Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Caleb Mclaughlin and Priah Ferguson unpack Stranger Things' darkest instalment to date.

It&rsquo;s been a long time coming but Stranger Things 4 is finally here. The latest instalment picks up where it left off in the previous season and unfolds the aftermath of the destructive night at Starcourt Mall.
And while we are waiting for the arrival of Vol.2, L'Officiel caught up with the cast as they share everything from tuning back into their characters to reimagining their version of Upside Down.

So it has been six months since the battle at Starcourt Mall&hellip;
Gaten Matarazzo:&nbsp;It&rsquo;s really really fun to always have that big of a time jump with each of the seasons. It&rsquo;s a good chunk of time that we don&rsquo;t get to see as audience members, but you will get to figure it out a lot in earlier episodes of the show. The kids are starting high school without a great piece of the squad and it&rsquo;s a very transitional time for us - dealing with regular things and fitting in the new social climate of Hawkins.&nbsp;&nbsp;What took place six months ago is taking a toll on a lot of people, especially those who know what really happened.

And this season really opens with a cocktail of traumas.
Natalia Dyer:&nbsp;I think for Nancy, grief drives her character development. She has this investigative mindset and she has to get to the bottom of things. These emotions motivate her, keep her grounded and real amidst those crazy circumstances, cause you know people get lost when things go wild.
Sadie Sink:&nbsp;Grief is a big theme this season, and I think Season 4 is the perfect timing to address what these characters had gone through and how that might affect their lives. The Duffers are able to portray those emotions and make the connection without taking too much away from the otherworldly elements of the show. I think everyone will be exploring that transition or phase going into high school, trying to find yourself, dealing with the feelings that come along as well as some of the past traumas these characters are facing.

Would you say that Season 4 is emotionally and visually darker than ever?
Joe Keery:&nbsp;Personally I think it&rsquo;s more grotesque, in a real way.
Maya Hawke:&nbsp;The rats were pretty gross last season, but everything is on another level this time around.&nbsp;
Natalia:&nbsp;And everything just spread out. You know, it&rsquo;s always contained in Hawkins but now we have characters who aren&rsquo;t here anymore. That kind of brings a wider energy to everything.&nbsp;
Priah Ferguson:&nbsp;Season 4 can be kind of relatable because the world now is just so heavy. So many tragedies are happening but you know there are also a lot of great moments.
Sadie:&nbsp;Fans are really gonna enjoy it. Our series is darker as it is, but what&rsquo;s so great about this show is there are always moments for comedy.
Gaten:&nbsp;It still feels like Stranger Things! It&rsquo;s a massive, massive, massive season and it kind of explains the wait.

Tell us more about going back to the set and tuning back into your character.
Caleb McLaughlin:&nbsp;I will say that it&rsquo;s not hard to stay connected with my character. I play him for so long and Lucas is growing with me at the same time. In Season 1, half of the script wasn&rsquo;t written because the Duffers wanted to write around our personality, so when we go back on set, everything just clicks.
Joe: Steve continues to navigate, being the bridge between the adults and the children. He&rsquo;s made for that role because he&rsquo;s like half adult, half child.&nbsp;Steve may not be the brightest crayon in the box but he&rsquo;s always there for the squad, and I love being able to work with almost everyone in the story.&nbsp;[thinks]&nbsp;All of us working together, cracking jokes and laughing really hard are generally what I remember working with this bunch of people.&nbsp;
Sadie:&nbsp;It&rsquo;s always very fun on the set. Sometimes, even we have no idea where the season is going, and we will just talk to the Duffers, so they will give us some spoilers of the story.
Maya:&nbsp;I also feel like there are some really exciting moments looking at the works done by the art department. Like, every time we enter into a new environment they created, I just feel like, WOW, we&rsquo;re really lucky to work on a set with such extraordinary worldbuilding vision. &nbsp;
Gaten: I love just walking into Dustin&rsquo;s bedroom, seeing how much time, effort and care are put into personalising each place.&nbsp;[thinks]&nbsp;I really enjoy exploring the characters&rsquo; bedroom cause all the designers know them and their personalities so well&hellip;it&rsquo;s always so much fun.

If the Upside Down exists in our world, how would you picture it?
Gaten: I&rsquo;m assuming there will be veins and scary monsters. But if we could change it up, why not?&nbsp;
Sadie: Yeah why not? [giggles] What&rsquo;s your upside down?
Gaten: If the board game Candy Land just came to life, and I had to live there&hellip; I feel like we will get sticky and can&rsquo;t really enjoy.&nbsp;
Sadie: So sticky...candy cane&hellip;
Gaten: Yeah that&rsquo;s my Upside Down. If I have to wake up in another dimension.

Any favourite Stranger Things meme?
Gaten: I have a fun one. A meme where they took my smile from season one with a pizza box and they put it next to a couch, and my face matched up really ugly perfectly with the creases of the couch. I was a little upset about it but it&rsquo;s hilarious. [laughs] I think people will find the meme somewhere again.

This fandom needs a name!
Caleb:&nbsp;The upside downer.
Gaten:&nbsp;[pauses] Yeah&nbsp;I don&rsquo;t think anybody can top the upside downer.&nbsp;[giggles]

Watch&nbsp;Stranger Things&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80057281" target="_blank" rel="noopener">netflix.com</a><a href="http://netflix.com./">.</a>&nbsp;Volume 2 will arrive on Netflix on&nbsp;1 July.

Exclusive: The Cast of Stranger Things Unpack Season 4

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