The cast of "Stranger Things" have grown up before our very eyes. A lot has changed during since "Stranger Things" premiered in 2016 — including the cast's appearances.
Ahead of Season Four's premiere on May 27, actors Gaten Matarazzo and Noah Schnapp told TODAY that the widening gap between their real ages and their characters' ages is always considered throughout production.
“I think it’s something that we’re always thinking about and concerned about, but it’s something that we work with pretty well," Matarazzo, 19, said. "My piece is great. I don't think I'm getting taller for the rest of my life. I've been the same height since I was 14 so it's been great for me."
Schnapp, 17, on the other hand, said a note given to him during season two was to lower his voice and shrink his stance in an effort to appear younger and smaller.
"I was like, 'I'm not doing that,'" Schnapp said, of his Season Four approach. "I'm not like that anymore."
Matarazzo said the cast growing with their characters "makes sense" for the story: "The characters are at transitional periods in their lives."
He added, "But it is crazy to see what all of us looked like when we first started."
The series first aired six years ago. In Season One of “Stranger Things," a group of preteens discover something supernatural in their town of Hawkins, Indiana. They continue to grapple with their discovery.
Below, see how the cast looks now compared to their debuts in earlier seasons —and how their real ages compare to their characters' ages.
Gaten Matarazzo
Real age: 19
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 15
Matarazzo stars as Dustin Henderson in the sci-fi series. Both Matarazzo and his "Stranger Things" character have cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), a rare condition that causes teeth and bone malformations or deterioration. Matarazzo wears dentures and fundraises for CCD Smiles, an organization that pays for oral surgeries for people with the condition.
Caleb McLaughlin
Real age: 20
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 15
"Stranger Things" put Caleb McLaughlin on the map for his role as Lucas Sinclair. He's since been in the Netflix movies "Concrete Cowboy" and "High Flying Bird." A trained singer and dancer, McLaughlin played Simba in the Broadway show "The Lion King" from 2012 to 2014.
Noah Schnapp
Real age: 17
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 15
Scnhapp's character, Will Byers, spends a harrowing week in the Upside Down, the alternate dimension located near Hawkins. But over here in the real world, the "Strangers Things" actor's life is moving forward: Last December, he posted he was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania. He told Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show" that he would be attending the Ivy League university and will be majoring in business. Schnapp also launched a product called TBH, a vegan hazelnut cocoa spread.
Millie Bobby Brown
Real age: 18
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 15
Millie Bobby Brown earned an Emmy nomination for at 13 for playing Eleven, a girl who escapes from a lab (literally). With her powerful psychic powers, Eleven is effectively the poster child for "Stranger Things." In 2018, she became the youngest person to make the TIME 100 list. Brown also starred in the Netflix movie "Enola Holmes," about Sherlock Holmes' sister.
Finn Wolfhard
Real age: 19
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 15
Finn Wolfhard's breakout role was as Mike Wheeler in "Stranger Things." The Canadian actor has gone on to star in other horror projects, like the "It" movie series and "The Turning." Wolfhard is also a musician. He was in a band, Calpurnia, from 2017 to 2019, and launched music with his new group, an indie-pop duo called the Aubreys, in 2021.
Priah Ferguson
Real age: 15
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 11
Priah Ferguson joined the show in Season Two playing Erica Sinclair, Lucas' younger sister. Ferguson told TODAY that she feels she has a lot in common with her popular "Stranger Things" character, a fan favorite.
“Erica is confident; she’s a leader,” she said. “I’m confident, and I’m also a leader. And I feel that she likes to explore, and I kinda like to explore.”
Ferguson, who is originally from Atlanta, appeared in both the TV show "Atlanta" and the Atlanta-set short film "Glitter Ain't Gold."
Sadie Sink
Real age: 20
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 15
Sadie Sink joined the "Stranger Things" cast in Season Two as Max Mayfield. Max moves to Hawkins when her mom gets remarried, and she doesn't get along with her new stepbrother, the epitome of a bully. Sink was also in the Netflix movie trilogy "Fear Street" and the music video of the 10-minute version of Taylor Swift's "All Too Well."
Natalia Dyer
Real age: 27
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 18
Nancy Wheeler is a senior in high school, making her one of the older characters in "Stranger Things." She's been in the recent movies "Things Heard and Seen" and "Yes, God, Yes." Dyer is dating Charlie Heaton, her "Stranger Things" co-star.
Charlie Heaton
Real age: 27
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 18
Charlie Heaton plays Jonathan Byers, Will's older brother. He originally hails from the United Kingdom, and has also starred in "Shut In" and "The New Mutants."
Joe Keery
Real age: 30
Age in “Stranger Things” Season Four: 18
Joe Keery's "Stranger Things" character, Steve Harrington, may be a senior in high school — but he's friends with the show's younger contingent, thanks to a summer job they shared at the mall.
CORRECTION (5/26 at 10:30 a.m.): Premiere date corrected.
