Stranger Things: What Happened To The Actor Who Played Chrissy & Where Is She Now?
Though "Stranger Things" has had moments of palpable darkness since its first season, Season 4 leaned into the shadowy horror of Hawkins and The Upside-Down more than any season that came before it. Nowhere was this more clear than with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), who was inspired by classic horror monsters.
As his murder spree rocks Hawkins in Season 4 of "Stranger Things," it is the popular but troubled cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien) who emerges as his first victim. Though Chrissy dies in the same episode she's introduced, her character leaves a strong enough impression that many expected Van Dien to become a breakout success following her pivotal role in raising the stakes of the series.
Sadly, the actor stepped away from the world of film and television after suffering from sexual harassment while working on an unnamed project. Van Dien has found success over the last few years since she pivoted into being an active gamer and streamer on Twitch, where she currently has over 335,000 followers.
Grace Van Dien has made a major mark on Twitch
Though Grace Van Dien is in her mid-20s, she maintains she's been a gamer since she was young. In fact, she told AV Club she got her gaming start with "Super Smash Bros. Melee," a fighting game that was released on the Nintendo GameCube all the way back in 2001.
"My sisters and I would argue over who got to play Kirby," she said.
Van Dien explained she was largely drawn to streaming as it was similar to being an actor in that she is essentially performing, but she has much more control over how it comes out.
"I think you could say acting is also performing while playing yourself," she said. "For me, the main difference with streaming is I control the dialogue and emotion. I like being able to connect with a community from the comfort of my home."
As with many who are working from home, it sounds like Van Dien enjoys being able to work where she lives. The actor and streamer has also made a name for herself playing the popular, free-to-play online first-person shooter game "Valorant," which seems to be the game she's playing most these days in between chatting with fans on Twitch.
Grace has also been targeted by harassment in gaming
Unfortunately, while Grace Van Dien pivoted over to Twitch in hopes of being more in control, she also faced harassment in the gaming community. Rain, a prominent member of the esports organization FaZe, began beefing with her before Van Dien was officially announced as a new member of the gaming collective.
First, he leaked that she was joining FaZe prior to May 18, 2023, when the partnership was scheduled to be announced. He also said she was only being admitted to the community because of her role on "Stranger Things," a claim that Van Dien argued against. Ten days later, Rain baited the performer again, calling her "mid" on Twitter, an online insult suggesting she's mediocre.
Despite this, Van Dien agreed to meet with Rain in hopes of clearing the air, but he was less than apologetic about his behavior. In fact, he made matters worse by posting the video publicly, which shows Van Dien leaving in tears.
Though the gamer and performer has seemingly left FaZe behind, she is still active in the world of streaming and seems to be enjoying it. She also has Instagram and YouTube accounts where fans can keep up with further developments in her career and her life.