Stranger Things stunt coordinator Hiro Koda shares season 3 challenges and more

Stranger Things 3 stunt coordinator Hiro Koda exclusive interview

Stranger Things 3 featured the biggest and most intense season of the series yet, and it relied heavily on major action sequences and fights.

Hiro Koda was the stunt coordinator and second unit director for Stranger Things season 3. In this exclusive interview, Koda talks season 3 challenges, behind the scenes coordination, and much more.

We sat down with Hiro to discuss the most challenging stunts faced in Stranger Things 3, Netflix’s most popular and successful season yet. Also, he discusses what it’s like working with the Duffer brothers, Shawn Levy, and the rest of the cast and crew!

Netflix Life: When did you first get involved with Stranger Things? 

Koda: I came onto Stranger Things season 3. I started at the tail end of the first episode. That’s when I came on board.

NL: What was the first challenging stunt that you faced?  

Koda: Well, everything is a challenge on that show. It’s such a crazy, exciting show and everything is very challenging. The first sequence I was involved with that was pretty heavy was the sauna sequence with Dacre (Billy).

It was a good challenge and a lot of fun. Shawn Levy was directing that episode and he’s very on top of everything. The challenge was, Billy was shirtless. So having Eleven throw him around in the sauna shirtless was a little bit of a challenge. But we created so interesting rigs to be able to throw him around.

We shot the interior part on a sound stage but used an actual location with the pool for the outside sequence.

NL: What was the most challenging stunt in all of season 3? 

Koda: Everything’s a challenge, but I love the challenge. And designing action is a passion of mine and being able to create things. With a show like Stranger Things and the creatures they have, it’s a challenge having the actors interact with something that’s not there.

A challenging sequence was at Starcourt Mall when we did the t-bone. When Steve crashed into Billy’s car. That was a big one that took a lot of time and prep prior to because we only had one shot at it.

So we had to work in all the details and calculations of where the cars were going to go because once the cars crash we want to make sure that A) it made it on camera and B) everything landed where it was going to be, and everybody needed to be safe in the whole situation.

In the early stages, we were going back and forth on if we were going to do this CGI or practical. Everybody wanted to do it practical, and I told them we absolutely can do it practical. We had five cameras running on that, and once I called action, it was really tense on set. My team was incredible. Everything came out perfect.

NL: Which actor does his/her stunts most and really embraces the roll? 

Koda: Well, I always have stunt doubles for everybody when they’re doing intense stunts just because if somebody does go wrong and somebody does get hurt, it’s not worth it because if a cast member gets hurt, the show is shut down. Safety is my number one priority. I don’t want anybody to get hurt.

I let them check it out and watch the stunt double do it, and they’ll say either they feel like they can or can’t do that. Everybody wants to do their own stunts of course, but I have to pull a lot of them back and explain why I can’t let them do it and they’re like, “oh, okay you’re right.”

David Harbour is very involved with a lot of the fights. We would bring him in for rehearsal. David obviously gives us his opinion and if he wants to change something. He gets very involved and is very comfortable with fights. He works very well with the stunt team. He likes to fight the stunt double versus the actor. David is very good at what he does.

He and Andre, who played Grigori, for the finale sequence we shot. It was a very long sequence. It was a huge massive fight. I was very proud of them for that sequence. I mean they went through top to bottom and very proud of everybody for that sequence.

NL: What is it like working with the Duffer brothers? 

Koda: Man, the Duffer brothers are incredible. The vibe that they bring onto the set is amazing. They’re so well prepared. Their writing is so incredible and I love reading their scripts. And dive into what they’re trying to accomplish.

When you get on set and you have these intense scenes, they play this music and get the cast and crew amped and really into the moment. Those guys are so cool to work with, and it was an honor to second unit direct for those guys.

NL: The final episode had some epic scenes packed with action. What was the most challenging scene to shoot in that final episode?

Koda: The fight with Hopper and Grigori was a massive fight. It took four days to shoot that sequence. The biggest challenge that we had in that, we were running first and second unit at the same time, and David was needed on both units. So it was difficult working out the scheduling. He would shoot with us for half a day then shoot over to first unit right after.

Poor Andre, an amazing actor. He loved the stunt team. But he would work all day, half a day with David doing all his work with him, then David would shoot off to first unit and Andre would have to work with the stunt double the rest of the day. He would just hang out with us all day.

We even shot some of the finale fight and then jumped to the funhouse fight with the punching bags, then the mirror room, and then went back to the final fight.

I was very proud of those guys for what they accomplished. I just made sure I was keeping the vision of what the Duffer brothers wanted to see in the final edit as well.

NL: Millie Bobby Brown posted a video to her Instagram of her on wires spinning nonstop. Can you talk about that and what that stunt entailed?  

Koda: They wanted to create something where she was flying the void in a certain way. Ultimately, in the end, it ended up being something completely different where they didn’t use much at all of that.

But we brought the stunt double in, and I created this rig with a harness and a spinning rig on it. She was able to be kind of lifted up and down, and she’s able to flip twist and turn in all types of directions on her own.

We brought Millie in for some rehearsals, and she had a blast. It was kinda like a roller coaster for her. But she created her own stuff on it and she had a good time.

NL: What is it like seeing the kid actors grow and mature not only in life but in their acting careers as well? 

Koda: I was only there for season 3, but when I look back to season one ’til now, it’s such a huge difference. Just in what they look like, listening to them and even their voices. They grow fast and they’re getting older.

The Duffer brothers do a great job going along with the storyline of their age. The kids are great. They’re a lot of fun to work with and very professional. I love when we get to work with them and do stunts with them.

NL: What did you not only enjoy most but took away from being so hands-on with such an accomplished show?

Koda: Being able to work with the Duffer brothers and Shawn Levy and being able to be the director and able to have that experience. Being able to direct the finale sequence. I had David Harbour on my unit and I was directing him. That was incredible. That was such a huge honor for me.

NL: Throughout your time with the series, is there a story or moment that made you laugh or step back and say “wow” that you can share with us?  

Koda: Coming into season 3, it’s interesting when you come onto a new show as a new stunt coordinator. Shows that have gone for many seasons, they build a family. People who have been there from the beginning have a new stunt coordinator coming in for season 3. I wasn’t there for the first two seasons. But that cast and crew took me in like I was family and just made me feel right at home. It was a beautiful thing to be apart of, and I was proud to be apart of it.

Stranger Things is currently on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. The show was a few weeks into production on season 4 when Netflix stopped filming on all shows and movies.

We don’t know when the series will return to production, but we’ll let you know as soon as that happens.