Stranger Things Teens on Secrecy, Easter Eggs, and Season 2

Stranger Things 2 is Netflix’s most hotly anticipated release to date, leading to a common phrase heard over and over–other journalists, to the Netflix reps, to the actors themselves–during press day: “NO SPOILERS!”

Having screened the first two episodes of season two the day before, it’s jarring to get warned by the cast (in good fun of course) before you even sit down for the interview to keep the details vague. Which led me to wonder: How secretive was the production and what lengths did Netflix need to go to keep the precious spoilers under wraps?

“Even the sides (excerpts of the script) we’d get on set, we’d have to shred them after a scene,” says Joe Keery, who returns to reprise his role as Steve in season two. New cast member Dacre Montgomery says, jokingly, they took it to the extreme.

“When I left the set, I was locked in a small cage overnight,” he banters. “High stakes. I’m an animal!”

In all seriousness, Montgomery’s role was kept a secret for some time. The Aussie actor, best known for his role in this year’s Power Rangers film, joined the cast to play the role of Billy, a fiery bad boy with an attitude, mullet, and a fast whip. While the character is a bit of a jerk (that’s about all the tease I can give), Montgomery was gracious for the support he received as the new guy coming into a tightknit cast.

“I learned a lot, and I was given the space to make some crazy decisions… which hopefully don’t end my career,” Montgomery says. “I feel very fortunate.”

His character’s mullet he says is a nod to ‘80s horror comedy The Lost Boys. Among some of the other easter eggs fans can expect in season two, Natalia Dyer and Keery say to look for odes to Indiana Jones and Gremlins, amongst many others. In particular, they refer to episode 8 and 9 as a “dream” to step on set.

The mystery of Stranger Things 2 will finally become a reality when all nine episodes drop on Friday, October 27th on Netflix. We have our spoiler-free review live and we’ll be collecting Stranger Things 2 easter eggs all weekend, so be sure to check back on Den of Geek!