Every state’s Stranger Things fun fact

West Virginia: Joe Chrest (again)

Stranger Things and West Virginia may not seem like they have a lot in common, but while that’s partly true, they have at least one thing that’s similar and that’s Joe Chrest, that actor that plays Ted Wheeler. He is from St. Albans, West Virginia and plays Mike, Nancy, and Holly’s dad on the show.

Besides Stranger Things, he has been in the Looking for Alaska mini-series, The Purge TV series, the 21 Jump Street movies, and was in the absolute perfection that was season 1 of True Detective. He was even in the final film of The Hunger Games franchise.

While he might not be the most interesting character as Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things, he clearly has some range based on the other roles he’s played.

As Ted Wheeler, he represents the part of the town that has no idea what’s going on with Demogorgons and Mind Flayers. Eleven is in his basement and yet he thinks Hawkins is just like every other small town in America.

People are dying around him, being mind flayed, and the Russians are invading the mall, but for Ted Wheeler, it’s just another Fourth of July. I don’t know which would be better, knowing there were monsters all over your town and being responsible for stopping them or living in ignorant bliss.