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Home / Entertainment

Stranger Things actor Jamie Campbell Bower reveals disturbing pre-scene act

NZ Herald
4 Jul, 2022 08:23 PM3 mins to read

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One Stranger Things actor has revealed his disturbing pre-scene ritual. Photo / Netflix

One Stranger Things actor has revealed his disturbing pre-scene ritual. Photo / Netflix

Jamie Campbell Bower has revealed his disturbing pre-scene act.

The British star who plays Vecna – also known as Henry or One, the villain in season four of Stranger Things has revealed he went to creepy lengths for his most recent character.

Bower, who regularly spent eight hours in a makeup chair transforming into the relentless character told People Magazine playing the villain was "all about alone time in the dark".

Before admitting the extreme lengths he took to embody the character.

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"I would take photographs of each victim," Bower said. "I'd print them off, my next victim, and I would cross their eyes out and put them up on my wall. And I'd stare at them."

The star would sit in a makeup chair for eight hours to transform into Vecna. Photo / Netflix
The star would sit in a makeup chair for eight hours to transform into Vecna. Photo / Netflix

The star went on to say: "Resentment is a massive driving force for Vecna. He already has this belief system that the world is a lie and that it's unjust. And so preparing was about bringing that up and digging that up more, [which meant] a lot of heavy, dark meditation, low-frequency sounds, a lot of saying the same kind of thing over and over again."

Bower continued: "I would clear my mind and then have these phrases that I would just put in over and over and over again. Walking around late at night. Isolation on my own was always a good thing."

As for when it came to channelling Vecna's fury, Bower said that was "slightly more physical" and he found listening to music was a big help. "I used it to either reignite that or just kind of stay in a zone, and I would sit in sort of pitch black."

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The British star plays Vecna - also known as Henry or One, the villain in season four of Stranger Things. Photo / Netflix
The British star plays Vecna - also known as Henry or One, the villain in season four of Stranger Things. Photo / Netflix

In the exclusive interview, Bower revealed he didn't spend much time with his co-stars until after filming which was ultimately "helpful" for both parties.

"I met Millie [Bobby Brown] and Matthew Modine because we had some work to do together in Vol. 1, but everyone else, I didn't get a chance to properly connect with until really after filming,"

"But it was helpful. I think it was probably more helpful for them because they didn't know what to expect from Vecna and what to expect from me."

Bower also said that while he has played "evil" characters in the past like Grindelwald in Harry Potter movies and a Volturi leader in The Twilight Saga, playing Vecna was something entirely different.

• Season 4 of Stranger Things is now available to stream on Netflix.

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