Stranger Things 5 has a fair share of new characters, although less than previous seasons, but there's one big change fans will probably notice when the first four episodes of the final season hit Netflix on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Holly Wheeler, the youngest of the Wheeler family and sister of Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer), is a lot older, but she's also played by a new actress in Stranger Things 5. Nell Fisher, best known for her work on Bookworm and Evil Dead Rise, is taking over the role of Holly in season 5.
Fisher replaces Anniston and Tinsley Price, identical twins who played Holly in the first four seasons of Stranger Things. Anniston and Tinsley also played Judith Grimes in The Walking Dead.
Holly Wheeler becomes a "centerpiece" character in Stranger Things 5
Up until this point in Stranger Things, we haven't seen much of Holly. She was always around at the Wheeler house, as a baby, and then as a bigger kid in Stranger Things 4. I'm trying to remember what key scenes she was a part of it in that season, but the one that stands out the most is when Max (Sadie Sink) is drawing what she saw in Vecna's Mind Lair before she was saved by Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)."
In Stranger Things 5, Holly is set to be a much bigger part of the story. We don't know the specifics of Holly's bigger role in the season, but there's obviously something happening where the Duffer brothers felt like they needed a different actress to take on that role.
In an interview with SFX, Matt Duffer revealed that Holly is a "centerpiece" of the season. Here's what he said, via Screen Rant:
"Something like Holly being a centerpiece of this season, that was a discovery as we were breaking season 5."
That's obviously a step up from being a relatively minor character in the series, but it makes complete sense why Holly would be in line for a bigger role. She's Mike and Nancy's sister, who are two of the most important characters in this fight against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). She lives in Hawkins, which is under quarantine. We need to see how the younger characters are affected, as well.
For me, it's a lot like Erica (Priah Ferguson) taking on a bigger role in Stranger Things 3. She was around the action, and it just made sense, logically, that she would be a big part of the story at some point. Well, now, it's Holly's turn to be the newcomer who makes an impact.
I'm a little more worried about Holly than I was with Erica, though. We haven't seen much, but we have seen a clip of Holly and Karen (Cara Buono) hiding from a Demogorgon in the bath at the Wheeler house. We have no context, but it sure looks like the Demogorgons are back in business in season 5.
I have a feeling we'll find out very early just how big Holly's role is in the new season. Luckily, we don't have too long to wait now.
Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1 premieres on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. EST! You can watch the first four episodes of the season before Netflix takes a long break until Stranger Things 5 Vol. 2 on Thursday, Dec. 25, which is Christmas. Then, the Stranger Things 5 finale hits Netflix on Wednesday, Dec. 31!