Finn Wolfhard Reveals 'Stranger Things' Finale Is 'Melancholy,' Embraces Future '40-Year Reunion'

When Finn Wolfhard was just 14 years old, Stranger Things made him into a star. And now, at 22, Wolfhard has done more interesting things than most men do in a lifetime. He's starred in two Ghostbusters movies; been in two bands; and, as of this Friday, a feature film he co-wrote and co-directed called Hell of a Summer will hit theaters in wide release after being completed nearly two years ago. 

In addition to having co-written and directed the movie, Wolfhard also stars in Hell of a Summer, a movie filled with 80s slasher-movie horror tropes, with an incredible dose of humor and self-parody. Ahead of the release of the film, Men's Journal caught up with Wolfhard to discuss his career so far, what we can all expect from Stranger Things Season 5, and why he's okay with being mostly associated with roles that find him holding a trembling flashlight deep in the woods.

Men's Journal: You started working on Hell of a Summer in 2019. How much of it is autobiographical?

The autobiographical part of it more just came from us [co-writer Billy Bryk] being teenagers at the time of writing it. It's a movie about teenagers written by teenagers made by teenagers, basically. [Laughs.] 

You're not a teenager anymore. Are you distant from something like this now?

I think maybe just because once you make a movie, it's not just yours anymore. It's evolved, I guess. I feel distant from the way that I was obviously feeling at the time, but it's definitely something I feel is still very true to my life.

Do you feel typecast in the types of roles you've gotten since Stranger Things? 

I'm kind of confused by my own career path and choices. Things just kind of happened. I grew up watching a lot of the things that ended up inspiring Stranger Things, and a lot of that had to do with Ghostbusters. I grew up on the 80s movies that were horror and fantasy, and kids on bikes. And since I got to actually be in a project that had all that, I just wanted to invest as much time as possible into learning how you make something like that. 

Now that I'm known for that kind of stuff, I would say, generally I'm looking less to do that kind of thing. But, for Hell of a Summer, it just made sense to make certain choices; to pay homage to old slashers and have a Carpenter-esque synth score. I felt like it was a good way of showing people that this is the kind of movie I've been training for to make my whole childhood.

So you're not always going to be in the woods holding a flashlight?

[Laughs] Yeah, I mean not always. But I'm sure in the 40th anniversary of Stranger Things, we will be in the woods somewhere.

What makes Stranger Things Season 5 different from the rest of the show?

Because everyone knows it's the last season, I think that it's super melancholy. There's a lot of the happy-sad, which is emblematic of real life, for those of us who worked on the show. It's very bittersweet, and that carries over into the story, too.

You just joked about the 40th anniversary of Stranger Things in the future. But what does it feel like that this is the thing you'll be asked about for the rest of your life? Is it weird?

It definitely felt like when the show first came out, that it struck a chord with people. I mean, it struck a chord with me, obviously—not even just as a person who worked on the show—but as a person who watched the show and fell in love with the world as an audience member. I remember the impact it had. So, no. I have no problem with people knowing who I am from the show.

It's nice, obviously, when people say, "Oh, I loved you in that weird indie movie." But at the end of the day, I wouldn't be in that weird indie movie if it wasn't for Stranger Things. I think it's a really special thing. I'm at peace with it.

Hell of a Summer is in theaters on April 4. Stranger Things Season 5 hits Netflix later this year.

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