“Outer Banks” fans should take a closer look at “Stranger Things” Season 1, Episode 6, where Chase Stokes can briefly be spotted in the background of a scene. In “Chapter Six: The Monster,” Stokes played a character named Reed, who drives by Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) with his friends and ridicules them about a vandalized poster mocking Nancy at the Hawk Theater. The “Outer Banks” star only appears on screen for a few seconds, but those who enjoy Stokes’ lead performance on Netflix’s treasure-hunting mystery drama should get a kick out of his “Stranger Things” cameo. After all, it happened before he rose to fame.
Stokes’ small “Stranger Things” Season 1 part came in 2016, marking his first-ever TV role before he made his debut as John B. Routledge on “Outer Banks” four years later. With “Outer Banks” Season 5 slated to premiere later in 2026, Stokes will once again be in the spotlight.
Chase Stokes’ Stranger Things history is deeper than you think
Stokes’ brief “Stranger Things” cameo could have been a bigger role: The actor was actually in the running to play Steve Harrington. Of course, the character ended up in the hands of Joe Keery, and Stokes recalled to Access Hollywood in 2023 that his audition didn’t go as planned. “I forgot all the lines and absolutely effed up the audition,” he said. “I drove eight hours from Atlanta back to Orlando regretting every moment of my life on that.”
Missing out on a major role on “Stranger Things” obviously didn’t prevent Stokes from becoming a Netflix star, as “Outer Banks” reached the top of the streamer’s viewership rankings upon the release of Season 4 in 2024. Years after his “Stranger Things” stint, Stokes appreciates how it impacted his journey in Hollywood. “I’m super proud of [Joe]. I’ve talked to him a little bit throughout the years,” Stokes added. “And I’m just thankful for the Duffer Brothers for giving me an opportunity to do my job and start my career.”
This story originally appeared on TVLine
