In season 4, Jamie played the role of Peter Ballard, a suspiciously nice orderly who’s later revealed to be Vecna. The actor who has previously played villains in the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises, has impressed fans with his excellent performance in season 4.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor spoke about his portrayal of Vecna in Stranger Things. He said,

“I was surprised from the moment I got the audition! I was like, really? Me? But I was in this total mode of surrender. Like, this is wild. Let it happen. I love villains. And I love the villain in this show, but I don’t see him as a villain. Obviously, he’s our point of contention, as it were. But I never saw him as the villain because I understood him.”

He also talked about his physical transformation for Vecna. “I would put on music. A lot of the time I was listening to bands like Sunn O))) and Carpathian Forest and Mayhem. A lot of black metal stuff, because there’s a lovely depth and darkness to it. And then sometimes I’d have horror movies playing on my laptop. And then I’d be very silent. As time was coming to film, I would get more into character. And then I would take about half an hour just for myself, after we’ve done everything, to sit either in my trailer, or, if we were on location, Tyler [his production assistant] would find me a room where I could sit in in the darkness and be away from everyone. Then I would walk onto set and I would be this person. It was amazing.”

Do you like Jamie’s portrayal of Vecna in Stranger Things 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.