Here's why Stranger Things 5 recast Holly Wheeler with new actress

2 December 2025, 15:23

The reason why Stranger Things 5 recast Holly Wheeler has been explained. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

Why are Tinsley and Anniston Price not playing Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things 5? Matt and Ross Duffer reveal reason why they cast Nell Fisher in the role.

Loading audio...

At long last, Stranger Things has just properly introduced viewers to Mike and Nancy's younger sister Holly Wheeler who finds herself at the forefront of a terrifying ordeal in season 5. In fact, she's now one of the main characters!

But if you're wondering why she looks different to the Holly you've seen in previous seasons, that's because the role has been recast for the final eight episodes.

Twins Anniston and Tinsley Price have portrayed Holly Wheeler since the show started in 2016, popping up briefly here and there throughout the first four seasons. However, the 13-year-olds no longer play her.

Holly Wheeler is now played by British actress Nell Fisher. Here's why the Duffer brothers decided to recast the role.

Read more: Stranger Things' Duffer brothers say they have not filmed multiple endings
Read more: Stranger Things creators defend long gaps between TV seasons

Why did they recast Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things 5?

Why aren't Anniston and Tinsley Price playing Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things 5?

In season 5, Holly Wheeler is brought to the forefront of the show as one of the main cast members and plays a huge role in the storyline for the final season.

As a result, production opted to recast the role with an actor who was able to take on a much more demanding and heavy storyline. (And if you've seen Volume 1 already, then you'll know exactly the kind of ordeal Holly goes through.)

Speaking to SFX about Holly Wheeler's role, Matt Duffer said: "Once you see the full season, you'll have a better understanding of why it was so important to add her to the cast."

In another interview with Variety, Ross Duffer elaborated on the decision to cast Nell Fisher: "If you watch the previous seasons, Holly barely talks at all. So we didn’t really have much of a character there. She was just a little kid. Even Season 1, when we’re filming her, it was basically whatever one of the young twins would do, we would just try to capture it in real time.

"So we didn’t really have a voice for her. In the initial scripts, Holly was a little shyer and a little more withdrawn. And then as we found Nell, who’s such a character [...] we started infusing Nell’s personality into Holly."

British actress Nell Fisher plays Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things 5. Picture: Getty

Matt Duffer continued: "We were really nervous about [recasting Holly]. It is not like she had to look identical to the twins who were playing Holly in the past, but she had to resemble them enough that you weren’t totally confused. But more important than that, they have to be an incredible actor."

Matt went on to say Nell's performance in Evil Dead Rise trailer (not even the full move, just the trailer!) stuck out to him: "I just saw her in the trailer and I was like, 'That’s Holly.'"

Speaking to TUDUM, executive producer Shawn Levy also added: "For this season, the Duffer Brothers wanted to centralize Holly as a main character. Many, many years ago, we had two 3-year-old twins play Holly, back when I was shooting her following Christmas lights down a hallway."

"So this time around, there was both an opportunity, but also a necessity, to find someone to play Holly who is around the same age — that innocent, defining age — that our kids were when this started."

Holly Wheeler (played by Nell Fisher) plays a bigger role in Stranger Things 5. Picture: Alamy

Shortly after Nell was cast as Holly, she took to Instagram to share a sweet post about Tinsley and Anniston and the role they now share together.

"This kid. These girls. So lucky to take on this role. Annie. Tinsley. Nell. Holly," she wrote, alongside the iconic clip of Holly following the lights inside the Byers house in season 1.

In the comments, the Price twins' account wrote: "We loved this scene! Can't wait to see where you take our girl, Holly. We know it's going to be amazing!"

In another post sharing memories of their time on set, they wrote: "Stranger Things will always be a chapter of our lives that we hold with love and gratitude. We have so many memories, and the people we met along the way will forever hold a place in our hearts."

Original Holly Wheeler actresses Anniston and Tinsley Price are now 13 years old. Picture: via Instagram

How old is Holly Wheeler meant to be?

In Stranger Things 5, Holly is meant to be around 9 or 10 years old. If you've seen episode 4, you'll know that specific age is relevant to the plot.

However, fans are confused as Holly is seemingly meant to be a lot younger. According to the Stranger Things Fandom page, Holly is said to have been born in 1980, making her 7 years old in 1987 when season 5 takes place.

Backing that date up, Nancy states that there is a "six year old in the house" while referring to her younger sister in season 4, which takes place in March 1986.

But, if we assume that Holly was almost seven in March 1986, then she would likely be almost 9 years old in season 5 which is set 18 months later.

For reference, Nell Fisher was around 12/13 years old when she filmed season 5 and she's just turned 14. Anniston and Tinsley Price are now 13 years old.