Finn Wolfhard: The Life Story Behind Stranger Things' Young Star
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A Vancouver Boy Who Answered an Ad
Finn Wolfhard was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 23 December 2002, to Eric Wolfhard, a screenwriter, and Mary, and he grew up in a household where stories were not a hobby but a profession, because his father’s work as a writer meant that scripts, ideas and characters were part of everyday conversation, and the house was full of books, films and the quiet discipline of people who make things up for a living. Vancouver in the 2000s was a city on Canada’s west coast, known for its mountains, its ocean and its film industry, because many American television shows and films were shot there, and a boy growing up in Vancouver could see film crews on his street, which is a reminder that the industry was close, even if it seemed distant, and Finn, who was drawn to acting from a young age, through school plays, through the films he loved, and through a sense of humour that was dry, quick and slightly nerdy, which would become his signature, began to think about acting as a teenager, when the drama classes at school gave him a place to perform, and the performances, though they were school plays, showed a talent that his teachers noticed, and that his family encouraged. He has spoken about growing up as a fan of films, about the way he loved watching them, and about the fact that he never expected to be part of them, only to watch them, which makes his later career, in which he became a star of one of the most popular shows in the world, a kind of wish fulfilled, because the boy who watched films in Vancouver became a boy who was in them, which is a story that many young actors dream of, and that few live, yet Finn lived it, because he was in the right place, at the right time, with the right talent, which is a combination that is rare, and that he has made the most of, by working hard, by choosing carefully, and by never forgetting where he started, which is Vancouver, a city that gave him his start, and that he has never left behind, even as his career has taken him to Los Angeles, to New York, and around the world.
His first acting role came in 2014, when he was eleven, in the television series The 100, a science fiction drama about a group of young people who return to Earth after a nuclear apocalypse, in which he played Zoran, a young boy, in a single episode, and the role, though it was small, gave Finn his first experience of working on a professional set, with a cast, a crew, and the pressure of delivering a performance that would be seen by millions of viewers, which is a discipline that few eleven-year-olds experience, and that Finn handled with a maturity that impressed his colleagues, because he understood that the work was what mattered, not the fame, and that the fame, when it came, would be a byproduct, not the goal, which is a wisdom that many older actors lack, and that Finn, who was eleven, already possessed, because he had grown up in a household where stories were work, and work was to be taken seriously, which is a lesson that his father, as a screenwriter, taught him, without ever lecturing, simply by doing it, every day, which is the best kind of teaching, because it shows, rather than tells, and Finn learned it well, which is why his career, which began with a single episode of The 100, has lasted for more than a decade, and is still growing, still changing and still surprising audiences who thought they knew what he could do. He also appeared in a short film, Aftermath, in 2012, and in a music video, which are the small jobs that young actors take, and that teach them the craft, one scene at a time, which is a slow process, and one that requires patience, because the roles that come to a young actor are rarely the ones he wants, yet Finn took them, and the experience, though it was not glamorous, taught him how to work on a set, how to take direction, and how to make a small part memorable, which is a skill that would define his career, because Finn Wolfhard has always been an actor who makes a small part feel large, and a large part feel human, which is a rare combination, and one that casting directors noticed early, because they saw, in an eleven-year-old, a performer who was already professional, already prepared, and already talented, which is why, when the audition for Stranger Things came, two years later, Finn was ready, and the readiness, which had been built one small job at a time, paid off, in a way that changed his life, and the lives of millions of viewers, who would come to know him as Mike Wheeler, the heart of Stranger Things, and one of the most beloved characters on television.
The audition for Stranger Things was a turning point, because the show, created by the Duffer brothers, was one of the most anticipated new series of 2016, and the role of Mike Wheeler, a twelve-year-old boy in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, whose best friend Will Byers disappears, was one that many young actors wanted, yet Finn, who was thirteen, won it, which is a testament to his talent, his charisma and his ability to make Mike feel like a real person, not a character, and the casting, which was done through auditions across America, showed that the Duffer brothers were willing to choose the best actor, regardless of where he came from, which is a progressive decision that the show has been praised for, because the cast, which included Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp, was diverse, talented and young, and the chemistry between them, which was evident from the first episode, became one of the show’s greatest strengths, because the audience could feel that the boys were friends, not only on screen but off, and that friendship, which was real, made the show feel real, which is why Stranger Things became a phenomenon, watched by millions of viewers around the world, on Netflix, and why Finn Wolfhard, at thirteen, became a star, which is a strange experience for a teenager, yet one that Finn handled with a steadiness that surprised those who knew him, because he had grown up in a household where stories were work, and work was to be taken seriously, and that seriousness, which he brought to Mike Wheeler, is the reason the character worked, and the reason the show worked, because Mike was the heart of the group, the boy who believed, who led, and who never gave up on his friend, which is a story that the audience, young and old, recognised, and loved, which is why Stranger Things has lasted for nearly a decade, and why Finn Wolfhard, who was thirteen when it began, is still playing Mike, in his early twenties, which is a long run for any actor, and a particularly long one for a young actor who was still a child when the show began.
Stranger Things and Mike Wheeler
Stranger Things first aired on Netflix in July 2016, and it became an immediate hit, because it told the story of a group of boys in Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, whose friend Will Byers disappears, and who discover that the town is hiding a secret, a parallel dimension called the Upside Down, where monsters live, and the show’s tone, which mixed science fiction, horror, adventure and nostalgia for the 1980s, made it a phenomenon, watched by millions of viewers around the world, and Finn’s Mike Wheeler was at its centre, because Mike was the leader of the group, the boy who organised the search for Will, who befriended Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, a girl with psychic powers, and who became the emotional heart of the show, because Mike was the character who believed, who hoped, and who loved, even when the world told him not to, which is a story that the audience, young and old, recognised, and loved. Finn played Mike with a warmth, a humour and a vulnerability that made the character feel real, because Mike was not a hero in the usual sense, he was a boy who was scared, who was angry, who made mistakes, and who kept going, which is a kind of heroism that is more relatable than the heroism of a superhero, because it is the heroism of an ordinary person, and Finn, who was thirteen when the show began, grew up with Mike, from a boy to a teenager to a young man, and the parallel, between the character’s growth and the actor’s, is part of why the audience loved the show, because they were watching a young man become a man, in real time, which is a rare experience in television, and one that Stranger Things provided, for nearly a decade, to an audience that followed it faithfully, even as the show’s storylines became darker, more complex and more ambitious, which is a testament to the cast’s commitment, and to Finn’s in particular, because he remained the show’s centre, even when the story went in directions that no one could have predicted, which is a sign of an actor who is doing more than the script asks, he is holding the audience’s trust, and Finn held it, for five seasons, which is a remarkable achievement for a young actor, and one that will define his career, even as he takes on other roles, because Mike Wheeler is the character that made him famous, and that he will always be associated with, which is both a gift and a burden, a gift because it made him a star, and a burden because it made it harder for people to see him as anyone else, which is a struggle that Finn has fought, by taking roles that are different from Mike, and by proving, again and again, that he can be more than one character.
The show’s success made Finn a star, and the fame that followed was intense, because Stranger Things’ audience was young, passionate and global, and the actors were followed on social media, at conventions, and in the press, which is a kind of fame that is both exciting and exhausting, and Finn has spoken about the difficulty of handling it, about the pressure to be perfect, about the scrutiny of his appearance, his relationships and his choices, and about the need to keep a private life, even when the audience feels entitled to know everything, which is a wisdom that many young actors lack, and that Finn, who grew up in a household where stories were work, has in abundance, because he understands that fame is not the goal, but the work is, and that the work, when it is done well, will bring its own rewards, one role at a time. He has also spoken about the physical demands of the role, because Mike was a boy who ran, who biked, who fought monsters, and who grew up on screen, which required Finn to be athletic, to be brave, and to be willing to be vulnerable, because the show’s most emotional scenes, Mike’s relationship with Eleven, Mike’s grief when Will disappears, Mike’s anger when the group splits, were scenes that required Finn to show emotion, to cry, to shout, and to be still, which is a range that few young actors possess, and that Finn showed, season after season, which is why the audience loved Mike, because they could see, in him, a boy who was trying, who was failing, and who was trying again, which is a universal story, and one that Stranger Things told with a grace that few shows achieve. The show’s final season, which was released in 2025, was a moment that fans discussed for months, because the show had been a part of their lives for nine years, and the actors, who had grown up together, were saying goodbye to characters they had played for a significant portion of their lives, which is a loss that is hard to describe, and that Finn has spoken about with a mixture of sadness and gratitude, because the show gave him a career, a family and a global audience, and the end of it was both a relief and a grief, which is a feeling that many actors know, when a long-running show ends, and the next chapter begins, uncertain, exciting and unknown.
While Stranger Things was running, Finn took film roles that showed his range, and each of them added to the audience that had discovered him as Mike. In 2017 he played Richie Tozier, a foul-mouthed, funny teenager, in It, a horror film based on Stephen King’s novel, about a group of children in Derry, Maine, who face a clown, Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgård, and the film became a huge commercial success, earning hundreds of millions of dollars, and Finn’s Richie, who was the group’s comedian, the boy who made jokes when he was scared, became one of the film’s most loved characters, because the audience could see, in Richie, a boy who was funny because he was frightened, and who was brave because he was loyal to his friends, which is a kind of humour that Finn, who is himself funny, understood, and played with a skill that made Richie feel real, even in a film about a killer clown, which is a remarkable achievement, because the film’s horror could easily have swallowed a young actor, yet Finn held his own, and the audience remembered him, which is why he was brought back, in It Chapter Two in 2019, as the young Richie, in flashbacks, which is a sign that the filmmakers valued his performance, and that the audience did too. In 2019 he also played young Boris, a Ukrainian boy, in The Goldfinch, a drama based on Donna Tartt’s novel, in which he played a character who was charming, damaged and unforgettable, and the film, though it was not a commercial success, gave Finn a role in a prestige production, with a cast that included Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman, and it showed that he could hold his own in a serious drama as well as in a horror film, which is a range that few young actors possess, and that Finn showed, at sixteen, which is a remarkable age to do it, and a sign of an actor who is going to last, because the actors who can do both horror and drama, who can be funny and serious, are the actors who will always be in demand, and Finn is one of them, which is why his career, which began with Mike Wheeler, has grown to include Richie, Boris, and many other characters, each of them different, each of them memorable, and each of them played with the same warmth, humour and vulnerability that made Mike work, which is a consistency that the audience recognises, and loves, because it says, this actor is real, and the characters he plays are real, which is the highest compliment an audience can pay, and one that Finn has earned, one role at a time.
It, Ghostbusters and the Films After Hawkins
In 2021 Finn took the lead in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a sequel to the original Ghostbusters films, directed by Jason Reitman, the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original, in which he played Trevor Spengler, a teenager who discovers that his grandfather was a Ghostbuster, and who, with his sister Phoebe, played by Mckenna Grace, must save the town from ghosts, and the film, which was a love letter to the original, became a commercial success, because it was funny, heartfelt and nostalgic, and Finn’s Trevor, who was a teenager trying to impress a girl, trying to fix a car, and trying to understand his family, was a character that the audience recognised, because he was an ordinary boy in an extraordinary situation, which is a kind of role that Finn plays well, because he understands that the audience needs to believe the boy before they can believe the ghosts, and he made them believe, which is why the film worked, and why he returned as Trevor in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in 2024, the sequel, which continued the story, and which gave Finn a franchise, a role he could return to, which is a rare thing for a young actor, and one that he has earned, because Trevor, like Mike, is a character who is decent, brave and funny, and Finn plays him with the same warmth that made Mike work, which is a consistency that the audience loves, because they know what to expect from Finn, yet are still surprised by each new role, which is a balance that few actors achieve, and that Finn has achieved, by being himself, in every role, which is a form of honesty that the audience recognises, and values, because honesty, when it is real, is unmistakable, and Finn’s honesty, which comes from his upbringing, from his father’s work as a writer, and from his own love of stories, is the foundation of his career, and the reason it has lasted, and will last, for many years to come.
In 2022 Finn voiced Candlewick in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, an animated film that won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, in which he played a boy who is a bully, a fascist youth, and a character who is both funny and frightening, and the voice role required Finn to convey a character with sound alone, without a face, without a body, only with his voice, which is a different skill from screen acting, and one that Finn mastered, because Candlewick’s voice, which was arrogant, insecure and ultimately sad, made the character feel real, even though he was a puppet, which is a testament to Finn’s talent, and to del Toro’s trust in him, because del Toro, who is one of the greatest directors in the world, chose Finn for a reason, and the reason was that he knew Finn could deliver, which he did, and the film’s Academy Award, which was a recognition of its artistry, is partly due to Finn’s performance, because the voice actors in an animated film are as important as the animators, and Finn’s Candlewick, though he was a supporting character, was one of the film’s most memorable, because the audience could hear, in his voice, a boy who was trying to be tough, yet who was scared, which is a universal experience, and one that Finn understood, and played with a skill that surprised audiences who had only seen him as Mike, which is a sign of an actor who is growing, who is learning, and who is willing to take risks, which is exactly what Finn did, by taking a voice role in a del Toro film, and the risk paid off, because the film won an Oscar, and Finn’s performance was praised, which is a achievement that few young actors can claim, and one that Finn is proud of, because it showed that he could do more than live-action, that he could do animation, and that his voice, like his face, could carry a character, which is a versatility that will serve him well, in the years to come.
In the same year, 2022, Finn played Ziggy, a teenager who makes music, in When You Finish Saving the World, a drama directed by Jesse Eisenberg, about a mother and son who are both trying to connect with others, and the film, which was a small, intimate drama, gave Finn a role that was very different from Mike or Trevor, because Ziggy was a boy who was self-absorbed, who was trying to be a musician, and who was learning, slowly, to care about someone other than himself, and Finn played him with a honesty that made the character feel real, even when he was unlikeable, which is a skill that few actors possess, because it requires the actor to find the humanity in a character who is not always likeable, and to show it without excusing the character’s flaws, which is exactly what Finn did, and the film, though it was small, was praised by critics, and Finn’s performance was called one of the best of the year, because it showed a young actor who was willing to play a character who was not a hero, who was flawed, and who was growing, which is a brave choice, and one that Finn made, because he understands that the interesting characters are often the flawed ones, and that the audience, when it sees a flawed character played honestly, believes him, which is a lesson that Finn has learned well, and that he will carry into his future roles, which are likely to be more complex, more adult, and more challenging, as he grows from a teen star into an adult actor, which is a transition that many young actors fail, because the audience cannot see them as anything but the teenager they played, yet Finn has a chance to succeed, because his talent, his choices and his maturity are all evident, and the directors who have worked with him have praised his professionalism, his preparation and his willingness to learn, which are the qualities that the industry values, and that will keep him working, long after Stranger Things has ended, which is a future that Finn, who is still in his early twenties, has time to build, one role at a time, with the same care, the same honesty and the same love of stories that brought him here, from Vancouver to Hawkins to the world, and back again.
Music, Directing and Life After Stranger Things
Finn Wolfhard’s music career has run alongside his acting, and it deserves attention, because he is not only an actor who plays music but a musician in his own right, who plays the guitar, writes songs and performs, and whose musical talent was evident long before Stranger Things, when he played in bands in Vancouver and performed at school. He formed the band Calpurnia in 2017, with friends from Vancouver, and the band released an EP, Scout, in 2018, and toured, playing indie rock that was influenced by bands like The Beatles, The Strokes and Mac DeMarco, and the band’s music, which was catchy, heartfelt and youthful, showed a musician who was still finding his sound, yet who had a voice, a guitar style and a songwriting ability that were genuine, and that the audience, particularly his Stranger Things fans, followed, because they discovered his music through the show, and they stayed to hear more. Calpurnia disbanded in 2019, and Finn formed a new band, The Aubreys, with his former Calpurnia bandmate Malcolm Craig, and the band released an album, Soda and Pie, in 2020, and an EP, Karaoke Alone, in 2021, and the music, which was more mature, more experimental and more personal, showed a musician who was growing, who was learning, and who was willing to take risks, which is a quality that Finn has shown in his acting as well, and that the audience respects, because it says, this person is not only an actor, but an artist, who cares about music, and who will keep making it, whether or not it is famous, which is a form of integrity that the music industry needs more of, and that Finn has in abundance, because he makes music because he loves it, not because it will make him famous, which is a distinction that matters, and one that his fans understand, because they can hear, in his songs, a person who is honest, who is thoughtful, and who is trying to say something, which is a rare quality in pop music, and one that Finn possesses, which is why his music career, though it is smaller than his acting career, is significant, because it shows a different side of him, the side that is a musician, a songwriter and a performer, and that side, which is personal, will likely become a larger part of his career, as he grows older, and as the acting roles change, because music, unlike acting, is something a person can do for themselves, without a director, without a script, only with a guitar and a song, which is a freedom that Finn values, and that he will keep, long after Stranger Things has ended.
In 2023 Finn co-directed, with his friend Billy Bryk, the horror comedy Hell of a Summer, a film about a group of camp counsellors who are stalked by a killer, and the film, which was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, was a directorial debut for both Finn and Billy, and it showed a filmmaker who is interested in horror, in comedy, and in the experience of being young, which are the subjects that Finn knows best, because he has lived them, as a teenager in Vancouver, as a star on Stranger Things, and as a musician in Calpurnia and The Aubreys, and the film’s humour, its scares and its heart, all came from that experience, which is why it felt authentic, even when it was absurd, because the audience could tell that the filmmakers understood the world they were depicting, which is a quality that many first-time directors lack, because they imitate other films, while Finn and Billy made a film that was their own, which is a brave choice, and one that paid off, because the film was praised for its energy, its humour and its performances, and it showed that Finn, who had spent a decade acting for other directors, was ready to direct himself, which is a transition that many actors attempt, and that few manage well, yet Finn, who has always been thoughtful, seems likely to manage it, because he understands story, image and performance, which are the three elements of directing, and he has learned them from the best, from the Duffer brothers to Guillermo del Toro to Jesse Eisenberg, which is an education that no film school can provide, and that Finn has received, one set at a time, for more than a decade, which is why his future as a director, as well as an actor and a musician, is bright, and why the next chapter of his career, whatever it is, will probably be as surprising as the last one, because Finn Wolfhard has never done the expected thing twice, and he is still, in his early twenties, learning, growing and surprising audiences who thought they knew what he could do.
What the Career Adds Up To
Looked at as a whole, Finn Wolfhard’s career has a shape that is easy to miss if you only remember Stranger Things, because it is the shape of a person who began as a boy in Vancouver who loved films, became an actor at eleven, played Mike Wheeler for nine years, played Richie Tozier, Trevor Spengler, Candlewick and Ziggy, formed two bands, and co-directed a film, and who did it all before he was twenty-three, which is a remarkable achievement, and one that few actors, of any age, can match, because it shows a person who is not only talented but curious, hardworking and willing to take risks, which are the qualities that define a lasting career, not a brief fame. He has played a boy in Hawkins, a clown’s victim, a Ghostbuster, a puppet and a musician, and each of those characters was different, yet each of them was played with the same warmth, humour and vulnerability that made Mike work, which is a consistency that the audience recognises, and loves, because it says, this actor is real, and the characters he plays are real, which is the highest compliment an audience can pay, and one that Finn has earned, one role at a time, from Vancouver to Hawkins to the world, and back again. The through-line is not fame but stories, because Finn Wolfhard has always loved stories, as a boy who watched films, as an actor who tells them, as a musician who sings them, and as a director who makes them, and that love, which is the foundation of his career, is what will carry him for many years to come, because the person who loves stories will always find new ones to tell, and Finn, who is still in his early twenties, has many stories left to tell, which is a future worth watching, and a career worth following, one role, one song and one film at a time.
The Young Star Who Grew Up in Public
There is one more part of Finn Wolfhard’s story that deserves attention, and it is the way he has grown up in public, because he became famous at thirteen, as Mike Wheeler, and he has spent his entire adolescence in the public eye, which is a difficult way to grow up, yet he has handled it with a steadiness that is worth admiring, because he has not had a public breakdown, he has not courted controversy, and he has not seemed to need the audience’s love in order to feel valuable, which is a maturity that many older actors lack, and that Finn, who is still in his early twenties, already possesses, because he grew up in a household where stories were work, and work was to be taken seriously, and that seriousness, which he brought to Mike Wheeler, is the reason the character worked, and the reason Finn has lasted, while other child stars have faded, because the child star who understands that fame is not the goal, but the work is, is the child star who will survive, and Finn understands it, which is why his career, which began at eleven, is still growing, at twenty-two, and will continue to grow, as he becomes an adult actor, a musician and a director, which is a future that is bright, and that the audience, which has watched him grow up, will follow, because they have invested in him, not only as Mike, but as Finn, a person who is talented, thoughtful and real, which is a rare combination, and one that deserves to be celebrated, because it shows that a young actor can survive fame, can grow up in public, and can come out of it with his sense of self intact, which is a rarer achievement than fame itself, and one that Finn Wolfhard has already achieved, at an age when most actors are just beginning.
My Take:
When I look at Finn Wolfhard’s career, the first thing that strikes me is the youth, because he became famous at thirteen, as Mike Wheeler, and he has spent his entire adolescence in the public eye, which is a difficult way to grow up, yet he has handled it with a steadiness that is worth admiring, because he has not had a public breakdown, he has not courted controversy, and he has not seemed to need the audience’s love in order to feel valuable, which is a maturity that many older actors lack. I think his most important decision was the decision to take Stranger Things, because it was a show that could easily have typecast him forever, as Mike, yet he took it, and the show ran for five seasons, over nine years, which gave him a global audience, a steady income and a platform, and the fact that he stayed with it, from thirteen to twenty-two, shows a loyalty and a professionalism that the industry respects, because many young actors leave a hit show early, thinking they can do better, and they are often wrong, while Finn stayed, and the show’s success, which lasted for nearly a decade, is partly due to his commitment to it. Mike Wheeler was a character who was the heart of the group, the boy who believed, who led, and who never gave up on his friend, and Finn played him with a warmth, a humour and a vulnerability that made Mike feel real, because Mike was not a hero in the usual sense, he was a boy who was scared, who made mistakes, and who kept going, which is a kind of heroism that is more relatable than the heroism of a superhero, because it is the heroism of an ordinary person, and Finn, who was thirteen when the show began, grew up with Mike, from a boy to a young man, and the parallel, between the character’s growth and the actor’s, is part of why the audience loved the show, because they were watching a young man become a man, in real time, which is a rare experience in television.
The It performance deserves a closer look, because Richie Tozier was a character who was funny because he was frightened, and Finn played him with a skill that made Richie one of the film’s most loved characters, because the audience could see, in Richie, a boy who made jokes when he was scared, and who was brave because he was loyal to his friends, which is a kind of humour that Finn, who is himself funny, understood, and played with a precision that made Richie feel real, even in a film about a killer clown, which is a remarkable achievement, because the film’s horror could easily have swallowed a young actor, yet Finn held his own, and the audience remembered him, which is why he was brought back in It Chapter Two, as the young Richie, in flashbacks. I notice that the best Richie scenes are the ones where he is being funny and scared at the same time, where he makes a joke, and then looks frightened, and those scenes work because Finn understood that humour and fear are two sides of the same coin, and that a boy who jokes when he is scared is a boy who is trying to be brave, which is a universal experience, and one that Finn played with a honesty that made Richie feel like a real person, not a character, which is why the film, which earned hundreds of millions of dollars, is partly due to Finn, because the audience needed to believe in the Losers’ Club, in order to believe in the story, and Finn made them believe, which is a testament to his talent, at fourteen, which is a remarkable age to do it, and a sign of an actor who is going to last, because the actors who can be funny and scared, who can be brave and vulnerable, are the actors who will always be in demand.
What I admire most about Finn Wolfhard is the curiosity, because he is not only an actor but a musician and a director, and that curiosity, which has led him to form two bands, Calpurnia and The Aubreys, and to co-direct Hell of a Summer, shows a person who is interested in more than one art form, and who is willing to learn new skills, which is a rare quality in a young actor, because most young actors focus only on acting, while Finn has focused on music and directing as well, which is a breadth that will serve him well, as he grows older, because the actors who can do more than one thing are the actors who will always have work, and Finn, who can act, play guitar, write songs and direct, is one of them. His music, which is indie rock influenced by The Beatles, The Strokes and Mac DeMarco, shows a musician who is still finding his sound, yet who has a voice, a guitar style and a songwriting ability that are genuine, and that the audience, particularly his Stranger Things fans, have followed, because they discovered his music through the show, and they stayed to hear more, which is a loyalty that few musicians earn, and that Finn has earned, because his songs are honest, heartfelt and youthful, which is a combination that resonates with young listeners, who see in Finn a reflection of themselves, a young person trying to say something, which is a universal desire, and one that Finn expresses well, in both his acting and his music. There are limits to what he has done, and I should name them, because he has not yet had a leading role in a major film that defined him in the way that Stranger Things defined him on television, and his film career, though it includes It, Ghostbusters and Pinocchio, has been a series of supporting and ensemble roles rather than leading roles in major hits, which means the question of whether he can carry a film on his own, as a leading man, remains open, yet the fact that he carried Stranger Things for nine years suggests that he can, and that the industry simply has not given him the chance yet, which is a failure of the industry, not of the actor, because the actor who can hold a show together for nine years can hold a film together for two hours, and Finn is that actor.
For young actors, Finn Wolfhard’s career is a useful map, because it shows that the way to survive is to be versatile, to work in television and in film, in horror and in drama, in music and in directing, and to do each of them well, because versatility is insurance against the changes in the industry. His path, from Vancouver to The 100 to Stranger Things to It to Ghostbusters, is a path that many actors have taken, and the lesson of it is that the training matters, the small roles matter, and the willingness to audition for a show like Stranger Things matters, because the audition, which he took at thirteen, changed his life, and the actor who is willing to audition, to take a chance, is the actor who will be discovered. My honest view is that Finn Wolfhard is one of the most talented young actors working today, and that his career, taken as a whole, is stronger than any single role in it, because it is the story of a boy from Vancouver who became Mike Wheeler, Richie Tozier and Trevor Spengler, and who is now becoming a musician and a director, and who did it all before he was twenty-three, which is a story worth remembering. The work continues, and the next chapter, whether it is a film, an album or a directorial project, will probably be as surprising as the last one, because Finn Wolfhard has never done the expected thing twice, and he is still, in his early twenties, learning, growing and surprising audiences who thought they knew what he could do.
One more thing about Finn Wolfhard deserves to be said, and it is the way he has handled growing up in public, because he became famous at thirteen, and he has spent his entire adolescence in the public eye, yet he has handled it with a calm that suggests he knows who he is, and where he comes from, which is Vancouver, a family that taught him that stories are work, and a love of films that has never left him. He has kept his private life largely private, he has spoken about his work without turning it into a brand, and he has used his platform to speak about the issues that matter to him, without becoming a lecturer, which is a balance that many young celebrities fail to maintain. I think his directing work matters too, because Hell of a Summer, which he co-directed with Billy Bryk, showed a filmmaker who is interested in horror, in comedy, and in the experience of being young, which are the subjects that Finn knows best, and the film’s energy, humour and heart all came from that experience, which is why it felt authentic, even when it was absurd, because the audience could tell that the filmmakers understood the world they were depicting, which is a quality that many first-time directors lack, because they imitate other films, while Finn and Billy made a film that was their own, which is a brave choice, and one that paid off.
Finally, I want to say something about Ghostbusters: Afterlife, because it is the film that best shows Finn Wolfhard as a leading man in a franchise, and it deserves to be remembered not only as a sequel but as a performance, because Trevor Spengler was a teenager who discovered that his grandfather was a Ghostbuster, and who must save the town from ghosts, and Finn played him with a warmth, a humour and a vulnerability that made Trevor feel real, even in a film about ghosts, which is a remarkable achievement, because the film’s nostalgia could easily have swallowed a young actor, yet Finn held his own, and the audience remembered him, which is why he returned in Frozen Empire, and why the franchise, which is one of the most beloved in cinema, now includes Finn as a central part of it, which is a legacy that few young actors achieve, and one that Finn has earned, through talent, hard work and a love of stories that has never left him. My honest view is that his career is not finished, and that the best of it may still be ahead, because the roles for men in their twenties, the leaders, the musicians, the directors, are the roles he was born to play, and the curiosity and versatility he brings to them will make them memorable, long after the films themselves have ended. When those roles come, the story will change again, and Mike Wheeler will become something else, and that is a story worth waiting for, because it is the story of a person becoming himself in public, one role, one song and one film at a time, for more than a decade, and counting.
I also want to reflect on his voice work in Pinocchio, because it showed Finn in a different medium, animation, and the fact that Guillermo del Toro, one of the greatest directors in the world, chose him to voice Candlewick, a boy who is a bully, a fascist youth, and a character who is both funny and frightening, is a sign of trust, because del Toro does not cast lightly, and Finn’s performance, which was arrogant, insecure and ultimately sad, made Candlewick feel real, even though he was a puppet, which is a testament to Finn’s talent, and to his voice, which can convey a character with sound alone, without a face, without a body, only with his voice, which is a different skill from screen acting, and one that Finn mastered, at nineteen, which is a remarkable age to do it, and a sign of an actor who is going to last, because the actors who can do voice work, who can convey a character with sound alone, are the actors who will always be in demand, in animation, in games, and in audio, which is a growing industry, and one that Finn, with his distinctive voice, is well placed to work in, for many years to come.
One last thought on Finn Wolfhard concerns his music, because his bands, Calpurnia and The Aubreys, show a musician who is still finding his sound, yet who has a voice, a guitar style and a songwriting ability that are genuine, and I believe that music will become a larger part of his career, because the audience that discovered him through Stranger Things has followed his music, and the music, which is personal, heartfelt and youthful, is a contrast to the loud world of television, and that contrast is appealing, because it shows a different side of Finn, the side that is quiet, reflective and musical, which is a side that the acting world does not always see, because Mike Wheeler was loud, athletic and dramatic, while Finn the musician is soft, thoughtful and personal, and the contrast is part of what makes him interesting, because he contains both, and the audience, when it hears his music, discovers a person they did not know, which is a pleasure that few actors can give, and one that Finn gives, one song at a time.
Finally, I think Finn Wolfhard’s story offers a lesson about curiosity, because he is curious about acting, about music, about directing, and that curiosity, which has led him to try many things, is the foundation of his career, and the reason it has lasted, and will last, because the person who is curious will always find new things to learn, new stories to tell, and new audiences to reach, which is a future that is bright, and that Finn, who is still in his early twenties, has time to build, one role, one song and one film at a time, from Vancouver to Hawkins to the world, and back again, which is a story worth telling, because it shows that a young actor can survive fame, can grow up in public, and can come out of it with his sense of self intact, which is a rarer achievement than fame itself, and one that Finn Wolfhard has already achieved, at an age when most actors are just beginning, which is a triumph, and one that he has earned, through talent, hard work and a love of stories that has never left him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Finn Wolfhard born?
Finn Wolfhard was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 23 December 2002, to Eric Wolfhard, a screenwriter, and Mary.
Who did Finn Wolfhard play in Stranger Things?
He played Mike Wheeler, the leader of the group of boys in Hawkins, Indiana, whose best friend Will Byers disappears, in Stranger Things, which first aired on Netflix in July 2016.
Who did Finn Wolfhard play in It?
He played Richie Tozier, the foul-mouthed, funny teenager in the Losers’ Club, in It (2017), based on Stephen King’s novel, and returned as the young Richie in It Chapter Two (2019).
Who did Finn Wolfhard play in Ghostbusters: Afterlife?
He played Trevor Spengler, a teenager who discovers his grandfather was a Ghostbuster, in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and returned in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
What bands has Finn Wolfhard been in?
He formed the band Calpurnia in 2017, which released the EP Scout in 2018 and disbanded in 2019. He then formed The Aubreys with Malcolm Craig, releasing the album Soda and Pie in 2020.
Who did Finn Wolfhard voice in Pinocchio?
He voiced Candlewick in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
What film did Finn Wolfhard co-direct?
He co-directed the horror comedy Hell of a Summer (2023) with his friend Billy Bryk, shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Who did Finn Wolfhard play in When You Finish Saving the World?
He played Ziggy, a teenager who makes music, in When You Finish Saving the World (2022), directed by Jesse Eisenberg.
