Why Holly Wheeler Was Recast In Stranger Things Season 5

Holly Wheeler looks a little bit different in "Stranger Things" season 5. That's because the character was recast, with Nell Fisher stepping in to replace twins Anniston and Tinsley Price, who portrayed her in the first four seasons of the show. With that in mind, why did creators Matt and Ross Duffer choose to bring in someone new instead of sticking with the original actors?

Netflix's sci-fi horror series debuted when its younger cast members were all kids, but most of them are grown up now. This forced the Duffers and their team to de-age certain "Stranger Things" actors for season 5, but they also felt it was important to work with legitimate child performers again. But even though the Prices are technically younger Fisher, their shared role in "Stranger Things" didn't require them to do much acting. Fisher, meanwhile, was appointed after Holly's role was upgraded, allowing the creatives on "Stranger Things" to restore some of the feeling from the show's yesteryear. As Matt Duffer told SFX (via LadBible):

"We wanted to recapture some of the feeling of season 1, and some of that you can't recapture unless you have kids, because our kids are not kids any more. They're not close to being kids any more. So,it was really fun to add Holly and her classmates into the show, because it allowed us to recapture some of that feeling."

"Stranger Things" season 5 sees Holly become more of a significant character, and Fisher deserves credit for that. In fact, the Duffers knew she was born to play the youngest Wheeler kid before they even met her.

Matt Duffer knew that they'd found their star after seeing Nell Fisher in the trailer for "Evil Dead Rise." He hadn't even watched the movie at the time, but the few clips of her from the teaser was enough to convince him she was the one. Unfortunately, he forgot about her shortly afterward. Luckily, his colleagues brought Fisher back into his orbit soon after, and the rest is history. As he explained to Variety:

"[Our casting director] Carmen [Cuba] found her, brought her to us, and I was like, 'I knew this like six months ago.' That would've saved us a lot of time."

After meeting Fisher, the Duffer siblings were inspired to change Holly's personality. During the aforementioned interview, they revealed that the youngest Wheeler child was originally supposed to be quite shy and introverted, but Fisher's outgoing personality convinced them to add some color to her on-screen persona.

As understandable as the Duffers' reasons for recasting Holly are, some "Stranger Things" fans might be wondering what happened to Anniston and Tinsley Price. Now that they are free to focus on other projects, can viewers expect to see them in anything any time soon? Don't bank on it.

Anniston and Tinsley Price are still young enough to play Holly Wheeler on "Stranger Things," but do they even want to anymore? While the Duffer Brothers have explained why they cast Nell Fisher, it's worth noting that the twins have seemingly retired from acting. The news was confirmed via social media, but the Price siblings have yet to share any fruitful details on the matter.

Be that as it may, Anniston and Tinsley have given their blessing to Fisher to carry the torch forward. The "Evil Dead Rise" star shared a clip of her predecessors' "Stranger Things" performances on Instagram, prompting a kind response from the O.G. Holly stars:

"Can't wait to see where you take our girl, Holly. We know it's going to be amazing!"

It's unclear if the Price sisters' retirement forced the Duffers into casting a new Holly. It's also possible that the creators felt it was time for a change after upgrading the character's role. However, it seems that there is no bad blood between anyone, and the twins are still supportive of the Netflix series.