Joseph Quinn

Joseph Quinn’s dreams include him being young and dumb in his childhood home with his friends, along with a few possible flashbacks of Joe Keery’s chest hair. While he deems seeing “Joe Keery with his kit off for a week” as one major perk of being cast as Eddie Munson on Stranger Things Season 4, the other perk he’s more modest about is the overwhelming connection and love fans have for him as Eddie Munson. Following his first line, “the devil has come to America” he commands his debut scene as the metalhead Hellfire Club Dungeons and Dragons leader, sashaying across tables, flipping off students, and throwing food at Mike’s [Finn Wolfhard] face. Quinn can come across unphased and self-deprecating, however his huge relief after Stranger Things’ release shows how much care and work he puts into his roles. In our interview with Quinn, he talks Eddie Munson, details future projects, and gives us the very generous gift of imagining Eddie running in the Upside Down to “Up & Down,” bouncing wig, chunky rings, and all. So, the headline in Hawkins reads “The Devil has Come to America” but in our world it reads “Joseph Quinn has Come to America,” and we couldn’t be more excited about it! 

First, thanks so much for the interview! I wanted to start off by saying how great you are as Eddie Munson, he became one of my favorites within just a few minutes of him being on screen. I have seen “Eddie Munson” trending on social media so many times since Season 4 came out it’s insane how positive the response has been to your character. How has such a large-scale reaction felt like to you?

 Ah, I’m glad you like him! I don’t have Twitter or TikTok so I haven’t really been exposed to it. Obviously, my friends send me edits and whatnot. It’s very sweet. It’s been pretty positive which is lovely. I feel incredibly relieved, it feels like a huge exhale. 

 Getting into Eddie’s introductory scene, there’s a level of physical comedy to him that makes him magnetic. Did Eddie’s mannerisms come to you after exploring who he is or were they directed a certain way?

 Ha! I don’t know, really. I just moved around a bit weirdly and the bros (Duffer Brothers) didn’t tell me to stop. 

 We need to talk about Eddie’s Hellfire look with his 80s mullet, chains, and chunky rings. It seems like you go through pretty heavy transformations in many of your previous roles as well including Prince Paul in Catherine The Great, Billy Knight in C.B. Strike, and Enjolras in Les Miserables. How much of an effect do you feel costume has on performance?

 It has a huge effect. Especially for a character like Eddie. His look is an enormous part of who he is and the sub culture he adores. It was liberating putting all that stuff on, you feel different – so you can act differently. 

 Other than acting, what is something that interests you so much that you would head a club dedicated to it? It can be as random and niche as you want.

 I’m constantly trying to find other stuff that makes me happy outside of acting. I’m lucky to have a job that I love, but when I’m not doing it I feel like I’m just waiting until I’m allowed to go do it again. I’ve definitely got better as I get older, but there hasn’t been anything that’s come along and made me go ‘shit! I love that!’ I’ve tried martial arts, yoga, all that stuff, but nothing has stuck. Yoga comes and goes still to be fair.

 A lot of Eddie’s storyline is centered around an early statement he makes, saying that there is no shame in running in times of danger. For you personally, are you a fight, flight, or freeze type of guy?

 I think, freeze? I’ve never been much of a fighter, thankfully. I’d like to think I’m not flight. 

 You’ve said in a previous interview that you think community is the most rewarding part of being an actor. For Stranger Things, a lot of your scenes were done in an ensemble especially toward the end of Volume One. Is there a scene that you think reflected your friendship with the cast the best, or one that was most enjoyable to film?

 There was a sequence we shot in an enormous water tank, which was brilliant. It was massive, with blue screens everywhere to make it look like Lovers Lake. I got to see Joe Keery with his kit off for a week – perks of the job. 

 On the topic of Joe Keery, I read an article that said that Steve helped Dustin feel confident, but Eddie made him feel accepted for who he is. In your own life, who is someone that has made you feel accepted for who you are?

I have wonderful friends. I’m blessed to have truly great ones around me. I feel accepted by them. Family too, fortunately. Lucky boy. 

 In Episode 7, Eddie, Nancy, Steve, and Robin go to Nancy’s room in the Upside Down which happens to be stuck in the past. If you could travel to a room or a place frozen in time, where would you want to go?

 I dream about the house I grew up in. I’d love to go back to my kitchen, with my friends, cook dinner and be young and dumb.

 Here’s the question that everyone is asking- what song would get you out of Vecna’s curse?

 Up & Down by the Vengaboys. 

 You have Volume 2 coming out on July 1st, and you have a project called Hoard in post-production. Can you tell us a little bit about what we should be looking forward to?

 It’s written and directed by an extraordinary young woman, Luna Carmoon. I think she’s going to be a huge voice in British cinema and I feel privileged to be able to say ‘I was there at the beginning.’