How Stranger Things' Brett Gelman Feels About Murray Becoming An Action Star
"Stranger Things" has changed considerably from its beginnings as a series. While the hit science fiction drama has always had something of a horror element to it, the third and fourth seasons have ratcheted this element up, making the show far more tense and suspenseful as a result.
Of course, the roles that certain characters fulfill in the series have also changed over the four seasons of "Stranger Things." Where Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) was once seen as a shallow bully, for instance, he's since gone on to grow into a protective and supportive friend to nearly all of the central cast members.
Still, few characters over the course of the series have evolved in the way that Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) has. Though he was initially introduced as a relatively minor part of Season 2 of "Stranger Things," the fervent conspiracy theorist and survivalist has since grown to become a key support character and even something of an action star as the series has gone on.
Brett Gelman was thrilled to have the chance be an action hero
Brett Gelman sat down with Vulture to discuss how much Murray has changed from Season 2 to Season 4 of "Stranger Things." The actor seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about his character becoming something of a warrior in the latest batch of episodes.
"I felt like Harrison Ford or Bruce Willis or Eddie Murphy," Gelman said. "Being able to put my own stamp on that archetype was absolutely thrilling. It was a childhood fantasy coming true before my very eyes at every second," the actor went on. While Murray has never been a slouch with a gun, the way he kicks butt and takes names in Season 4 of "Stranger Things" is definitely amped up considerably.
The actor was also thrilled with the Duffer Brothers and how open they were in allowing him to get additional training for Murray in preparation for Season 4. "I was so overjoyed and grateful to the Duffers that they wrote me that storyline," Gelman went on. "I was asking for a lot of training, so I was also satisfied to be like, 'See, guys? It was worth every penny.' But they never gave me any pushback."
Gelman loved the surprise element of Murray actually being formidable
Brett Gelman was also very happy with how his character's evolution occurs in Season 4 of "Stranger Things." "I think it's the surprise of it all," the actor said. "Part of the arc and part of the satisfaction of watching Murray this season is that you don't expect him to do that."
Though it definitely seems like Murray's supposed karate training might end up being played just for laughs in the latest season of "Stranger Things," viewers got a fun surprise when Murray was able to best the traitorous Yuri (Nikola Djuricko) with his exceptional combat prowess and turn the tables on the smuggler.
Still, Gelman was clear that they didn't want Murray's fighting to be a joke. "The big thing for me, though, was that even though Murray is funny, the Duffers and I didn't want the fighting to be funny," Gelman explained. "They wanted it to be like, 'Whoa, that's a shot.' It's like out of 'The Bourne Ultimatum.' It becomes this full crazy action sequence," the actor concluded.