Jamie Campbell Bower was initially thought to be a friendly character. But then his dark secret was revealed: he embodies the cruel Vecna. In an interview, the actor revealed how he prepared for his role.
Jamie Campbell Bower’s first line in Stranger Things made him seem friendly: “There’s someone very sleepy,” he told Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who was eight when they first met. However, by the end of the seventh episode of Season 4, audiences know his character by three names: Henry, “One” and Vecna. And it knows: He’s not one of the good guys. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor explained how he prepared for his role: “I went as far as I could and that involved a lot of intense meditation. And especially with Vecna, a lot Anger and anger. I kept muttering the same thing to myself to make sure it was the only thing on my mind.”
But Jamie Campbell Bower has also tried to act like his character. So he had a book that he wrote and drew in, much like the younger version of Henry on the show. And then he did a few more quirky things: “I had this jar of black widows (spiders) that I would stare at for hours.” He says he spent hours just looking at his fingers and just visualizing them. “Later on, I started hitting things too. I hit things in my house. It was really weird, but it was great because that fire came up in me.”
Jamie Campbell Bower will also be seen again as Vecna in the eagerly awaited second part of the fourth season. It’s a manipulative and terrifying triple role that, as Vecna, required more than seven hours of makeup and less CGI than audiences might expect. And the actor can already give the audience a small hint: “It will be more about the human aspect of Vecna. I can say that much. And there is one big, great, cool thing – I have to shut up! – but it There’s also a huge, awesome, cool thing to watch! You’re witnessing another evolution – quite a big evolution, especially with Vecna and Henry on Vecna.” So fans can stay tuned. The final two episodes of season four will be released on July 1st.
Which: “The Hollywood Reporter”
