Jamie Campbell Bower has lifted the curtain on the unsettling inspiration behind his performance in the final stretch of Stranger Things.
In a recent conversation with Variety, the 37-year-old actor revealed that he turned to real-life cult leaders while shaping his alter ego’s latest incarnation, Mr. WhatsIt, which appears in the second volume of the show’s final season.
Bower admitted that Jim Jones served as an early point of reference as he developed the character’s disturbing presence.
“Jim Jones was an early reference for me,” Bower shared.
“He was on the mood board, even with regard to certain things that he’s saying when the kids are all in front of him.”
For those unversed, Jones infamous leader of the Peoples Temple who orchestrated the mass suicide of more than 900 followers in 1978.
He went on to explain how the language and psychology of cult leaders helped shape the way Mr. WhatsIt communicates.
“There were points where I thought, ‘Do I say the word ‘you’ or do I use the word ‘we’? We’re a family now,’” he said, acknowledging just how unsettling that mindset can be.
“That’s really grim!”
In addition to this, Bower addressed about his choice of language and asserted that it plays a crucial role in stripping characters of their independence.
“It totally can remove the idea of autonomy,” he explained, noting that there needed to be “that level of cult leader-esqueness” woven into the performance to fully capture the character’s menace.
