Linda Hamilton: being cast in Stranger Things “ruined” the show for her

Last Updated on February 21, 2024

When it was announced that Linda Hamilton would be joining Stranger Things for its fifth and final season, it felt like a perfect addition to the cast, as she was a favorite presence in the 1980s, when the series is set. She, too, is a fan of the Netflix show…and that’s precisely why she won’t watch the season she’ll be featured in.

Speaking with Us Weekly, Linda Hamilton said that being cast in Stranger Things will interfere with her appreciation of the show, adding that she won’t be able to finish it like the rest of its fans. “When you really buy into something, you don’t see yourself in it. So I think in a way, it kind of ruined the show for me. I never watch [a project], once I’m in something…It would just completely take me out of the reality of it to see myself in there. So I won’t be watching [season 5].”

Details on Linda Hamilton’s role on Stranger Things – which is currently in production – haven’t been revealed, making it one of many secrets surrounding the highly anticipated finale. Hamilton herself isn’t even sure what the overall plot of season five will be, saying, “I Zoomed [creators] Ross and Matt Duffer, and they gave me the shape of the character, but not of the story. Because they have to be very careful with their story. So I still don’t know how it ends…And it takes a lot of discipline to not know where it’s going to go. But that’s to protect it from all of the people that want to know.”

Outside of Linda Hamilton, Stranger Things has previously brought in actors who made their bones in the ‘80s, like The Goonies’s Sean Astin, who played Bob Newby in the second season. And of course there is Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Matthew Modine (Dr. Martin Brenner), Paul Reiser (Dr. Sam Owens), and Cary Elwes (Mayor Larry Kline), all of whom made their film debuts at least 15 years before the Hawkins kids were even born.

What do you want to see Linda Hamilton do on Stranger Things? Are you looking forward to the final season? Share your thoughts with us below!