Juan Carlos chats with THR at the opening night of 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' and talks about the special effects, calling it a "beast of a show." Plus, he dishes on meeting Sadie Sink and his thoughts on what could happen in 'Stranger Things' season five.
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00:00So good! Oh my gosh. Yes, you are. Oh my gosh. Well, you're here. You made it.
00:06Yes. Oh my goodness. I can't believe it. This carpet is absurd.
00:11I'm so happy to be taking this next step, though. I think we're all ready for it.
00:14For sure, because you guys have been in previews for a while.
00:17A lot of Netflix and Stranger Things fans that are excited to see this show.
00:22What was your introduction to the series? Were you a huge fan of the show beforehand?
00:25I've been a huge fan since day one. It came out just around my 13th or 14th birthday,
00:31before I even knew I wanted to be an actor.
00:33I fell in love with the series and asked my family to get me some merch for Christmas,
00:37and they got me a Hawkins A.V. Club shirt, and now I'm the guy who created the Hawkins A.V. Club.
00:42What a full circle moment. And you also play Bob Newby.
00:45So what can you tell us about your character in this stage production,
00:49and how much influence did you take from the show versus wanting to do your own thing?
00:53There's definitely got to be a balance there, and it was something I was really nervous about at first.
00:57I'm a huge fan of Sean Astin and the work he's done throughout his career, but especially in Stranger Things.
01:02I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing an impression of the character,
01:05because this is a different Bob than the one we've seen.
01:07This is him before he was the mature superhero that we know him to be.
01:11But something that I've always been able to tap into and has gotten me back on track
01:15when I feel a little lost from Bob is this earnest quality to him,
01:19that despite how tough times can be, he always chooses every day to see the positive side and to lead with love.
01:27And I think we see that here with Bob in this play as well.
01:30Definitely. And a lot of special effects that were kind of insane in this show.
01:37So I wanted to ask about the technicality aspect.
01:39What would you say was the most technically challenging part of the show, or maybe a scene?
01:44Yeah, I mean, it's a beast of a show.
01:48I remember the day before our opening preview was our invited dress rehearsal,
01:51where we would have an audience in for the first time of like 50 people.
01:54And before that, we had not gotten a run of the show at all,
01:57because all the technical things that we were dealing with, we just couldn't have the time.
02:01And that Thursday, somehow, we went through the whole show without holding.
02:04Every effect worked perfectly.
02:06I mean, we have the best crew on Broadway.
02:08This is truly unlike anything anyone has ever seen before in theater.
02:11You are immersed into two episodes of Stranger Things.
02:13It's absurd.
02:14It really is. Excited for everyone to see it.
02:16I know some of the Netflix cast may make an appearance tonight, which is really exciting.
02:22Have you had any conversations with anyone from the cast at all,
02:25or anyone that made an appearance beforehand?
02:27You know, they don't tell us anything.
02:29So I don't know who's coming tonight.
02:30I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm happy about it.
02:32Yesterday, at our last preview, we met Sadie Sink.
02:35And she's so lovely.
02:36You know, she's performing across the street.
02:38John Proctor's the villain.
02:38I had actually seen that show being workshopped at my college during my audition week for my college.
02:44Yeah.
02:45So it's a weird full-circle moment that my Broadway debut is happening alongside their opening with Sadie Sink and Stranger Things.
02:52I mean, all these connections are absurd.
02:54It's all almost meant to be.
02:57Hope so.
02:58Yeah.
02:58Finally, I wanted to ask, what do you hope happens, as a huge Stranger Things fan yourself,
03:03what do you hope happens in season five?
03:04How do you think this story wraps up?
03:06I am so nervous.
03:08I'll tell you, my biggest thing is I'm a huge Lucas Max fan.
03:11So I just want them to be okay after all the things that she went through season four.
03:15It seems like she's still alive is what's going on.
03:18So fingers crossed.
03:20I want them to live happily ever after.
03:22So that's what I'm most excited for.
03:23Lucas is my favorite character.
03:25Well, congratulations and break a leg tonight.
03:27Thank you very much.
03:28Great talking to you.