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The Stranger Things star once again ventures into the world of the supernatural in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the long-awaited sequel to the hit ’80s movies.
FINN’S PHANTOMS
Finn (18) is best known for playing Mike Wheeler in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. But when he auditioned for Ghostbusters he didn’t know what movie he was trying out for. All he knew was that it would be directed by Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original Ghostbusters.
“I didn’t know what [the movie] was,” he says. “I was kind of thinking, in the days after, I was like, ‘I wonder why it’s so secretive. I wonder why there’s such a big codename behind it’.”
Even the scene used for the audition gave nothing away.
“It wasn’t a scene with action or anything. It wasn’t talking about ghosts. It was just a scene between an older brother and a little sister.”
When he eventually found out it was Ghostbusters he’d
auditioned for, Finn didn’t think he’d get the role because he thought Reitman would
be put off by an episode of Stranger Things in which he wore a Ghostbusters
costume.
“I’d worn the [Ghostbusters] costume in an episode and I thought, ‘Okay. Maybe Jason. . . that might rub him the wrong way or something like that,” Finn says.
But Jason thought he looked good in the costume and offered him the part of Trevor. Finn immediately said yes.
“For me, the most amazing part of being a part this franchise is the legacy behind it, feeling like you’re actually part of a family.”
STAYING GROUNDED
Finn was born in Canada to a family of French, German and Jewish descent.
The teen has maintained a squeaky-clean image and those closest to him expect that he’ll stay that way.
Fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds says mutual friends describe Finn as “disciplined and smart and charming and down to earth”.
Finn credits his upbringing with keeping him grounded.
“If I were in the same boat in, let’s say 1990, I think it would be different,” he says. “Now there are so many rules to keep children safe, you know?
“Ask my co-stars. None of us have ever been in the position where, like, we’re at an uncomfortable party being served drinks . . . Don’t get me wrong, it happens. It depends on the person. But the environment I’ve grown up in has been very positive.”
Rather, the
most difficult thing he’s had to adjust to is his global fame. On recent trips
to Tokyo and Barcelona he was taken aback by the sheer number of fans who adore
him.
“Sure, sometimes it can be off-putting, but I love my job too much to be, like, ‘I’m through getting recognised, I don’t want photos!’”
The 18-year-old might be wise beyond his years but struggles with the same things as his peers. Asked what his worst vice is, Finn says it’s grammar and food.
“I say the word ‘like’ a lot,” he explains. “And I eat like s***.”
WINDING DOWN
Finn describes himself as “a crazy workaholic”.
He not only acts, he enjoys screenwriting, directs short films and is one half of the indie-pop duo the Aubreys, which he started with his friend Malcolm Craig in 2019.
The teen auditioned for Stranger Things when he was 12 and has worked almost nonstop since.
In the past two years he’s appeared in several major films, including the big-screen adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch and the second chapter in the popular horror film It.
The Aubreys have also been doing well. Their single Getting Better (Otherwise) featured on the soundtrack for the 2020 film The Turning, in which Finn starred as Miles.
When the world came to a standstill last year it forced
Finn to slow down, something he says he welcomed.
“You feel, like, kind of cleansed,” he says. “You feel 100% yourself. I’ve had to learn how to be bored.”
Filming for season four of Stranger Things was put on hold when the pandemic hit, but it has since been completed and will be released on Netflix next year.
It will have fans on the edge of their seats, Finn promises.
“Yeah, the show is gonna be really messed up this season!”
SOURCES: INSIDER.COM, SCREENRANT.COM, THEGUARDIAN.COM, POPBUZZ.COM, ALTPRESS.COM,
