With starring roles in Netflixâs Stranger Thingsâwhich returns for a third season this monthâand the film franchise It (part two of which arrives this fall), Finn Wolfhard has become one of the most beloved actors in modern horror. And no oneâs more surprised about that than Finn Wolfhard.
âItâs funny, âcause Iâm not a scary guy,â insists the sweet-faced 16-year-old. Friendly and just a tiny bit awkward, Wolfhard comes off a lot like his Things character, Mike Wheelerâthe sensitive leader of an intrepid group of middle school science nerds.
But while he may not seem born to the fright-filled genre, he loves the work. âIf you give someone a true scare, thatâs the equivalent of being in a comedy and making someone laugh. It definitely feels good to be part of something that did its job.â
That might explain why for one of his next big roles heâs chosen yet another horror project: haunted-house chiller The Turning. Due in 2020, itâs executive produced by Stranger Thingsâs spiritual godfather, Steven Spielberg.
The two have yet to hang outâthough a six-year-old Wolfhard once gave the director a fright in Larchmont Village. âHe was walking with his granddaughters,â the actor recalls, âand my Dad pointed him out: âThatâs Steven Spielberg!â So I just started running up behind him. I had no fear. Plus I had these giant boots on, so he probably thought somebody was about to kill him. And then the reveal is, he turns around⌠and itâs just me.â

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Thereâs a movie poster for Spielbergâs Jaws prominently featured in Stranger Things. When you started the show, had you even seen that movie?
I had, yeah. I like to think I was kind of a film nerd before I was cast. All the movies that [series creators] the Duffer brothers wanted us to watch to get a feel for the show I had already watched: Stand by Me, Jaws, all the John Hughes movies.
How old you were when you saw Jaws? Because Stranger Things started shooting years ago; you were probably barely a teenager.
Yeah, I was turning 13. I probably saw Jaws when I was 10.
Who would do that to a 10-year-old?!
My family! The entire family watched Jaws, and I thought it was awesome. Itâs funnyânow I donât even consider it a horror movie. I just consider it a classic. When I watch it, I almost feel like it should be in black and white.
Whatâs the most frightened youâve ever been in real life?
Oh! Let me think about that for a second.
No oneâs ever asked you this?
No! I mean, I felt unsafe when Stranger Things first came out. I was 13, and we were shooting It in Toronto. I was walking back to my apartment, and this couple followed me there. I was thinking the whole time, âThese people are following me. Thatâs not right.â And finally I got to my door, and they were like, âCan we have a picture with you?â And I remember being like, âNo! You just followed me back to my home! You know where I live!â
The most frightening thing for you was new fame.
For sure. I mean if anyoneâs comfortable being famous, theyâre a psychopath.
Youâre a musician. I once saw an interview with Fugaziâs Ian MacKaye talking about hearing punk for the first time, and he said it scared the hell out of him, which is what fascinated him about it. What music did that for you?
I know what he means! I got into indie rock because I was in the video for this band from Toronto that are kind of popping right nowâtheyâre called Pup. I was auditioning to be in their music video, and I heard their song âReservoir.â I was like, âOh, God, itâs so loud and fast I donât understand it!â But I was curious and had to listen again. And then the planets aligned, and from there it was just all Pup, all the time.

Lorne Thomson/Redferns
Theyâre not the most nightmarish bandâit was just the noise and aggression that spooked you?
Yeah. âReservoirâ is one of their heaviest songs, and I hadnât heard anything like it.
What were you listening to before that?
I mean, nothing really, just the Beatles and, I think, Blink-182. What a pair.
Youâre asked plenty of questions about darkness and horror. What in pop culture is making you especially happy these days?
I just rewatched Little Miss Sunshine, which I think is the perfect indie movieâor just a perfect movie. And I watched this movie called Harold and Maude from the â70s, and thatâs the most feel-good movieâitâs so crazy.
You think of Harold and Maude as feel good? I think of it as maybe bittersweet. Itâs all about death.
It is, but itâs so funny! Iâd recommend anyone watch Harold and Maude, âcause it helps a lot with fear of death.
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