Why Joe Keery didn’t think Steve would make it to see Stranger Things season 4

Can you imagine Netflix’s global sci-fi phenomenon Stranger Things without Steve Harrington? Well, as it turns out, Joe Keery initially wasn’t even sure whether or not Steve would make it past the first season. How crazy is that?!

Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington has got to be one of the biggest fan-favorites of the show, but when the actor appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on July 18, the 30-year-old Free Guy actor revealed that he thought he wouldn’t even make it past the first season.

Looking back on the early days of Stranger Things, the actor thought his character Steve was merely going to be the “jerky boyfriend,” comparing him to James Spader’s character Steff in Pretty in Pink, but to his surprise, his role evolved into a lot more.

Before he booked his breakout role in Stranger Things, Joe told the host that he had been working as a “charismatic” waiter and would film audition tapes with his pal and co-worker in between shifts. After originally auditioning for another role in the show, he didn’t end up hearing anything for three months before finally being called back in to read. Once on the job, the actor confessed it was “day-to-day” for him on set.

Each time the Duffer Brothers presented him with more material, Joe was genuinely surprised.

“I read one, maybe, episode of the show – two episodes,” Joe explained. “And it was kind of like a – we read three episodes, and then they had two more. It was really, they were building it out as we were going. It was day to day.”

Watch the full interview with Stranger Things actor Joe Keery below.

Stranger Things season 4 received 13 Emmy nominations, including outstanding drama series, this time around. However, the 22 actors whose names were submitted for nominations were snubbed by the Television Academy voters! We’re sure one day Joe Keery will be among the Emmy or Golden Globe nominees. Whether or not that’ll be for Stranger Things is another question.