Joe Keery leads a double life. On Netflix’s Stranger Things, he plays the fan favourite Steve Harrington, the foe-turned-friend of the kids of Hawkins, and one corner of the seasons-long love triangle between Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton). But to a slightly different legion of fans, he’s Djo: the solo artist who just wrapped a 70- date worldwide tour, selling out iconic venues like two nights at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre just days before this interview. Music has always been at the heart of Keery’s life. He parted ways with his first band, Post Animal, when Stranger Things became a far bigger phenomenon than he ever anticipated. But for this tour, things came full circle. Keery reunited with his old bandmates, inviting them as his support act. But he doesn’t get to rest just yet. As his life on the road settles down, millions of others will be settling in to watch one of the most anticipated final seasons in recent memory. For fans who’ve been with Stranger Things since the beginning, it’s the closing chapter of a story nearly a decade in the making.

Barry Pierce: I’ve watched the first few episodes of the new season of Stranger Things, and it really hit me – this is a show I’ve been following for almost a decade now. That’s wild to think about. And that’s just from my perspective as a viewer. You’ve actually been living inside this world for all those years. How are you dealing with this decade-long project coming to an end?
Joe Keery: Yeah, there’s no rulebook for how to deal with such a thing. It’s almost more of a school-like experience than a job at this point. In terms of my involvement on the project, it’s pretty much done. Last December, when we were wrapping out, I was going through sort of what I imagine you are going through, where you’re watching this thing and experiencing it for the last time. It’s wild to be part of something that lasts that long. I mean, as an actor, you’re lucky to get any job, let alone a job that lasts for [nine years]. The whole time we were filming, I was just trying to soak it up and feel the community that we’ve built for as long as we have. I don’t really feel it now, but when it becomes the time where we’d usually start filming the next season and that doesn’t happen, that’s when I’ll start to feel like, oh, okay, it’s really, actually over.

BP: There were some pretty big gaps between the seasons. The last one came out almost three and a half years ago. You must have found yourself in situations where you’re playing Steve for however many months it takes to film a season, then going back to your normal life for a couple of years, and then returning to reembody the character. What is that kind of schedule like for you as an actor? Did you ever have to go back and watch episodes of the show to remind yourself where things left off?
JK: There’s definitely a little bit of that. I’m not rewatching a ton of the show, to be honest with you. But each time you go back to it, I found that it becomes more difficult because you’re a little bit further away from where you were when you first started the job. This time definitely felt like the biggest stretch of time between seasons. So that was a little tougher at the beginning, but I think just being in the group is what makes it. That’s the dynamic and the tone of the show; it’s the group of people. So once you spend time together and get back into it, it becomes second nature.

BP: I know it’s pretty much impossible to talk about the actual events of this season of Stranger Things, but what can you tell us about Steve this time around? What kind of role does he play?
JK: Oh, man, it’s kind of difficult to say anything, like you said. I think for me, it was learning about how the person who he has been up to this point deals with the maturing of the younger people around him. Having this big brother role was important for him and important for the show, and I think it’s cool to see how that dynamic changes while the other characters are growing up. That was something that I really liked, and something in real life that was really fun for me, too. My relationships with the younger cast changed as they got older, just because they became adults.

BP: When you were filming, since everyone knew it was the last time, did it feel different? Was there a sense on set that this might be one of the last times you’d all be together?
JK: Definitely. But I didn’t personally feel the weight of it, really, until the last schedule came out. You get your last one-liner, and you’re like, “OK, so I have this, then this, and then that’s the last day of work. Oh my God, whoa. OK, I have four more days.”

BP: On your final day of filming, were you finishing your schedule on your own, or was there a group of you wrapping up at the same time?
JK: I had a group of people. But when we finished, we all stuck around for other people’s last days. Even when we were done, we were still coming to work, seeing everybody on set, and just being there for the other cast.

“We all stuck around for other people’s last days. Even when we were done, we were still coming to work, seeing everybody on set, and just being there for the other cast.”

BP: I want to talk a bit more about that filming schedule, because you said you were filming this season for a year. That really feels like an experience like no other. How did you actually survive that?
JK: You just buckle in and do it. We all knew that it was going to be the better part of a year or so. I had a really great living situation in Atlanta with some friends who I love. I knew it was going to be my last time being down there. So, you just have to say: this is my life. Stranger Things is my life. And it was a great year. But people don ’t really understand the amount of difference between shooting a film and a television show. I mean, you shoot a two-hour film and it takes six, seven, eight months to shoot. Sometimes, you go back and you reshoot. These guys are shooting ten hours in a year. And they re not sparing anything in terms of production values. They’re going full movie mode. It’s unbelievable what they’ve been able to achieve.

BP: When the show began, it very much followed a traditional format, with roughly forty-minute episodes packed neatly into a season. But as it progressed, it grew into something much bigger. Most episodes ran well over an hour, and the most recent season finale was almost two and a half hours long. Each episode became its own movie. Was there any indication at the beginning that the show was headed in that direction?
JK: No, not really. I couldn’t see further than, you know, hand in front of my face. At the time, I was just excited to be employed. I didn’t really think of how long the job would go or anything like that. There was no indication about the size of the show or that it would continue to expand and find new audiences.

BP: Do you think you would have been apprehensive about joining the show if you had known how it was going to turn out?
JK: Maybe. I’m kind of a private guy. Sometimes I get worried if I’m boxed in too much. So maybe I would have felt that way. But, man, it hasn’t been anything like that. It’s really just opened doors and allowed me to not only explore this interest, but like my music, I definitely wouldn’t have probably been able to do that if it wasn’t for this.

BP: Is there any part of you that’s thankful that it’s all over? You’ve spent so much time associated with one project, now you can have a whole new sense of freedom?
JK: Well, yeah, I think all good things must come to an end. And it does open some space in my life. I think it’s exciting in that way. But it’s definitely bittersweet knowing that I’m not going to be able to go back to those people, really. That’s what I’ll miss most about it, not being able to see and work with these people who… We all created something that’s really unique, and that doesn’t happen every day.

“That’s what I’ll miss most about [Stranger Things], not being able to see and work with these people… We all created something that’s really unique, and that doesn’t happen every day.”

BP: I’m intrigued by this dual actor/musical career you have going on. So, you had your first band, Post Animal, before you joined Stranger Things. When you then auditioned for the show, was it then a case of, “Let’s see where this goes” – which way did you think your career was going to go?
JK: I had no idea. I’m just a guy who likes to work, I guess. I don’t want to be sitting around and not doing anything. I was living in Chicago and working in a restaurant. I was going for auditions and booking some things. I did a couple of commercials and I was saving some money, which was great. I was also playing in this band. Through the restaurant, I met my great friend Matt. He introduced me to all these guys and we started playing music together. I was kind of doing both and hoping that one of them would work out. I went to school for theatre, so that was a live performance [experience] that went away after I graduated. Live music filled that void for me.

BP: Even though you went to theatre school, does it surprise you that acting has actually become such a huge part of your life?
JK: Absolutely! What’s the percentage of people who go to school for acting that are actually doing it? I’d say it’s very slim. I still feel like it’s hard for me to fully grasp what has gone down.

BP: What music did you listen to growing up?
JK: I listened to a lot of different stuff. Both my parents loved Bruce Springsteen. That was a big touchstone for me. And they love The Beatles, obviously, and Bob Dylan. My mom really loves The Who, James Taylor, John Denver. My dad likes The J. Geils Band, The Cars, Boston. Frank Sinatra was [played] in our house a bunch. Then I slowly started pulling in maybe a little bit more, like, hard rock. AC/DC or Black Sabbath or Rush. And then, Daft Punk, simultaneously. But, to be honest, I liked music, but I wasn’t some virtuoso kid who was always playing an instrument. I think I’ve always had a real need to be creative that was fostered through the Montessori school I attended, River Valley Charter School. It had a massive impact on enabling me to nurture those creative feelings in myself. It was all about independent learning and allowing the students to lead the way.

BP: Tell me about the origins of Djo.
JK: I’d been working with Post Animal until I did Stranger Things. I went down to Atlanta and got caught up in the show. It was pretty clear that the band was on this road where they were about to start touring and opening for other bands, and they couldn’t just hold this spot for me while I worked on the show. So I was kind of like, “I guess I’ve got to leave the band.” And also, there were a bunch of Stranger Things people turning up to their shows. It was weird. So during the second season, I was like, “OK, I’m gonna be in Atlanta for, like, six months. I know this now, having done the first season.” So I bought a car with the money I’d made and packed it up with my dad with all my recording stuff. Me and my dad got 30 minutes out of Chicago, and the car broke down. So I had to rent a car, and we repacked the car at the side of some dealership. I drove down and set up the attic of the Airbnb I was staying at as a very lo-fi recording studio. Basically, there wasn’t even a real desk. Just two sawhorses, a chair I found on the road, and my Scarlett interface. I did it because, again, I knew I was going to have some off time. I knew I liked to fill my time with writing and recording music, and then just did a bunch of that. Eventually, I had so much material that I was like, “What am I going to do? Maybe I’ll do a solo project.” So I reached out to my friend Adam, whose band had played with Post Animal, and he’s this amazing producer, mixer guy. I brought him the finished album and asked if he’d like to help mix it and bring it over the finish line. We worked on it together, and then we put it out. Easy as that. It was this thing that happened simultaneously with the show because you’d often shoot for a day and then you’d have four days off. Or you shoot for three days and then you have a week off. What am I going to do in Atlanta for a whole week? I don’t know anybody. The only friends I have here are from the show, and they’re working. So I had to fill my time with something, and this is what I filled my time with.

BP: How do the sounds differ between Post Animal and Djo?
JK: I guess it’s nice to have autonomy over a project. I really enjoy that. But you know, we just worked on this other Post Animal record together, and looking back, it’s really fun to be part of a band and to have it not only be your voice, but to have everybody in the driver’s seat. I think it takes a certain amount of killing your own ego to sit back and let other people drive, which was harder, I think, when I was younger. Now, I’m a little more excited to do that. But the sounds – I learned a lot from those guys. At least starting out, the sounds are actually quite similar. I think because we all kind of grew up in the psych rock, garage rock, indie scene in Chicago, we have similar touchstones. But Djo doesn’t have the flavour that all those guys bring. You know, they bring a certain flavour. I think I may lean a little more, especially on this last record, toward more traditionally, classic 70s rock.

“It takes a certain amount of killing your own ego to sit back and let other people drive, which was harder, I think, when I was younger. Now, I’m a little more excited to do that.”

BP: You’ve just finished up touring with that latest album, The Crux. What was that like? I looked up your tour dates online and it feels like you’ve been on tour for the whole year.
JK: I know, we went pent-up, because we had never really toured. So it was like, this is the record, this is the time we have, there are no acting jobs right now. Let’s go! So we just went for it. It was basically another year-long project. I flew to Chicago on the second of January to start rehearsals and then we finished three days ago.

BP: You really love huge projects that take over whole years of your life. [both laugh]
JK: It’s fun! I mean, if what you’re doing for work is really fun, then it’s really fun to work. This music project has been so great because, again, it’s like you’re surrounded by your friends, you know? We have a lot of history together, and doing a tour like this is something I missed out on. I didn’t get this in my early twenties, but the guys did. So bringing this new group together, and also the old group together, then we all do this kind of bigger tour and get to play in these cool rooms and visit different countries. I’m going to be thinking about this year probably until I ’m dead.

BP: On top of all that, weren’t you just nominated for a Brit Award? What was that like?
JK: It’s awesome. I grew up in the States so I didn’t even really know about the Brits until I was midway through my twenties, but it was so cool to be part of a cultural thing like that. Getting to see all the other artists and performers – it was a real honour.

BP: I mean the category you were in was kind of insane. You were up against Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Like, sure, why not!?
JK: In those moments, you’ve just got to be like: “Well, this is silly, huh?”

BP: I know your immediate plan is to rest for a little while but what’s next for you? Will it be more music or is it an acting gig?
JK: I guess both! I mean, to no surprise, after a year of not recording anything, I’m definitely itching to record again. And then I think all this time playing music and touring has really made me pretty hungry to find an exciting film project. I plan on continuing to do both, as long as people will let me get away with it.

Interview originally published in The HERO Winter Annual 2025. 

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