Photo by Jerrod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix
The Duffer Brothers have been pretty quiet in recent months. After the epic finale of Stranger Things on New Year’s Day and a media blitz like no other, they made a nice move. However, Josh Horowitz, host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, promised a tell-all interview with the creators — and he certainly delivered. The hour-long podcast is now available on all platforms, but what was the biggest takeaway?
Appearing at Josh Horowitz’s live taping happy sad confused podcast In Los Angeles, the Duffer brothers sat down for a comprehensive, career-spanning retrospective. From shutting down massive internet rumors to revealing secrets about an obscure series finale, the makers didn’t hold back.
If you don’t have time to listen to the entire 70-minute interview, don’t worry. We’ve analyzed the entire conversation to bring you the Duffer Brothers’ five biggest revelations. If you’re looking for information about the future of Stranger Things, we’ve included little hints about future spin-offs here.
This interview was conducted exclusively outside the scope of Netflix, so hastily updated (without any real new content) into Netflix’s TUDUM article, which shows the creators here shamelessly exploiting their brand new presence. That site is still up for discussion, but I digress…
Now onto the big things we learned!
1. Billy Crudup Was Almost Chief Hopper (Not Josh Brolin)
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than David Harbor wearing Chief Jim Hopper’s iconic hat, but Harbor wasn’t the first choice.
During the live show, Harbor actually sent in a surprising video question, in which the Hollywood veteran said that actors usually get big breaks because they’re the second or third choice. Harbor speculated that he was second only to Josh Brolin and demanded the Duffers finally reveal the truth.
The brothers laughed and immediately set the record straight: This was not Josh Brolin. was actually their original top choice The Morning Show Star Billy Crudup. Crudup was not doing much television at the time and eventually left the project.
When Harbor finally auditioned via a self-tape – performing a solo of the scene where Joyce says Will is missing, refusing to take off his hat, and immediately walking out of the room – the Duffers immediately knew they had found their Hopper.
2. The controversial Kali episode (207) was never meant to be a backdoor pilot
Every big show has a polarizing episode, and for stranger thingsThis is Season 2, Episode 7 (“The Lost Sister”), where Eleven travels to Chicago to find Kali (Eight). For years, fans and critics have speculated that the standalone “Bottle Episode” was a failed backdoor pilot for a spin-off series.
Matt Duffer finally took the opportunity to set the record straight — and he didn’t mince words.
“Let me clear up some of the bullshit on the Internet,” Duffer said. “It was never designed to be a spin-off shoot. That’s bullshit. That’s not true. That’s cheesy. We wouldn’t do that.”
The brothers admitted that the pacing of the episodes was a mistake on their part, stating that they were too busy writing and directing the final two episodes of the season. If they could have, they would have organically woven Kali’s story throughout Season 2 instead of isolating it. However, the harsh reception actually encouraged them to make even bigger creative changes in Season 3 rather than play it safe.
Ten million. Courtesy of Netflix/Netflix © 2025
3. Steve Harington’s near-death scene inspired the show’s first reboot
The Duffers are notorious for meticulously planning their shoots, to the extent that they have never done a single reshoot in history. stranger things-Until the final season.
Fans collectively held their breath during a horrifying mock rendition of Steve Harrington’s near-death at The Tower. However, creators revealed that the heart-stopping cut-to-black moment almost didn’t happen. In the original edit, the sequence occurred too quickly and was too dark to be effective.
To correct this, the production team built a small, three-foot replica slab of the tower. They brought Joe Keery back for a half-day reshoot to film his slow-motion drop on a temporary set, giving the editors a chance to exploit the mysterious moment for all it was worth.
The brothers also admitted that they wrote the scene specifically to mess with the audience, knowing that the Internet was in a frenzy over the possibility of Steve dying, saying, “So some things are surprising, like the Internet itself getting into a frenzy over Joe dying…Steve dying…I don’t know if we would have normally brought him closer to falling off the tower. And so it’s like, a little part of it was definitely to mess with the audience. Which we do in general. But I was like, it’s too late. Yes, we can’t pass it up.”
4. David Harbor hated the title of Stranger Things (and sent a huge email about it)
It’s impossible to imagine the show being called anything other than that now. stranger things This was notoriously not the original title. After over a year of initial development, the series was titled montaukReflects its original Long Island setting.
When the creators decided to change the setting to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, they were suddenly left without a title. For months, trades awkwardly referred to the show as an “untitled Duffer Brothers project”, which frustrated Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. The Duffers joked that the running joke with various reports was that “Everyone is like, who the hell are the Duffer brothers?”
According to the Duffers, Sarandos ultimately gave them a strict two-week deadline to choose a new name, and promised them, “You’ll get used to it.”
finally they settled stranger things-But not everyone was a fan.
The brothers revealed that shortly after casting David Harbor – whom they barely knew at the time – the actor sent them a huge, confusing email explaining how terrible he thought the new title was. The Duffers joked that they should publish the emails one day, though time (and record-breaking Netflix viewership) ultimately proved that Sarandos was right: Everyone definitely got used to it.
5. The truth behind Eleven’s fate and that “heartbeat” sound effect
Ten million. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
The series finale left fans with a big, long-lasting question regarding Eleven’s ultimate sacrifice. When the show jumps forward 18 months in its epilogue, Mike tells a story to his friends, insisting that Eleven is still alive out there.
When Horowitz polled the live audience as to whether they believed Eleven was alive, the crowd was divided. Interestingly, the Duffers revealed that several of the main cast – including Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo – have openly stated that they do not believe Eleven has survived. The creators found this amusing, noting that although the actors may be skeptical, their Letter I am sure he is alive.
As for the mysterious audio signal right before the 18-month time jump, which many fans interpreted as Eleven’s heartbeat?
“It’s written in the script that it looks like a heartbeat, but actually it’s just… a brick,” he revealed. “It’s absolutely distorted. But yes, you can interpret it that way. It was potentially meant to be interpreted that way.”
Will we ever get a definitive answer? Referencing David Chase’s famous 20-year silence at the end of sopranosThe brothers joked that they might finally reveal the truth two decades from now.
More quick hits and behind-the-scenes trivia:
- A24 and FX rejected the show: Before they became Netflix giants, the Duffers faced brutal rejections. The one that hurt the most was FX, because the brothers had worked with them before Wayward Pines. They also introduced indie-darling studio A24, whom the Duffers said simply stared at them because the brothers were “too stupid” for their own brand of cool.
- Noah Schnapp’s hilarious security threat: Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) is extremely clumsy on set. While filming the season 5 scene at a relatively low electrical shed, the stunt team forced him to wear a safety harness because they didn’t really trust him not to accidentally go off the edge. Because she was wired, they also had to wire Maya Hawke (Robyn), which cost the production additional VFX money to paint the wires!
- Will and Mike’s romance was never planned: Addressing the legions of fans who hoped for a reciprocated romantic relationship between Will and Mike, the Duffers confirmed that it was “never in the plan.”
- Joe Keery chose the final song: The young artists—notably Joe Keery, Finn Wolfhard and Maya Hawke—are big music lovers who constantly pitch songs to creators. It was actually Keery’s idea to close the series with David Bowie’s “Heroes”, perfectly bookending the first use of a cover of Peter Gabriel’s track on the show.
- The band pleaded for the “Kate Bush” treatment: After the explosive viral success of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” in Season 4, big bands began performing their music for free on the show. Hunt? They all wanted a highly specific “push moment”. The Duffers rejected them, recognizing that trying to artificially create another viral lightning-moment in a bottle would be a mistake.
- Stolen Set Props: The Duffers’ production office is decorated with some of the show’s best props, including the Benny’s Burgers sign, the Palace Arcade sign, the Family Video sign, the yellow trashcan shield used by Dustin and Steve, and a giant, human-sized Eleven Funko Pop.
- The Real Scoops Ahoy Wedding: Remember when Joe Keery went viral for officiating a real-life wedding in his Scoops Ahoy uniform? She actually called the Duffers just two days before the ceremony, begging for the real dress. Costume designer Amy Parris worked hard to track it down and get it to her on time.
What was your favorite revelation from the Duffer Brothers interview? Do you think Eleven survived the finale? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
