I fell in love with it. We got some headshots from my cousin, and one thing led to another. We got signed on with the talent agency and we got all these auditions, and one of them was Stranger Things.
One night we had a tornado warning — actually, we were in the basement. Our talent agency asked us to hop on a call, and we were like, “We don’t got anything better to do.” We’re just sitting in the basement waiting it out, and we got on, and everybody from the agency was on there and they just went to us, “Jake, you’re going to Hawkins.”
TV: How did you feel when they said that?
JC: I was so happy. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that much adrenaline in my entire life.
TV: What was the preparation process? Did the Duffer Brothers give you any guidance about the character?
JC: I just think that having everybody help me out at the table read, helping me discover how I should be able to act out my character…. Reading the scripts, [it’s] amazing to see how the character shifts and changes, and that really helped me be able to act it well.
TV: In the first four episodes, Derek goes on this journey to become the main guy making this break-in plot happen. What did that feel like? You’re the center point. You have to convince the kids to escape.
JC: I think it felt so great because, when we got the audition, I thought it was just going to be an extra, side-part role, and we were like, “You know what, why not?” We never thought we were going to be able to do this. But being able to come there and see all the scripts, being able to come to Atlanta and film this, it was just amazing, seeing how much of a main player Derek could become, and how much of a different person.
TV: Were you able to tell your friends what you were going off to do?
JC: I wasn’t able to do that until, probably, about halfway through filming. So I just told them I was doing a mayonnaise documentary.
TV: Did they ask for details about that? Were they like, “What’s up with the documentary?”
JC: Not really. “Mayonnaise documentary” is a really good dead-end point if you’re asking too many questions.
TV: Now that your friends do know you’re in this role, what are they asking you about? Are they excited?
JC: Yeah. I just get random people coming up to me at school every day and they’re like, “Jake, what’s up?” I think it’s so awesome. I never really thought that I’d be able to make it big, Hollywood style.
TV: Who did you connect with most with on set?
JC: I loved talking with Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna. It’s so amazing how he’s just the nicest person in real life, but the minute he shifts into that character and gets that Vecna voice on, it’s absolutely terrifying.
TV: Did he or any of the other cast members have advice for you on how to navigate being on this big show?
JC: We saw him out chilling near a dumpster when we were on location at a hotel, and my dad and I were out on a walk and he said, “What’s up, guys?” And he gave us some advice and said, “Keep your head screwed on straight and don’t let yourself touch the clouds.”
TV: That seems like pretty good advice. What was it like in the scenes you were working on with Nell Fisher, who plays Holly? Did you two talk about being the new kids on the block in the show?
JC: It was really nice to just have someone my own age to connect with on the show. [We] played games in the schoolroom and just [had] fun together. It was really great to have someone my own age instead of just a whole bunch of being alone.
TV: There’s a pivotal last scene in episode four when the monsters are attacking, Vecna has showed up, all the soldiers are out trying to fight. So much is happening. What was it like in that moment?
JC: It was just amazing. Even filming it, the amount of practical effects that went into it, people were getting actually lit on fire! There were explosions, people flying across the whole field on wires. It was so amazing to see, and I even got to stay up till two in the morning working.
TV: How do you feel when the camera starts running? Do you get nervous before you film?
JC: I feel like… I do get a little bit more nervous beforehand, but once I get out there, it’s just really nice being behind the camera. I feel like I’m just letting everything out, letting out all my emotions all at once.
TV: What was an average day of filming like? Did you have a certain amount of school every day?
JC: We always had at least three hours of school each day, and four or five hours if I was banking to have extra hours that I could use in case we went overtime for filming. It was amazing just being able to go from the acting straight back to school. I think it really helped me keep myself grounded, instead of getting stage fright.
TV: Were you allowed to improvise anything?
JC: Actually, the one scene in the barn, in episode four, when I was up in the hayloft yelling things down at Erica and Robin, I was just improvising. They said, “Say anything that comes to mind to yell down at them.” I just had a whole bunch of ideas and started spouting them out.
TV: What do you think you learned about yourself during this process? Do you feel like you’re capable of so much now?
JC: Yeah. I feel like anybody who really wants to be an aspiring actor, it’s not just luck and it’s not just natural-born talent. It’s really just [that] having that practice in you is a great way to be able to do great things, and all you really need is opportunity and preparation and you’re good.
TV: Do you have a favorite moment from filming, either on camera or something you guys were getting up to behind the scenes?
JC: I have to say, going back to that military scene, it was so fun because I’d never gotten to eat that late before. They had a whole bunch of pizzas up, and it was just amazing.
