Why The New Cast Members Of Stranger Things Season 5 Look So Familiar

Contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" Season 5, Part 1

Everything that's old is new again — just ask anyone who enjoys the retro-flavored wonders of "Stranger Things." Want to know more about who's brand-new to Hawkins in Season 5? Click our video above, which will give you a rundown of all of the show's fresh faces.

The new character Derek Turnbow plays a huge part in the first half of "Stranger Things" Season 5. Nicknamed Dips**t Derek, he starts out as an unpleasant kid who is unkind to the people around him. The gang becomes convinced he's being targeted by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) for possible possession so they kidnap him for his own protection, and from there he manages to become one of the crowd and tries to redeem himself. Turnbow is played by acting newbie Jake Connelly, whose only non-"Stranger Things" credit is the short film "Between the Silence." 

Season 5 has two new antagonists in Lieutenant Robert Akers (Alex Breaux) and Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), a scientist and supervisor of the military operation that's infested Hawkins in the wake of the town being literally ripped asunder by the gates Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) opened at the close of Season 4. Akers is one of Kay's closest associates and can often be found working as her personal muscle in spite of his oath to the U.S. Army. Hamilton is well known for her iconic turn as Sarah Connor in the "Terminator" films, while Alex Breaux played Timothy McVeigh in Showtime's "Waco: The Aftermath" and Wild Bill Hickman in Netflix's "American Primeval." He was also Dr. Brenner in "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" on Broadway.

The most prominent new addition to the cast of "Stranger Things" for Season 5 is Nell Fisher, who has stepped into the shoes of Holly Wheeler. The sister of Mike and Nancy Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard and Natalia Dyer), Holly was previously portrayed by Anniston and Tinsley Price, though the twin child actors were recast for Season 5, presumably because they had aged out of the role by the time the fifth and final season of the Netflix show rolled around.

In Season 5 Volume 1, Holly's having a hard time coping with Derek's bullying and turns to her imaginary friend, Mr. Whatsit (Jamie Campbell Bower), for support, only to be horrified when, in a major twist, she learns that Mr. Whatsit is actually Vecna in disguise. She and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) end up trapped in Vecna's mental prison together and team up to discover a potential chink in his armor — a strange mountain that seems to terrify the villain. But where have you seen Fisher before?

The London-born teen made a strong impression as Kassie in 2023's "Evil Dead Rise," one of the three children of Alyssa Sutherland's Ellie. She also co-starred alongside Elijah Wood in the 2024 movie "Bookworm," playing a young girl called Mildred who is obsessed with finding a mythical animal called the Canterbury panther. Her turn as Holly in "Stranger Things" has gone down well so far, with Redditors praising her acting and her American accent. Want to know more about Fisher and Season 5's bumper crop of newbies? Click on our video above for the lowdown.