Joe Keery says it “won’t be easy” ending Stranger Things

Steve Harrington really turned it around on Stranger Things, starting off as a typical bully who served as an antagonist to the more sympathetic Jonathan Byers. As seasons went on, he – and his portrayer, Joe Keery – became a fan favorite, proving a vital member of the Hawkins gang and one heck of an ice cream scooper. And as Stranger Things approaches (albeit slowly due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes), surely Steve Harrington and Joe Keery will be missed. In the meantime, Keery is prepping for the conclusion.

Speaking with Women’s Wear Daily, Joe Keery admitted that Stranger Things’ series finale is inevitable but will be a difficult sendoff for him. “It does feel like it’s time. It won’t be easy for it to end. I mean, I owe my whole career to being on that show and all the opportunities that I had since are because of that show… So it’s very convoluted. There’s a sense of relief, there’s a sense of sadness. I guess my goal is to just really soak it up as much as I can while we’re doing it, and not take any of it for granted because it’s been an amazing ride with such great people.” He added, “And then once it’s done, move forward and try to just hold on to the joy that we had when we were making it…. Everything has a beginning and the middle and an end. It’ll be nice to have the end of this too.”

Joe Keery’s sentiments on the end of Stranger Things really aren’t all that different from those of co-stars Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour, who have expressed that they are ready to get to work on the fifth season and comfortable with bidding farewell.

As for what Joe Keery has lined up after Stranger Things, he’ll join the cast of season five of Fargo (playing Jon Hamm’s son), in addition to landing roles in Keir O’Donnell’s Marmalade and the Liam Neeson thriller Cold Storage.

What do you hope to see come of Steve in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things? Let us know!