THE APEX TIMES
Finn Wolfhard says Stranger Things ending was “pretty depressing,” reflects on celebrity shift and his move to music
In a new interview, Finn Wolfhard looks back at how starring on Netflix’s Stranger Things reshaped his teenage years after season one aired in 2016, and he describes how he is adjusting as the series ended at the end of last year and he shifts attention to music.
Finn Wolfhard said the end of Stranger Things was “pretty depressing,” recalling how the show’s popularity fundamentally changed his daily life as a teenager and how he has been adjusting since the series concluded at the end of last year. Speaking in an interview published July 6 by The Guardian, Wolfhard described how early fame arrived quickly after the first season aired in 2016, when he was 13.
Wolfhard said that after the show debuted that summer, he returned to his high school in Vancouver “as if nothing had changed,” only to find that “things had changed.” He said classmates and school staff treated him differently once people recognized him, including teachers, and he described the discomfort of losing control over personal boundaries, particularly when peers insisted on taking photos.
He said one of his earliest vivid memories of celebrity involved a girl a year above who wanted a photo, despite him telling her he could not take pictures at school. Wolfhard said she did not accept the refusal and instead pulled him into a side hug, prompting him to reflect that he “had no control over this” and that the moment felt “crazy.”
The interview also revisits the length of Wolfhard’s run on the series, calling attention to how he spent nearly a decade playing a character known to a global audience. The Guardian reports that Stranger Things ran for ten years, and that its production and release schedule was affected by the pandemic before concluding with the final season.
Wolfhard’s co-stars, including Millie Bobby Brown, have previously spoken about the series’ long arc, the interview notes, positioning Stranger Things as a reference point for viewers who grew up alongside the child-to-teen transformation on screen. For Wolfhard personally, the publication describes how the end of the show removed the specific role he had performed for most of his life up to his twenties.
In the same conversation, Wolfhard turned to what comes next, describing a new focus on music. The Guardian frames his post-series adjustment around building a life outside acting and exploring creative work in a different medium, though the interview excerpt emphasizes the shift in general terms rather than detailing specific releases or tour plans.
The Guardian story was published July 6. It arrives as Stranger Things has moved fully out of production, and it places Wolfhard’s comments on celebrity, schooling, and personal boundaries alongside his transition to music, with readers offered a firsthand account of how long-running TV success can reshape ordinary routines and identity.
Until additional details are released through Wolfhard’s representatives or through music-industry announcements, the scope of his “new life in music” is defined mainly by his own description of the transition rather than by specific dates, credits, or commercial performances.
Why It Matters
- Long-running streaming series can affect performers’ day-to-day privacy and school life, and Wolfhard’s account focuses on boundaries and how recognition changes routine community interactions.
- As Stranger Things has completed its run, viewers and industry observers are looking at how actors manage identity and career shifts after years in a signature role.
- Wolfhard’s shift toward music highlights how talent associated with major TV franchises often diversifies into other creative tracks, with public attention moving from screen roles to new projects.
- The interview underscores how the pandemic-era production timeline left performers navigating adolescence and early adulthood alongside a global audience watching their on-screen growth.
Key Facts
- Finn Wolfhard said the ending of Stranger Things was “pretty depressing,” and he discussed his adjustment after the series concluded at the end of last year.
- Wolfhard described his first experience with celebrity in 2016, when he was 13 and the first season of Stranger Things had aired that summer.
- He said that after returning to high school in Vancouver, he found that people treated him differently, including teachers, and he said he lost control over interactions such as requests for photos.
- Wolfhard said a peer insisted on a photo even after he told her he could not take photos at school, and he recalled being pulled into a side hug.
- The Guardian describes Wolfhard as having spent nearly a decade on Stranger Things as the show developed over ten years and was affected by the pandemic before concluding.
- In the same interview, Wolfhard said he is adjusting to a new life in music. The excerpt provided emphasizes the transition without listing specific music releases.