GOAT Star Caleb McLaughlin Talks Stranger Things’ Conformity Gate

Just six weeks after closing the basement door on Stranger Things, Caleb McLaughlin is back with GOAT, his biggest movie thus far. 

The 24-year-old voices the title character in Sony Pictures Animation’s latest film, furthering the highly impressive streak they’ve been on with the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse trilogy and the Oscar-nominated KPop Demon Hunters. The literal goat in query is Will Harris, whose dreams of playing skilled roarball are dampened by his undersized frame. The sport is a version of basketball during which robust animals play hoops inside their unique biomes. Sooner or later, Will goes viral after embarrassing ROAR league MVP, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), during a streetball challenge, prompting his favorite team, the Vineland Thorns, to sign him to a season-ending contract in a desperate try to juice ticket sales.

McLaughlin is not any stranger to underdog stories which are produced by NBA greats. He previously played LeBron James’ best friend and former teammate, Dru Joyce III, within the James-produced Shooting Stars (2023), which chronicled the NBA superstar’s decorated highschool basketball team in Akron, Ohio. The Tyree Dillihay-directed GOAT also counts James’ fellow NBA icon and Olympic teammate, Stephen Curry, as a producer and voice actor.

These fictional underdog stories remind McLaughlin of one in all his own formative experiences where he and one other child actor were by chance double-booked to play the identical role in a movie. McLaughlin was subsequently asked to function a dancer as a substitute of an actor, and while he held his head up high within the moment, the emotion and humiliation he felt that day only fueled him going forward.

“I remember going to the lavatory and crying. I said to myself, ‘I don’t need to ever feel like this again. I’m not going to let it occur,’” McLaughlin tells The Hollywood Reporter in support of GOAT‘s Feb. 13 theatrical release. “There was growth in that moment. I got stronger and I got higher due to that underdog situation.”

After all, the tears he shed that day would soon get replaced by the elation of landing an integral role on what would turn out to be the most well-liked streaming series of all time in Stranger Things. McLaughlin recently joined co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo on SNL to poke fun at a viral fan theory that emerged following the Dec. 31 series finale. Dubbed “Conformity Gate,” fans speculated that the ultimate episode’s 35-minute epilogue was really just an illusion created by the mind-controlling big bad, Vecna, paving the way in which for the true finale the next week. Nevertheless, it was all a grand case of apophenia, as humans generally tend to create patterns out of disparate points.

Initially, McLaughlin thought the speculation was short-sighted. But he’s since come to the conclusion that Stranger Things fans were coping with the lack of the beloved show in the identical way that the characters were coping with the lack of their dear friend, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), by adopting the far-fetched belief that there’s more to the story. In point of fact, McLaughlin — like his frequent scene partner, Sadie Sink — is convinced that “El” is dead and gone.

“At first, I assumed the ‘Conformity Gate’ theory was dumb. I get that individuals need to live on this optimistic place of, ‘Oh, we would like more Stranger Things,’ but I used to be like, ‘Guys, it’s over. It’s been ten years,’” McLaughlin says. “I believe people missed the concept of what the show is after they were like, ‘Oh, there’s going to be more.’ No, that’s just Mike’s imagination. That’s who he’s all the time been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling.”

Below, during a recent conversation with THR, McLaughlin also discusses how he shot Stranger Things 5 without knowing that his co-star David Harbour was also a component of GOAT’s decorated voice forged.

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GOAT is your first project in a post-Stranger Things world. How are you feeling as you head into this recent era?

I’m loving it. I appreciate my past, and it’s projected me to where I’m today. So I’m really pleased that I’m commencing the brand new yr, and life after Stranger Things, with GOAT.

Did you record your goat character named Will during your downtime on Stranger Things 5?

Yeah, I filmed Stranger Things and recorded GOAT at the identical time. I might go in to record each time I had days off; I also went in during some weekends as well. The cool thing about doing animation and voiceovers is that it’s very flexible. No matter where you’re on the earth, you may get it done. [Vocal] booths just about anywhere. My last recording session was actually in London throughout the Stranger Things 5 press tour, so it took about two years to complete. 

Your Stranger Things castmate David Harbour also has a task in GOAT. Did you ever bump into one another at an Atlanta-area recording studio and realize you were castmates on two projects at the identical time?

I actually didn’t even know he was forged as [Will’s rhinoceros teammate] Archie till the [middle] of 2025. We worked with one another on all of Stranger Things 5 without knowing we were each on one other project at the identical time. Nobody told me due to behind-the-scenes things and contracts and just wanting to maintain the project under wraps. So he couldn’t really say anything while we were working together throughout 2024, and I also couldn’t tell anyone that I used to be doing GOAT.

Do you perform your voiceover lines in a different way than you’d in live-action? Are you purported to add more inflection and whatnot? 

Most definitely. I’m used to expressing my character through my physicality and my facial expressions, but with this character, I needed to hone in on his personality through his voice and his tone. So I needed to compensate for what I often do with my voice, and I knew that the animation was going to have the option to deliver who the character is thru the mannerisms they wanted for Will. But, because the actor, I needed to make certain that each query and each statement is heard in a more exaggerated way than I’ve ever needed to do on Stranger Things or the rest. 

Basketball has been a through-line in your profession to this point. You played a basketball player in High Flying Bird, Shooting Stars, Stranger Things and now GOAT. You gravitated toward the humanities while you were fairly young, but did you ever have a probability to play organized ball? 

I played organized ball in my hometown before I began my acting profession. But once it began, I used to be only in a position to partake in games with friends and even just by myself. More often than not, I’d play by myself, but I still attempt to play once I can.

To be accurate, GOAT revolves around a variation of basketball called roarball. It’s played by animals inside their specific ecosystems. Will has had a lifelong dream of playing skilled roarball, and it’s scoffed at because he’s undersized, very similar to your character of Dru Joyce III in Shooting Stars. When was the last time you lived your personal underdog story à la Will and Dru?

I even have moments like that, and so they all the time motivate me to improve at what I’m doing. I’m all the time attempting to prove to myself that I might be higher than I used to be before. But an underdog moment that stands out to me is once I auditioned for this movie as a child. It ultimately got here out, but they ended up taking out the scene I auditioned for on the time. I went out for this kid who was getting a pretzel at this pretzel stand or whatever, and I ended up getting the role. The audition process involved the lines and dancing; you needed to know the right way to dance. 

I then got the decision that I landed the role. Let’s say the child’s name was Gerald. I used to be eventually sitting in my dressing room, after which one other kid walked into the identical dressing room. It was an enormous dressing room. And I used to be like, “Oh, what are you doing here?” And he was like, “I got Gerald.” And I used to be like, “No, I’m Gerald.” The PA then got here in and said, “Gerald?” And we each raised our hands. Then the PA was like, “Each of you guys can’t be Gerald.” So he checked out the decision sheet after which he said to me, “Oh, he’s Gerald, and also you’re … One second, I even have to work out what your role is. ” And I used to be like, “What the heck!?” 

I then sat there for hours while the opposite kid was filming, after which they finally called me in. The director was like, “I’m so sorry I had you sitting there. We’re going to work out the right way to put you in.” After which he was like, “Actually, I do know what we want to do. Do the thing. Dance.” And I used to be like, “Whoa!” So I ended up dancing and pop-locking, but that was all I used to be called in to do.

Afterwards, I remember going to the lavatory and crying and being like, “No, I got here here for acting. I didn’t want to only dance.” Dancing is a component of my upbringing and my art. But I desired to be an actor, and I felt like my acting was being placed on the back burner. So I did feel like an underdog at that moment, and I said to myself, “I don’t need to ever feel like this again. I’m not going to let it occur.” There was growth in that moment. I got stronger and I got higher due to that underdog situation.

I truthfully didn’t know until recently that you just’re quite the dancer and acrobat. You truly remind me of Tom Holland in that you just each can do these crazy spins and flips on flat ground. (They each performed on Lip Sync Battle as well.) Were you ever in a position to incorporate that skill during stunts on the show? 

In no way, actually. I wouldn’t say I did anything on the show where I used to be really utilizing that [acrobatic] skillI. I did some stunts in season one. I did the stunt where Eleven throws Lucas back along with her powers. We also rode bikes, and I did a fighting scene in season 4. Then there’s the scene where I’m running through the hospital with Sadie [Sink]. There was a lot development in Lucas from previous seasons, and the challenge of the ultimate season was to bring all of those past experiences into his current mindset.

LeBron James produced Shooting Stars because it was based on his highschool basketball team. Stephen Curry is a producer and voice actor on GOAT. Are you going to plead the Fifth if I ask you who the GOAT is between the 2 of them? 

(Laughs.) I really like each of them. LeBron is the best of all time, and the stats show it, right? Stephen Curry is a special player. He is definitely in a lane unto himself. LeBron, you compare him to Jordan and Kobe. You possibly can compare Steph to all the best point guards of all time, but Steph is in a lane of his own. He modified the sport. He’s brought a brand new perspective to the sport that nobody has ever seen. He’s created his own timeline in his own multiverse. He broke the timeline of what it means to be a basketball player. 

I personally enjoy watching each of them, but Stephen Curry was someone I leaned toward growing up. I really like his playing style because I’m not the tallest guy on the court. I’m average height. But LeBron can play all five positions, and nobody else can try this. Steph can’t try this, but Steph is whom I relate to essentially the most. [Writer’s Note: McLaughlin’s character was partially inspired by Kobe Bryant during his high school days.]

Who’s your GOAT within the entertainment industry? 

It changes because depending on where I’m at in my life, but Donald Glover might be my GOAT right away. He can do every thing: acting, music, writing, directing. He can do all of it, and nobody else has been in a position to do it at his level. So it’s very admirable and galvanizing.

You started working on SNL recently. What caught your attention about their process behind the scenes?

What surprised me essentially the most is the way it looks like Broadway. It’s live and ongoing. There’s no stopping. In the event you mess up, you retain going. People don’t realize how smart you may have to be to be funny in sketch comedy. The ideas are all the time changing, and these people work hard all week until the last second. They’ll even give you concepts on the day, and it just jogged my memory of once I was acting on Broadway.

You, Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo had some fun with the “Conformity Gate” fan theory in front of the waterfalls. Was that a last-minute addition once that theory went viral? 

To be honest with you, I don’t know. Finn reached out and said, “Are you able to are available in the day before the show?” And I used to be like, “Sure.” I used to be going to fly out to see his SNL episode regardless because he asked all of us to come back and support him, but they asked me to fly out earlier in order that I might be a component of the segment. So I used to be like, “Yeah, I’m down. Just let me know what I want to do. ” But I couldn’t even inform you what the timing of it was because I used to be told all of this stuff on the last minute.

What was your first response to that theory taking off?

At first, I assumed the “Conformity Gate” theory was dumb. I get that individuals need to live on this optimistic place of, “Oh, we would like more Stranger Things,” however the show is completed, guys. I used to be like, “Guys, it’s over. It’s been ten years. We were full-on kids and now we’re full-on adults, and we don’t need any more of us.” 

The Duffers, our wonderful, amazing creators, wanted to depart everybody with this level of optimism that the show has all the time given everyone. So in the event that they left the show without that, we’d have left Stranger Things without the true essence of what we’ve been representing eternally. 

We began off season one playing Dungeons & Dragons, and we ended similar to that. And Mike’s storytelling and writing ability [that’s rooted in D&D] is how the show must have ended. I believe people missed the concept of what the show is after they were like “Oh, there’s going to be more.” No, that’s just Mike’s imagination. That’s who he’s all the time been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling. 

Sadie Sink believes that Eleven is dead and that Mike just created a story as a coping mechanism. It appears like you’re of the identical mind as her and that you just don’t think El resides in some Icelandic cave.

Yeah, she’s gone. I’m so sorry. I believe she evaporated.

You played a young person for a decade, but you were still growing up in between seasons. Are you glad that you could now be a 24-year-old and never should worry about whether you look 17 anymore? 

I mean, I’ll proceed to play younger roles for so long as I look young. Straight away, I do look pretty mature and older due to my hair style and the way I’m presenting myself. But I’ve never had an issue with playing younger. I also had the liberty to be myself once I wasn’t filming. So it’s not something where I used to be like, “Oh, I’m so pleased that is throughout.” It was my childhood. It was like my highschool and college experience. But all good things must come to an end, and it’s amazing the journey that I went through with these guys. I’ll never regret it. I’d do all of it all over again if I could.

I believe among the fans would’ve cryogenically frozen you and your castmates between seasons if they may have. 

I do know! (Laughs.)

I just all the time found the aging critique to be odd because it’s a show that asks you to imagine in demogorgons and a mind flayer. Suspending disbelief about adolescent aging ought to be easy in comparison with that.

Thanks for saying that. It’s so interesting because Joe Keery was older in season one than we were in season five. We weren’t even his age by the point we finished the show. He’s 33 now, and he played a young person for a way long? There’s loads of folks that are 30 and still play 17. So people just got so caught up in how young we looked in season one and didn’t realize that individuals age [off-camera]. 

Your Stranger Things director-producer Shawn Levy now has the keys to the MCU and Star Wars. How much campaigning did you guys do around him? 

Deadpool & Wolverine was done by the point he got here on set [in 2024], so all of us saw the ending touches. 

But you knew he was doing Star Wars?

Yeah, but I’m not that person. Unless he brings it up, I’m not going to speak about it. I’d say, “Hey, how’s it going filming Star Wars?” But I’m not an individual that basically asks many questions depending on the scenario. I’m sorry, but I also haven’t watched Star Wars, so I didn’t really have much to ask.

What do you mean you haven’t watched Star Wars? 

(Laughs.) I do know. I’ve only watched the one with John Boyega.

He made three of them, so The Force Awakens? 

Yeah, I only saw the primary one. I haven’t seen all of them. So I didn’t even know what to ask Shawn, but I did ask loads about Deadpool because I really like Marvel.

Are you not into space fantasy? 

No, I just haven’t gotten around to loads of classic movies yet. My very first time watching The Lord of the Rings was last yr, and I’m not pleased with this. This isn’t a flex. I also dislike it when persons are like, “Oh, I’ve never seen that,” so I’m not attempting to be that person. But I actually just haven’t got around to Star Wars, and I’m getting around to it.

Were movies not an enormous a part of your household? 

I even have an enormous family that loves movies, but we’re not movie buffs. We still love watching movies and going to see a movie together as a family. The classics just weren’t forced upon us. They were never like, “You have to see this. ” My parents introduced me to Roots, Crooklyn and The Matrix. My dad introduced me to loads of motion movies; he loves Ip Man. So we just had our own vibe.

Your future is wide open now. In the event you could green light something for yourself, what would you select? 

I might just like to be in Marvel. I want to call Shawn up and say, “Hey, man, please put a superb word in for me.”

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GOAT opens Feb. 13 in movie theaters.