‘Stranger Things’ Fans Stunned to Discover One Character Was Played by Twins

Stranger Things fans were recently surprised to learn that one of the show’s youngest characters was played by twin actresses. Holly Wheeler, the little sister of Mike and Nancy, was originally portrayed by Anniston and Tinsley Price. The twins shared a heartfelt look back at their time on the show, posting a video montage of behind-the-scenes moments with stars like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Carla Buono.

The revelation that Holly was played by twins caught many viewers off guard. TikTok fans expressed their shock, with one commenting, “THERE’S TWO?!” and another writing, “Wait, like the Holly from Stranger Things has a twin?” Others admitted they had never noticed, saying, “How did I not notice?!”

The twins played Holly from the show’s start in 2016 through the fourth season. Because Holly had few lines and was very young, the role didn’t require much acting beyond what the children naturally did on set.

@thepricetwins We adored season 1 of Stranger Things, and we hope you enjoy some behind the scenes taken during our first season. We were 3, and the Stranger Things universe was just starting. From our first day to the wrap party, we loved every moment! #strangerthingsseason1 #behindthescenes #hollywheelerstrangerthings #strangerthingsbehindthescenes #pricetwins ♬ Where'd All the Time Go? – Dr. Dog

For the fifth and final season, the character of Holly was recast. Actress Nell Fisher took over as the role became more central to the story. Co-creator Matt Duffer explained to SFX that the change was necessary, saying, “Once you see the full season, you’ll have a better understanding of why it was so important to add her to the cast.”

Ross Duffer also spoke to Variety about the decision, noting that Holly had very little dialogue in previous seasons. He said, “Even Season 1, when we’re filming her, it was basically whatever one of the young twins would do, we would just try to capture it in real time.” He added that Nell brought a stronger personality to the character, “As we found Nell, who’s such a character […] we started infusing Nell’s personality into Holly.”

Matt Duffer admitted there were concerns about the recast. He explained, “It is not like she had to look identical to the twins who were playing Holly in the past, but she had to resemble them enough that you weren’t totally confused. But more important than that, they have to be an incredible actor.”

Executive producer Shawn Levy also shared that the Duffer Brothers wanted to make Holly a bigger part of the final season. He told TUDUM, “Many, many years ago, we had two 3-year-old twins play Holly […] this time around, there was both an opportunity, but also a necessity, to find someone to play Holly who is around the same age — that innocent, defining age — that our kids were when this started.”

Despite fans being sad to see the twins leave, Anniston and Tinsley were supportive of Nell taking over. They posted on Instagram, “Can’t wait to see where you take our girl, Holly. We know it’s going to be amazing!”

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