Stranger Things is a Netflix original series that first aired back in 2016. The main cast began as four young boys, Will, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, who stumble upon a mysterious young girl with a shaved head to whom they give the name Eleven. This show is set in the '80s, and with every season the cast list seems to continually increase.
The second volume of season four finally dropped at midnight on July 1st, in which fans had to wait over a month to receive since volume one released on May 27th. Each season gets darker and more intense but never ceases to show some much-needed comic relief. The cast has grown to be more comfortable in their characters as time has gone by, which has led to several moments of unscripted gold. Here are some moments from Stranger Things that were improvised by the cast.
SPOILER ALERT! This article contains details from Stranger Things Seasons 1-4
8 Eleven Grabbing Eggo Waffles In Season 1 Was Millie's Idea
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Millie Bobby Brown has been cast as Eleven, one of the young stars of the show. Every fan knows about El’s love of Eggo waffles, and Millie helped sell the idea. In season one, Eleven has run away from Mike and wandered into a grocery store to find food. She of course sees the frozen section and grabs as many boxes of Eggo as she can hold, while the script told her to only take one.
7 Mike's Awkward Ramble In Stranger Things 3 Was Completely Improvised
In season three, after Eleven was attacked by the sludgy human-rat-monster, she and the other kids hide out in the Starcourt Mall looking for medical supplies to care for her injury. It’s in this scene that Mike pours his heart out to her while the two of them have a moment alone, inferring that he “loves” her. Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, improvised the whole monologue and the Duffers couldn’t help but keep it in.
6 Eleven Fainting In Season 3 Of Stranger Things Was Real
Also in ST3, Millie Bobby Brown’s exhaustion on screen was the real deal. After Billy broke out of the sauna room the kids had trapped him in, he and Eleven had a vicious fight. El summoned all her strength to expel him from the building and subsequently collapsed in exhaustion. The reason it looked so real is that it was—Millie wasn’t meant to faint but was so fatigued that it happened naturally, but it fit the scene, so it made it through the final cut.
5 Joyce & Hopper's Kissing Scene Wasn't In The Script
Perhaps one of the most beloved couples in the whole series is Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper. Every season, fans would get more of their history and watch their romantic tension grow, and finally audiences witnessed their first onscreen kiss in season four. The Duffers shared that this was improvised by Winona Ryder and David Harbour, as they felt it was what their characters would do when finally given the chance to let loose.
4 Eddie's Last Words In Stranger Things Were Improvised
Joseph Quinn was a new face to Stranger Things, hired to play the role of Eddie Munson. He quickly became a fan favorite character, and hearts were broken when sacrificed himself in the Upside Down. The writers of the show confirmed that his heart-wrenching last words, “I love you, man” to Dustin, were unscripted. Quinn felt it was the right choice to make, and the directors agreed.
3 Lucas Crying 'Erica Help!' In Stranger Things 4 Was Caleb McLaughlin's Idea
Another scene that ripped out and shredded the hearts of audiences everywhere was when Max died, left limp in Lucas’s arms. Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink knew each other prior to Stranger Things, and perhaps that is why he was able to summon all his emotions into improvising the line “Erica, help!” while sobbing in the attic. His hurt was palpable, and the phrasing was kept in the final cut.
2 The Winnebago Scene Has A Fan Favorite Unscripted Line
Moving away from heartbreak, season four also brought a favorite improvised line from the lips of Eddie Munson. Right after Eddie’s crew infiltrates a parked Winnebago, he hotwires it and when questioned about who would be driving, he turned to Steve and appointed him the driver. His exact line is “Harrington’s got her. Don’t ya, big boy?” Everyone from fans to cast to crew members lost it when Joseph Quinn threw that line into the scene.
1 It Didn't Make The Cut, But Dacre Montgomery Made An Off-Script Choice
Dacre Montgomery, who plays Billy in the show, is somewhat of a method actor and completely dedicated to his craft. He shared in an interview that in season three, while he was trapped in the sauna, he filmed a take where instead of breaking the glass with a jagged ceramic (which was in the script), he used his head. Montgomery ended up shattering the glass, but unfortunately the directors didn’t like the footage and had him stick to the script.