Theatre shapes young actors and moulds them in a way that allows them to explore different facets of themselves and take what they’ve learned into the next stage of their career, whether that be on stage or onscreen. And that’s exactly why so many audiences were — and still are — utterly gripped after seeing rising actor Louis McCartney‘s debut on the West End in Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
When I chat with Louis McCartney, it’s been about eight months since he first took the stage in Stranger Things: The First Shadow as Henry Creel. For audiences of the beloved show, Henry’s name is synonymous with the wicked Vecna, a humanoid being with psychic powers who has been causing terror across Hawkins and the Upside Down. But McCartney’s version of the character provides new insight into the monster audiences think they know, bringing an unforeseen naivety and vulnerability to a character that many might’ve already written off as the villain. Although McCartney himself would chalk most of that up to Director Stephen Daldry direction and writer Kate Trefry, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role as Creel that would bring the same depth and deftness that McCartney can.
Phoenix Theatre, London
