Jamie Campbell Bower secured the dream role.
(No spoilers!)
Stranger Things season 4 has Jamie Campbell Bower (born in 88) as a key newcomer. Something the Briton thinks is great, as he is a blood fan of Netflix’s blockbuster series and the creators Matt and Ross Duffer alias Duffer Brothers.
We will not reveal anything about the role, as the season has just arrived. Jamie, who debuted as an actor as an 18-year-old with Johnny Depp, did not even know anything about the character when he made his audition video. He also did not see anything from Stranger Thingsthe script.
Millie Bobby Brown alias Eleven alias El alias Jane Ives and Jamie Campbell Bower (Netflix)
As a test, Jamie had to make scenes from two old movies; the thriller Primal Fear and the horror film Hellraiser.
The 33-year-old submitted the audition recordings and thus moved on. Then he was sent some key words about the character. But the information was frustratingly small, so he began to speculate. A lot.
– For two days I felt crazy. In my apartment I put a picture of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp in Stranger Things) in the middle, and then all the other characters around it, tells Variety.
– In a way, I made a Claire Danes-like mind map from Homeland with whom I thought this person was. It felt good. So I took a picture, and then I printed out all the pictures and put them in a small folder – and then I got a call that Matt and Ross (Duffer) wanted to meet me.
Jamie took the folder with the pictures and his “map” and showed it to the brothers. They were delighted and could not believe that he had not read the script.
– This is literally perfect. Everything you have brought here is perfect. All your references are perfect. The inspiration is perfect, said the duo.
For 90 minutes, the Duffer brothers told him about the character, and three days later they gave him the role. It did Stranger Things-creators right in.
But what has Jamie Campbell Bower done before?
The London boy has built up a great CV with versatile experience that comes in handy for the continuation of the story from Hawkins.
Jamie grew up with parents in the music business. The mother is the manager and the father works for the guitar giant Gibson. Jamie himself plays in the punk band Counterfeit. But it was first and foremost a Hollywood career. In total, he already has 17 series and movies under his belt.
Below is a summary.
As a teenager, Jamie made his acting debut in the Tim Burton musical / slasher film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street from 2007. Here he plays against Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Jamie and Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Paramount)
Jamie and Helena Bonham Carter (Paramount)
Then Jamie aptly gets the role of Rocker in the Guy Ritchie movie RocknRolla. With Gerard Butler, Thandiwe Newton, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy. It takes first place in cinemas in England.
RocknRolla (Warner Bros.)
After the Dutch success War winter (Winter in Wartime), the British debut series in the AMC miniseries The Prisoner.
Followed by more adventures: The role of King Arthur in the Emmy-nominated Starz series Camelot.
Jamie as King Arthur with Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere in Camelot (Starz)
