Season 1 of Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016. Let that sink in. Now, consider that Season 4 was scheduled to drop six years after that. Obviously, the actors who play the kids in the show have grown up considerably and it would be hard for them to realistically play 13-year-olds at this point. So, how old are the kids in Stranger Things?
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When the show began, Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the gang were middle school-aged, around 12 years old. Thanks to more seasons rolling out slowly — and the real-life actors aging and going through growth spurts — the Stranger Things kids look a lot older now. And although time passed more slowly on the show than in real life, Season 4 does account for the growth in the kids.
Source: Netflix
Dustin, Robin, Max, and Steve in 'Stranger Things.'
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How old are the kids in 'Stranger Things' Season 4?
When the show began, Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the gang were middle school-aged, which puts them at around 12 years old. Thanks to more seasons rolling out slowly — and the real-life actors aging and going through growth spurts — the Stranger Things kids look a lot older now. And although time passed more slowly on the show than in real life, Season 4 does account for the growth in the kids.
In 'Stranger Things' Season 4, Eleven, Will, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas are 15 years old.
Season 4 of Stranger Things takes place in the spring of 1986. That means Eleven — who is said to have been born in 1971 on the show — is 15 in Season 4. Since Eleven is the same age as the other kids in The Party, Will, Mike, Dustin, Max, and Lucas are all also 15 years old in Season 4. The older kids are a different story, though.
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Steve is around 19 years old in Season 4 of 'Stranger Things.'
In Season 3, Steve graduates high school, so he's likely around 19 in Season 4 of Stranger Things. And his Season 3 bestie, Robin, is now 18. Jonathan should be around 18 years old in Season 4 and his sort of/kind of girlfriend, Nancy, is around the same age. Of course, the real-life actors for the kids in Stranger Things are all older.
Source: Netflix
Mike, Lucas and Dustin in 'Stranger Things.'
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The actors in 'Stranger Things' are older than their fictional counterparts.
In real life, Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, is 18 years old in 2022. Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, is 19, making him four years older than the character he plays.
Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, is also 19 in real life. The actor who plays Will, Noah Schnapp, is only 17, so he's close enough to his character's on-screen age.
On the other hand, Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas, is 20 years old in real life. And Sadie Sink (aka Max) is also 20. Natalia Dyer, who plays Nancy in Stranger Things, is actually 27 in real life, while Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) is 28. Maya Hawke, who plays Robin, is 23.
Fan-favorite Joe Keery (our beloved Steve) is 30 years old. Clearly, though, he can get away with playing a much younger character.
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Its funny how the stranger things teens aren’t old enough to play seniors in teen rom coms since you have to be at least 26
— Claudee (@maevesdream) July 5, 2022
When is 'Stranger Things' Season 5 coming out?
Now that Season 4 of Stranger Things is (finally) complete, people are more ready than ever for Season 5. Unfortunately, they'll have to be extra patient, as the next (and final) season of the show isn't slated to be released until at least late 2023 — and it may actually be as late as the summer of 2024. In other words, the actors are going to be even older but still playing high-school-aged (and slightly older) characters. Will they be able to pull it off? We'll see!
Watch Stranger Things on Netflix.