Arts & Entertainment
‘Stranger Things’ Star Jake Connelly on Acting, Chicago Food and How He Kept Season 5 Under Wraps
The phenomenon that is “Stranger Things” premiered a decade ago, and the epic saga recently came to a close after five seasons. The final season introduced us to a new character who quickly became a fan favorite — Derek Turnbow, the comic relief-turned-protagonist.
Turnbow is played by Chicago-area native Jake Connelly.
The breakout star was just 4 years old when “Stranger Things” first came out. Now a 13-year-old, he’s around the same age as the main cast of kids in the first season.
“I was just so amazed that I actually got the audition for it, let alone being on the project itself,” Connelly said.
Prior to booking the role of a character alternately known as “Dipshit Derek” or “Delightful Derek,” Connelly only had one IMDb credit under his belt for a small part in a short film called “Between the Silence.” He’d also done commercial work for Feldco Windows.
Connelly said co-star Millie Bobby Brown gave him sound advice on how to handle the attention attached to starring in a high-profile show.
“She said, ‘Jake, if you need anything, you can always come to me, and make sure that if you need help, then get help,’” Connelly said.
Jake Connelly in “Stranger Things.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
Given how enthusiastic fans can be about all things Hawkins, Indiana, and the Upside Down, Connelly had to keep his involvement a secret. His go-to tale when people asked what he was doing for a year in Georgia, where “Stranger Things” films, is that he was in a documentary about mayonnaise.
“A couple of my friends were kind of disappointed the mayonnaise documentary wasn’t coming out,” Connelly said. “But everybody made me feel so supported, and I’m just so glad that I have a strong backbone of my family and friends that really made me feel good about the work that we did.”
Atlanta doesn’t touch Chicago’s food scene, said Connelly, who craved the city’s classics while away.
“You never get pizza quite like you do in Chicago,” Connelly said. “I just really missed all the comfort foods like Italian beef and deep-dish pizza.”
The “Stranger Things” universe isn’t done quite yet.
Monster-filled adventures and 1980s nostalgia will continue in an animated spinoff taking place between Seasons 2 and 3 called “Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85.” If the universe continues to expand, Connelly said he would “give almost anything to work with those amazing people again.”
Until then, he aspires to continue to support the local film industry in Chicago and do what he loves — acting — because he gets “to see how life is in another person’s shoes.”
The young actor just signed on to be in an indie film in northern Illinois and looks forward to “doing a couple more things in the Chicago area and just exploring all the opportunities I can find.”
