The kids from Hawkins, Indiana are all grown up.
When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in July 2016, premiered on Netflix in July 2016, viewers were introduced to a cast made up of largely unknown young actors. Now, almost six years later, it's almost impossible to still call them kids at all.
Millie Bobby Brown, whose portrayal of Eleven has earned her two Emmy nominations, was only 12 years old when the series began filming. Now 18, Millie stepped out with her boyfriend Jake Bongiovi at the season four premiere on May 14.
When Gaten Matarazzo appeared as Dustin in season one, he was a baby-faced 14-year-old. Gaten is now 18 and was recently cast to play Jared in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway.
Finn Wolfhard was also 13 when he first played Mike in season one. Finn is now 19 years old and took on a leading role in 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Meanwhile, Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, was only 11 years old when Stranger Things started filming. He's now 17 and was recently accepted to the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania.
Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas, was 14 during the show's first season, which means he is now 20 years old. They grow up so fast! And we feel very old.
Volume one of Stranger Things season four is now available to stream on Netflix, with the final two episodes of the season dropping July 1.
For visual evidence of how grown up the cast has become—including Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink—keep reading:
Millie Bobby Brown, 2014
Millie Bobby Brown, 2022
Millie Bobby Brown, 2025
Gaten Matarazzo, 2012
Gaten Matarazzo, 2022
Gaten Matarazzo, 2025
2016
2016
Caleb McLaughlin, 2015
Caleb McLaughlin, 2022
Caleb McLaughlin, 2025
Noah Schnapp, 2015
Noah Schnapp, 2022
Noah Schnapp, 2025
2017
2017
Natalia Dyer, 2009
Natalia Dyer, 2022
Natalia Dyer, 2025
Joe Keery, 2016
Joe Keery, 2022
Joe Keery, 2025
2018
2018
Finn Wolfhard, 2017
Finn Wolfhard, 2022
Finn Wolfhard, 2025
Sadie Sink, 2013
Sadie Sink, 2022
Sadie Sink, 2025