well.
It is really about being fully receptive and relaxed and open, and then building the fury and the resentment and the rage. It took me a beat to get it, though; it did take me a beat to get it. And I would listen to music to put myself in that space as well.
What did you listen to?
Jamie Campbell Bower: Carpathian Forest. Revenge. Dark, black metal; heavy stuff. Norma Jean. Yeah, dark stuff.
I’ll try it. [clears throat menacingly]
Jamie Campbell Bower: That’s how it started, though. That’s how it started, because at the beginning I was like, [clears throat menacingly]and it does not [work]. And then you just kind of settle back into it and breathe from the space below your belly, and put it down there. Yes, it’s very easy.
Stranger Things Season 4 Synopsis
It has been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
Check out our interviews with Stranger Things stars Noah Schnapp, Charlie Heaton & Eduardo Franco, Robert Englund, as well as Joseph Quinn and Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink & Priah Ferguson.
Stranger Things season 4 is now streaming in its entirety on Netflix.
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