Facts About Stranger Things

Child actors auditioned with lines from Stand By Me

For each of the child roles in Stranger Things, the Duffers auditioned over 1,000 child actors. In order for them to get in the right frame of mind for the series, the Duffers had each actor read lines from the classic Stephen King adaptation Stand By Me.

Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard, was already a big fan of 80s pop culture and filmography so he fitted the part perfectly. Dustin, played by Gaten Matarazzo was cast after the Duffers saw just a single audition tape.