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‘Stranger Things’ Stars Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp Break Down the De-Aging Process in Season 5
As Stranger Things heads into its fifth and final season, the show’s stars are revealing the behind-the-scenes magic that brought their younger characters back to life. Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown, who play Will Byers and Eleven, opened up to Deadline about the emotional and technical process of being digitally de-aged for crucial flashback sequences.
The new season begins with an eerie, nostalgic callback: a digitally de-aged Noah Schnapp’s face mapped onto young actor Luke Kokotek, who physically portrays an 11-year-old Will trapped in the Upside Down. The visual effects were crafted by Lola VFX, a leading studio known for its cutting-edge facial replacement and CGI work.
How Noah Schnapp “Directed” His Younger Self
Noah Schnapp revealed that recreating the physicality of his childhood self was both strange and rewarding. To prepare Kokotek for the role, the actor studied his Season 1 performance—how he moved, breathed, and reacted as young Will.
“I asked Millie for help,” he said. “I had to think introspectively about how I acted back then and translate that to the kid. It’s a little digital-looking, but it turned out pretty well.”
The process pushed Noah Schnapp into “director mode,” giving him a rare opportunity to mentor another performer on how to capture the essence of a character he first played as a pre-teen.
Stranger Things Season 5
Millie Bobby Brown Reflects on Season 1: “I Screamed Without Embarrassment”
Millie Bobby Brown, who underwent similar de-ageing for Eleven’s backstory in Season 4, said she was “excited” to watch Noah Schnapp go through the same experience. She also admitted that revisiting her early years on the show made her reflect on how much she has changed.
“Ten years ago, social media wasn’t a thing. I posted pictures of my dog to 25 followers,” she said, describing the raw, fearless energy she brought to her first season. “I screamed and threw my hand out with no embarrassment. You really have to leave humility at the door.”
Brown mentored young actress Martie Blair in Season 4, helping her master Eleven’s supernatural mannerisms. Like Schnapp, she guided her young counterpart from behind the camera—mirroring movements, shouting, and replicating telekinetic gestures to help Blair stay grounded in the scene.
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Passing the Torch: Guiding the Next Generation of ‘Stranger Things’
Both actors said the unique experience of mentoring younger performers added a new emotional layer to filming the final season. As the show prepares to say goodbye, Schnapp and Brown are—ironically—helping recreate the very versions of themselves that first captured viewers’ hearts.
With Stranger Things 5 promising higher stakes, deeper mythology, and advanced VFX, the digital de-ageing sequences are set to become some of the most-talked-about moments in the final chapter of the Netflix phenomenon.
