The Big Bad of Season 4 discusses embracing his dark side to portray the most terrifying character in the show’s history.
Following are spoilers for Stranger Things season 4.
Jamie Campbell Bower, who was born in England to a family with roots to the music industry, has been a performer since childhood. In addition to his acting career, he has worked as a model and singer. He has frequently acted in bizarre universes populated with otherworldly characters, typically as the antagonist. In three Twilight Saga films, he portrayed the powerful vampire Caius. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, he portrayed the youthful Grindelwald, a role he repeated this year in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. But he’s never been asked to portray a figure of such pure malevolence as Vecna, the cruel demon at the centre of the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Even without his writhing tentacles and horrific countenance, Vecna’s lack of self-awareness makes him a compellingly frightening character. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) discovers that the sympathetic orderly who has been helping her deal with the bullying of the other kids in the Hawkins Lab is also the lab’s first resident, the troubled, murderous, and incredibly powerful Henry Creel, who feels fully vindicated in his vendetta against humanity.
Bower, who spoke via phone from Morocco about acting beneath pounds of prosthetics and channelling his dark side for the part, sounded anything but scary.
When you were cast in this role, you were unable to discuss it. So, what did you say to others?
Extremely little. I, so to speak, followed the party line. I said, “I’m playing the friendly orderly,” and then, “But I also can’t tell you because I’ve signed a nondisclosure agreement.” I was sort of telling them what they wanted to hear while simultaneously telling them the truth, which is that I cannot discuss it.
So, what were you told when you were auditioning?
I was not informed of anything. The first pair of audition readings I performed were from separate projects. The two were from Hellraiser and Primal Fear, respectively. When I was asked to return, I was requested to perform some fake show sides. I didn’t have a whole picture, but I knew enough about the character, and what I thought about the character, at that time. Then, when I met with Matt and Ross [Duffer] and they gave me the job, they informed me of everything. And it was insanity.
The role appears to be a compromise between Primal Fear and Hellraiser.
One hundred percent, and from there I believe… I’ve mentioned this before, but when I received the two sets of sides, I created a mind map and mood board with Will Byers in the centre and Millie and the other characters surrounding him. Then I encountered the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer before venturing further out. I had the impression that the guy would undergo various transformations as the story progressed, as if he were merely presenting several versions of himself.
I have the impression that he does not consider himself to be evil. Was this your impression of him while determining who the character was?
My opinion has always been that he represents the hand of justice and is there to alter the world for the better. Which, let’s be honest, is a common sentiment among those who have committed heinous acts. But I believe that for him, given his upbringing, his experience, and everything that he has been through, his belief system is rather accurate and genuine. So he is not there solely to cause disorder for the sake of disorder. He wants to alter the world because he views it as a very dangerous and toxic place to live, where individuals aren’t truly themselves. I believe he wants to demonstrate that it is important to be yourself in some way.
Is it difficult to maintain that mindset for as long as this character requires?
It is actually rather enjoyable. It’s always fun to sort of stir up hatred and anger. When I do this, I frequently take time—both before and after shooting—to be alone myself and ensure that whatever that has arisen has dissipated, so that when I engage with loved ones or others, I don’t bring anything truly negative into the interaction.
The thing that I found most emotionally unsettling was being polite to Eleven, since I knew that underlying all of his pleasant demeanour was true wrath and a secret he wants to tell her but can’t. I found it quite nerve-wracking to be standing there, smiling, but having that “Oh, get me the f*ck out of there” type of feeling. It is odd.
He is particularly affectionate with Eleven. I couldn’t always tell if he was faking it or genuinely saw her as someone on his level who could be won over.
I believe it is a combination of the two. I believe that he sees much of himself in her. Due to the fact that she was produced from him, she is essentially his sister or possibly even his child if you dissect the situation. She is also definitely an outsider. The other children in the laboratory bully her, and he had a similar experience growing up. Therefore, he looks at her with love, yet he must adhere to the lab’s rules because Brenner has evidently repressed, manipulated, or attempted to manipulate him, and even physically harmed him. This scenario in which the guards shock Henry with prods is not the first time he has been subjected to such treatment. Consequently, he has learned very fast that he must also restrain himself. I believe he hopes she will accompany him because he can relate to her and they are type of pals.
It was also fun to play with Millie, who is a bit older. I believe she was 17 years old when we began working together. But I’m dealing with the younger version of her persona, which is what I’m actually seeing. Therefore, when I work with Martie [Marie Blair], who portrays the younger version of Eleven, I treat her much more like a child. I had to include this into my dealings with Millie. Instead of viewing her as a 17-year-old young adult, I viewed her as if she were 10 years younger. And our interactions with youngsters are extremely similar to coochie-coochie-coo, everything’s nice, aren’t you lovely? This sort of thing.
What are the difficulties of speaking with a flat Midwestern accent?
Well, that’s amusing, man. It came quite easily. I was always intrigued by his pronunciation of consonants, “T” sounds, and similar noises. I used to watch a great deal of news, and I found it fascinating to observe the newscasters’ accents, if that makes any sense. They are predominantly American.
In addition, Brenner, portrayed by Matthew Modine, has a peculiar Transatlantic accent in which his Ts are much harder. Henry joined Brenner in the lab at a fairly young age, so I assumed that he would have absorbed some of his mentor’s traits.
Do you wish to play a good guy after Vecna?
No! I mean, look, I’m always intrigued by personalities with depth and a unique quality. These are the types of roles I’ve always been drawn to and have always played. And more often than not, in film, this individual is the antagonist. Therefore, if it implies that I must… That I get to, not have to, play the points of contention in TV series, movies, and other media is fantastic. If that implies that there exists a lovely guy who is just as conflicted, just as deep, and just as bright, then that is the character I seek. I’m not searching for something superficial. I dislike it when I read a script that attempts to be humorous on purpose. What is the significance of that? Show me more about this individual. This is what makes me happy.