What Happened to Holly? Stranger Things’ Nell Fisher Teases Her Fate: ‘Vecna Has a Plan’
Jason Pham
Warning: Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 spoilers ahead. Nell Fisher never watched Stranger Things before her audition. “I had been begging to, but I wasn’t allowed because it was supposedly too scary for me,” she tells StyleCaster.
The first time she watched the Netflix show was after she received an audition to read for a character named “April,” a 10-year-old who’s kidnapped by Stranger Things’ main antagonist, Vecna, a malevolent being from the Upside Down who haunts his victims through his mind. “I binged all four seasons in a week,” she says.
Fisher wouldn’t find out until later that the audition wasn’t for “April,” but for Holly Wheeler, Mike and Nancy Wheeler’s younger sister, who has been around since the beginning of the series but has been largely removed from the paranormal happenings of Hawkins and the Upside Down until Season 5. “Holly’s been there since the start. She’s noticed the demogorgon through the wall and the trees moving. But this season, she finally gets thrown into the thick of it, and everything is explained to her,” Fisher says. “Holly is such an interesting character because she’s always been there on the periphery of the Upside Down, but now she’s finally in the middle of it.”
But Holly is far from a peripheral character in Stranger Things, which is set to conclude with its series finale on December 31. She serves as the central mystery for the final season, which starts with her being kidnapped by Vecna as the rest of the Hawkins crew tries to find and rescue her—all the while attempting to defeat the big bad once and for all. “It felt like quite a big responsibility,” Fisher says. “This season definitely feels the closest to Season 1. There are a lot of throwbacks, and it is a full circle. It sort of felt like the passing of the baton, which was quite a lot of pressure. It was wonderful to be able to play and portray that. It’s like a coming of age for Holly. She develops as a person and finds her place in her family and in Hawkins.”
What was the audition like for Stranger Things?
I knew the audition was for Stranger Things, but I had no clue it would be this big of a role. I didn’t even know it was for Holly Wheeler. The cover name was April. I thought maybe it was some poor kid who got kidnapped or killed by Vecna. All I knew was that I was supposed to be playing a 10-year-old. Whenever I put my hair up in pigtails, I look younger. Coincidentally, for Holly Wheeler, that’s her staple. I did the first round audition, which was the scene with Mike in the corridor, and then a scene in Episode 4 with Sadie [Sink], where she’s trying to convince me to come with her. We were kind of like, “This is a long shot.” But then it kept progressing. I had a Zoom call with the Duffers, where they told me it was Holly. Then I flew to New York for a final round audition with Sadie Sink, whom I have a lot of my scenes with. It was fantastic. It sparked what became a really good friendship with her on set. I don’t think I realized what a big role it was until I read the scripts.
In Episode 2, viewers learn that Mr. Whatsit is Vecna. Mr. Whatsit is based on Mrs. Whatsit from A Wrinkle in Time. What can you say about the significance of tht?
Holly obviously had some clue about what was going on, but really didn’t know much at all. To be thrown into this world where you’re told that flower-petaled slime monsters exist, and so do alternate dimensions and an evil slime wizard, that’s pretty confusing. So Holly uses her favorite book, which is A Wrinkle in Time, to try and understand the Upside Down. In Episode 4, Max talks about how she’s been trapped by Vecna. So she compares Max to Meg’s dad in A Wrinkle in Time. She compares Vecna to IT and Vecna’s mind-escapey situation to the Camazotz. It’s sort of like Mike’s relationship with D&D It’s a touch point.
What can you tease about Vecna’s reason for kidnapping Holly and his plan to kidnap more of her classmates like Derek?
Vecna has a plan. Usually, when Vecna has a plan, things don’t end very well. He’s taking all these kids because he’s trying to do something very, very bad. I can’t really say much. But he’s being evil, and the others are trying to stop him. The storyline of Stranger Things 5 explained in 30 seconds.
What role does the Creel house have in Vecna’s plan?
I’m not sure it’s part of his plan. It’s just very significant to him. If you’ve watched the Broadway and West End play, The First Shadow, that’s where he starts to become who he is. That’s where he kills his family, and it’s obviously one of his memories. None of this is happening in real life. It’s all in his mind. It’s a bit of poetry on his part.
What’s the significance behind Holly being the first kid that Vecna kidnaps?
I didn’t think it was a coincidence, because when is it ever? Vecna is very poetic. He likes to make a point. He doesn’t just do things randomly. Part of it is that Holly’s always had this understanding. Part of it is also to try and hurt Mike and Nancy. Holly was definitely the first for a reason.
What can you say about what happens between Holly and Max?
They definitely become a lot closer. Holly doesn’t really know who Max is before this point, and they start working together as a team to try and escape Vecna’s mind. They form what turns out to be a really lovely connection, which I felt was reflected in the friendship Sadie and I made on set.
What can you tease about Holly’s fate in Stranger Things?
Nothing, not leaking any of the Stranger Things spoilers. They haunt my dreams. Holly is definitely coming into herself, and she is finding out who she is. It’s really a coming of age for her. She starts to really drive the narrative. At the start, she’s baby Wheeler. She’s kidnapped. Then we see her stepping into her own.
What was your reaction when you read the script for the finale?
I was in floods of tears. We all were. The first time I fully read the script was at the table read. It was really informal. We were all gathered around, sitting on sofas. But it’s such a magical finale. The Duffers have written it so perfectly.
Do you know if any alternate endings filmed?
If there were, I didn’t know of it. Really, there is no other alternate ending. It couldn’t have ended any other way. The way the Duffers have ended is so beautiful and nostalgic to Season 1, and it ties everything up just so perfectly.
Stranger Things Season 5 streams on Netflix.
Credits:
Photography: Jesse Volk
Styling: Penny Lovell
Hair: Buddy Porter
Makeup: Jo Strettell
