Louis Healy takes on the compelling role of Henry Creel in the West End production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. This highly anticipated stage adaption, a prequel to the hit Netflix series, explores the mysterious origins of Creel, who later becomes the menacing Vecna. Known for his impressive performances in projects like The Pact and Emmerdale, Healy's portrayal in this dark and gripping tale showcases his talent and versatility. With The First Shadow bringing Hawkins to life on stage, Healy's debut in this role is already making waves in the theatre world.

Hi Louis! Congratulations on taking the role of ‘Henry’ in the stage adaptation of Stranger Things. Henry is such a fascinating character in the Stranger Things universe—what drew you to the role, and how did you prepare to play him in The First Shadow?

What drew me to the role just naturally was the franchise itself, I’ve always been such a big fan, and when I learnt the story of The First Shadow was about Henry, I thought it was quite cool because he’s a character that gets established later on in the series, we knew he was number 001, so there was a lot that happened with him that we were unaware of. When he came into the series, I knew he was a fascinating character, and how I prepared to play him was so new to me that I kind of let my preparation take its course from the rehearsal process. We’re surrounded by such an amazing creative team; the cast are so talented that I kind of discovered how I was going to play once I already was, if that makes sense. I would let it take its form because it’s so crazy and so much complexity in his character; it’s so versatile and sort of range. It requires a lot of testing of my acting skills, trying to do this every day. I would say there was a lot of physical preparation, lots of stretching, lots of looking after the voice, and lots of ginger, honey and lemon, which has been nursing me through the mornings. What drew me to the role mainly was being part of this insane franchise!

Did Louis McCartney give you any tips with Henry, or did you learn anything from him by watching his performance?

I learnt so much from watching him. I think he’s an absolute genius! The role originated around him, and the choices he made set in stone so much for actors like myself who would take this role in the future. We ran into each other a few times at the theatre, and he was so supportive, so friendly, and so kind but mainly gave me lots of tips on how to look after myself whilst playing the role because it’s an intense thing to do eight times a week. Mainly, we just had really lovely chats, but again, we spoke about how to look after yourself, tiny increases when you get to live it, and gave me really good advice. He’s been an absolute legend to me, so big love to Louis McCartney!

Since The First Shadow dives into the origins of Hawkins and some familiar faces, what new insights or layers might we learn about Henry in this story?

Well, you learn loads about Henry because the series only dives into his childhood a little bit but you see his relationship with his family, what his school life was like for him, how he became number 001, how his first introduction to Brenner, you get to see Dr Brenner’s origin story and how he became about being this strange government Doctor. I love that loads of the characters that were in The First Shadow at Hawkins High are the parents of the students in the series, so we have Lucas’s dad, Ted and Karen Wheeler and that’s what makes the fans and myself gets excited and of course, you have young Joyce and Hopper played by Jess Rhodes and George Smale and people are going to absolutely love them because they are perfect! The cast is perfect! I can’t wait for the audience to see it, especially the hardcore fans!

Playing a character within the Stranger Things universe comes with a lot of expectations from fans. How do you balance staying true to what’s known about Henry while also making the role your own on stage?

For me, the way I’ve done that is by totally trusting the team that we’ve been working with, like our Directors and Kate, the writer who has been around to support us and guide us in the right direction. I’m playing a younger version of a character that was in the series but playing Henry at fifteen years old wasn’t seen in the series, so it was quite a lot of freedom within what the team wanted for me to kind of find my own stamp with it. Staying true to the franchise for me, has been less about the character and more about the general feeling of the show. The way some lines are written and the way some characters say things are so Stranger Things. I just think they created the world so well and brought it to life that you can just step into it and do what you do and trust the team because working with Steven and Justin every day (our two directors) has been an absolute dream for any actor. T o be in their hands, I haven’t felt safer, and we’ve been guided so perfectly. We’ve stayed true to the show because the people making it are so in it!

Stranger Things fans have come to love the supernatural elements and the character dynamics. Are there any scenes in The First Shadow that showcase those iconic vibes from the original series?

Loads of scenes! The whole show is so iconic! Even when I’m in the wings I can hear backing music for a scene and it would just be iconic. The fans will not leave disappointed, it is perfectly done. The effects are incredible. I will never properly feel I have superpowers more than I do within this show. When you reach out your hand and something goes flying, sometimes I’m walking around the shops and if I go to an automatic door I just tilt my head and pretend my powers are opening the door. [laughs]

Henry and Eleven’s paths have a similar form and have similar experiences. That has been one of my favorite things, is that scenery and realizing that there are so many moments where Henry will do or say something that will happen later on with Eleven in the series. It’s cool!

Live theatre is very different from TV or film - what are some unique challenges or exciting aspects of performing Stranger Things on stage, especially as a character with such a complex backstory?

Especially with a show like this. What I find challenging is getting everything else other than the acting right. Making sure you’re hitting the exact spot on the stage where you need to, moving at the right time, making sure you’re not blocking someone else's light, making sure you’re not being loud enough. The actors in this show are fighting with the soundscape for example to try and make sure we’re heard from the top of it, so that has been a challenge in itself and because it is Stranger Things there is a style of performance that they want to keep, so not venturing too far outside the giving time but to be honest, I love every single minute, it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done. There hasn’t been anything challenging and I just have been taking everything in my stride, really stepping up and the whole thing has been a challenge for all of us but we’re out the other side of it now.

If you had the opportunity to ReVamp anything in the world. What would it be and why?

I would like to ReVamp the fashion industry in its current state. I think we should move away from the insanity of the fast fashion obsession. I wasn't alive in the '80s and '90s, so this is all speculation, but I like to think there was a time when there was less of that  "I need this right now" which kind of created what is called fast fashion, and maybe we could circle back to when it was more authentic. 

Grab your tickets to see Louis Healy starring in Stranger Things: The First Shadow here.