Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has opened up about being unprepared for childhood fame, revealing that if he could go back, he would ‘put himself in therapy.’

The 22-year-old Mike Wheeler actor was just 13 when the sci-fi drama debuted on the streamer in 2016 and quickly turned him into a household name alongside fellow cast members Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp.

Reflecting on how he coped with stardom at such an early age, Finn admitted he would have liked to have more tools to help him process the life-changing moment.

‘I don’t think I’d ever go back and do something over, but maybe I would go back to when the show first came out and blew up, and I would directly put myself into therapy,’ he said.

‘But it was so crazy and overnight, that there was not really any time to think about that.’ 

Speaking to People, Finn continued: ‘I would end up probably making a mistake in a different way anyways. 

‘I think childhood, and life in general, is about trial and error.’

Finn has been vocal about how he struggled with childhood fame in the past. 

Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has opened up about being unprepared for childhood fame

The 22-year-old Mike Wheeler actor was just 13 when the sci-fi drama debuted on the streamer in 2016 (pictured alongside Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp)

In an interview with GQ in 2023, he candidly shared how he started having panic attacks and trouble coping with his anxiety around the age of 15.

At the time, Finn recalled to the publication that he ‘did not talk about anything, because I just was having this crazy whirlwind career, so there was no time, or at least we didn’t feel [there was] at the time.

‘Everyone was like, “Look at him, he’s fine. He’s having the best time.”

‘But in reality, I was probably also developing and things were happening in my brain and anxieties were forming and things that I didn’t realize that I had to bury because of how I had to feel at work.’

Production on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things officially wrapped at the end of 2024, with the episodes set to premiere in 2025.

At the time, co-creator Ross Duffer praised the cast and crew for their dedication to the show, admitting that the story ends with a ‘satisfying conclusion.’

‘We’ve been telling this story for nearly a decade now,’ he wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.

‘Many of our cast members joined us when they were kids, just ten or eleven years old. It wasn’t just a show for them — it was a defining part of their childhood.

Finn is due to reprise his role in the upcoming fifth and final season of Stranger Things 

In a new interview, Finn said he would have put himself in therapy to cope with overnight fame 

‘They’ve grown up before our eyes, becoming more than actors—they’ve become family. But it’s not just the cast we consider family.

‘Our crew — many of whom have been with us from the very beginning — holds a special place in our hearts. Their dedication and passion have been the backbone of this journey.

‘Everyone involved was determined to bring this story to a satisfying conclusion. They poured their hearts and souls into it, and we couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve accomplished.

‘We can’t wait to share it with you all next year. Until then — over and out.’