"Winona Ryder Cutting Off Your Head is Pretty Cool" Jamie Campbell Bower on Stranger Things' Finale

Jamie, welcome back. Congrats on the finale of Stranger Things, the final season. This is it. Thank you so much for having me back. It's such a pleasure. What are you talking about? I can't believe it. I'm so happy you're back. Thank you. Man, oh, man, you were unbelievable in this. Just even the voice. I can't even believe that you're not American. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it shocks me. Even talking to you backstage before the show, I'm like, oh, my gosh. Yeah. You really crushed it. Oh, thank you so much. You got to really work it out this season, man. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Did you watch the final episode? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I've seen it twice. Yeah. So we were here in New York just before Christmas, like wrapping up some press. And so we got to watch it together in a cinema here, which was beautiful. I was sat next to Cara Buono, and we were just in tears the whole time. It was beautiful. And then I watched it again at New Year as well. Again, burst into tears. And it's wild because like, you know, playing Vecna, I'm, you know, I have my own agenda. I'm like in that space the whole time. So to watch the show and to see my fellow castmates and see them in their like fullness and in their humanity, it's just like a beautiful experience. And it's just been stunning. It was an emotional episode. I mean, and crushed all records again. And even millions of saw it in theaters. I was so psyched they played it in theaters too because the reactions online, you see people freaking out and stuff like that. It's fantastic. Yes. I want to tell everyone who's watching, I will, there will be spoilers. So if you're watching and haven't seen it, pause this, watch the finale, then watch the rest of this. Anyway. All right, let's get into it. I gave you everyone, I gave everyone a warning, okay? Vecna doesn't make it. Why are you clapping? No, yeah, no, yeah. Half the people clapped. Half the people were like, some people said, aw. Did you know that Vecna was going to die? When did you find out? I found out at the table read for episode eight. You did? Yeah, that was it, you know, which was again like a really strange experience because I got COVID for that table read. And so everybody's in like in the studio in Atlanta and I'm stuck behind a computer screen in my little like apartment in Atlanta. Isolated. Isolated, alone, lonely, like Vecna. Wow. Really a method actor, wow, yeah. Yeah, fully committing to the bit. Yeah, exactly, exactly. But so you found that out and I think, I mean, I'm happy with that. I think that's the ending that, right? Yeah, it's the ending the show deserves. I mean, I'm like, I've been a fan of the show since the start. So like, even just joining the show was a huge, I don't know, achievement, I suppose. And just like, I felt very honored and blessed to be a part of it. Yeah. Even as the actor that plays Vecna, like it just, it feels right. You know, the show is so much about friendship and love and hope and joy. And of course, like, the person who is not that has to go, you know? All he really needs is a hug, though. That's all he really needed was a hug, yeah. You have one last big fight with Eleven, played by the great Millie Bobby Brown, who's phenomenal as well. And Netflix actually sent us footage of you two rehearsing. Let's take a look at this. Ah! Aw. This is the off ending. Aw, come on. Was that a thing? I mean, did you guys often talk before filming a scene? Yeah, I'm sorry, I was just looking at my butt so much in that video. Woo! Yeah, Millie and I speak often. Like, when we met for season four, we became really close really, really quickly. So we do speak often, but we didn't really talk about like the emotional impact that that scene was going to have and kind of what that meant. Like, the ending of the show really did sneak up on me. Like, all of a sudden, that's it, you know? Like, it's Vekna dying, which is bizarre. But when we watched episode eight, I called her, I FaceTimed her, I left her a message because she didn't pick up at first, Millie. She did call me back afterwards, immediately. But I was in like floods of tears, because like, she's been, this show has been such a huge part of my life. I'm so grateful to be like a small part of hers, as well. Yeah, doing this together. Yeah, exactly. And it's just been, it's just been stunning. So I love her to bits. And like, I get very emotional talking about her. She's great. We had Jay Connolly on the show who plays Derek. Yes. Who is unbelievable. He is, my gosh, he's phenomenal. And he came on the show and I asked him before the finale to write a question for you that will seal and only open when you come on the show. Okay. And you will read the answer to that. But I don't know what the question is because I haven't opened it. So actually, hopefully it's a great question. Do you want me to open it? Yeah. I'm scared. This is all you. You're scared? I'm terrified. You're Vecna. You can't be scared. Derek scares me. Okay. Oh, bless you, Jake. Hi, Jake. Jake has written, how does decapitation feel? I love that kid. He's so cool, man. I personally can't wait to see the mayonnaise documentary. I love that, sir. It's unbelievable. How did it feel? I feel lighter. Yes. It felt, again, like it felt appropriate. I mean, and to have Winona Ryder cutting off your head is pretty, pretty cool. Oh, and she had one of the best lines of the episode. She really did. Oh, nailed it. She nailed it. It was so good. It was so intense and like, she's so sweet and so kind and she was like, I don't want to hurt you. And I was like, no, it's fine. We're all in this together. It's going to be great. And then like, I'm gurgling on the spike. It's like, it's a lot. You did a great job. Thank you so much. But that gurgling is, how would you even practice for that? I mean, a lot of water in the mouth in the morning. Just like sat there. Yeah. Yeah, it's gross. Yeah, and you nailed it. And did you, did you, did you say something? I wanted to try and convey the words, please don't. I don't know if anybody here has seen The First Shadow, which is the play that they've done of Stranger Things and the sort of Henry Creel backstory. Yes. And obviously like, Henry and Joyce within that have met each other. So when she kind of walks up to him, I felt like in that moment that the humanity could come through a little bit more and that we could just reintroduce that level of sort of potential. Maybe he could be saved at that point. And when we were doing season four, there's a bit where like Eleven turns Vecna around. It's when we're in the snowball and she says hi. And just before that, I sort of growl and we were in ADR and I was like, it looks like I'm saying the word you. Can I add that in in ADR? And they're like, yeah, yeah, sure. Let's try it. I don't want to like step on her line and make her line not cool, but let's try it. So we tried it and it worked and it was great. Anyway, we get to ADR for season five. I'm like gurgling and I'm like, I remember all I wanted to say was please don't and we try it and it just didn't work. It didn't land, but the emotion is there. So you tried please don't? I tried it. Yeah, it wasn't good. It just didn't fit the character. No, no. Did you say you at the gig, right? Yeah, I did. I said you in season four. Yeah, I was like you. Yeah. Jeez. Yeah. How do you even, they're right there getting that. So I'm channeling my Tom Waits for you, Jimmy. Yes. Thank you. Oh my God. I love it. By the way, the soundtrack was Crusher. Yes. On season five as well. I thought it'd be fun if I showed some photos of you throughout season four and season five and maybe you can tell me some things about, first of all, a lot of people are saying that your body really changed between season four and season five. That's season four, Vecna. That's season five. What happened? Ozempic? Or what are we, what are we talking about here? Manjaro. Yeah, Manjaro. Yeah, yeah. You're more jacked in season five and kind of a different shape. I mean. Snatched, Jimmy. We can say it's snatched. Thank you. Yes. Snatched. Absolutely. Yes. Yeah, it just, it was just a choice or just because he's more powerful now. Yeah, I think, you know, at the end of four, he gets thrown out a window, shot and set on fire. There you go. It's, you know, it's a lot to go through. You think? And within that, like, I know Michael Mayer and the Duffers wanted to, Michael's our VFX supervisor and coordinator and like he wanted to make him like have parts of him missing and I think also just bring in a bit more of the sort of Vechner from D&D as well, actually, ultimately from what I've seen. And so within that, it was more of like sort of cross collaboration between departments of like Barry Gower and the BGFX team sort of here upwards was prosthetic. Insane job. They did such a phenomenal job. Huge. Yeah, it was amazing. Even making the characters younger too and just having real actors like running around but with like dots in their face. Yeah. And then they read put the actor's face on the little six, but this is crazy. We can do this type of stuff. Technology. Yeah, and good acting too for those kids were playing young will and you go and million everything there. I have one here you brought behind the scenes of what's happening with Vechner here with headphones on. I don't remember this scene. Was he getting ready to travel? Was what are you doing there? I'm listening to Sabrina Carpenter. There you go. Then are you really? No, no. Okay. No, I was listening to probably not loose or Norma Jean or someone like that. Like heavy heavy music. Yeah, I listen to that a lot and I remember as we were shooting that scene or just before we shot that scene. I was listening to that really heavy music and they're like, okay, it's go time. So I hand off my headphones to a member of the team and they come up to me after the take and they're like, I couldn't turn the music off. I had to leave set your headphones. So loud blaring at me. I felt so bad. How about this? This photo here. This is very cool. They brought this. This is you and young Henry. Yeah together. Yeah, that's that's episode 8. That's it. You know, that was it. That was the day that it all kind of culminated for me again. That was the day that I really wanted to be injecting that Humanity into Henry and that little lost boy that you know, ultimately could have just done with some love and the young boy playing the young me was incredible needed no advice from me. No guidance nothing whatsoever. And I was in full tears, you know throughout the day and when you're doing your scene, are you watching him or are you just they're just describing we were together in the scene. You were I'm actually watching him. Yeah, it was heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. You just played it. So well, thank you. So the last one is you brought us a video before we show it. Is there anything we have to say to set it up? Has anybody seen long legs? Yeah. Okay. Thank goodness for that. Nicholas Cage. Yeah, Nicholas Cage. Oh, yeah. He's a very scary movie that came out and he sings a song in this and I sent this to my brother because I wanted to send my brother something more terrifying than Vechner on screen. So they here you go. You're welcome. Here's Jamie singing in his Vechner costume. Take a look at this. Let me in now. You can be nice make me go now and I'll have to come back not once not twice. But as many times as I like. That's amazing. Thank you for that vector would use his left hand to channel his powers and I happen to have a few Vechner hands right now. I was just wondering if you'd like to maybe see if you can get the powers back. I would love to Jamie. This sounds like fun. This is this is terrifying. Oh gross. It's wet. It's not wet. It's kind of a little bit. I'm in I'm into man. Okay. What do we do? So I mean I use my left hand to like suck people's brains like this. Yeah, you have really have to go in so we're going to see what's in each other's minds. All right, so we'll see what's in each other's minds. All right. Hold on. Wait, am I doing it right? And you have to roll your eyes off like this. All right, and then on the count of three, we have to say what we're thinking. Okay. One, two, three. 11 lives. Of Stranger Things is now done.