Who Is The Actor That Plays Eddie Munson on “Stranger Things”? Here Are All the Facts on Star Joseph Quinn
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It’s near impossible to now think of Stranger Things and not think immediately of Eddie Munson, the breakout fan-favorite character of the fourth season. Eddie — the leader of The Hellfire Club at Hawkins High and a true hero in all of our hearts — left a lasting effect on the hit Netflix series. So of course, since Stranger Things 4 Volumes 1 and 2 dropped on the streaming service, we can’t stop talking about the actor behind the lovable metalhead, Joseph Quinn.
Joe is a British actor who scored his breakout role in the Duffer Brothers-led series, but he’s also held guest spots on a couple of mega dramas, such as Game of Thrones and Hulu’s Catherine the Great. But there’s so much more to know about the actor as he progresses in his already impressive career. Ahead, find out everything you need to know about Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn.
He’s a Taurus
Joe was born on May 15, 1993, which means his astrological sign is Taurus. He’s currently 29 years old.
He *actually* plays the guitar in the Stranger Things finale
Who can forget Eddie’s incredible, life-saving guitar solo in the Stranger Things 4 finale? He shreds to Metallica’s 1986 song “Master of Puppets,” helping the song hit No. 1 on the charts 36 years after it was originally released. Turns out, Joe himself played the intro to the song in the show.
“I was very lucky in the fact that I've been playing [guitar] since I was young. I've had a huge amount of time off, but when I read the script, I went and bought the guitar and started practicing manically,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in July. Recently, the Stranger Things writer’s Twitter account shared a video of Joe practicing the solo, and yes, we’ve fallen in love all over again. 😍
practice makes perfect pic.twitter.com/yjv63A1pfp
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) July 10, 2022
He said it was at first “daunting” to join the Stranger Things cast
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Joe explained that while it was “daunting” to join the series in the fourth season, he is “grateful” for his time on the show. Speaking about his co-stars, the actor shared that they’re “really nice people” and “everything you’d expect.”
“It’s a good thing to go somewhere strange with a bunch of strangers and then leave that place with really dear friends,” he shared with the outlet.
It took only two audition tapes for Joe to land the role of Eddie Munson
Joe landed his breakout role with Stranger Things, and in an interview with Vulture, he described his audition process as “pretty straightforward.”
“Back home in London, I sent two tapes to the Duffer brothers. I sent one, they asked for another, and then they offered me the part,” he continued. “It was disarming. I had never worked in America before, and my friends and colleagues would talk about these grueling, gladiatorial auditions. Going back to expectations, I expected nothing from those tapes. I sent them off and they gave me the part. I don’t understand why but I’m very glad they did.”
We are very glad, as well.
He listened to a lot of Metallica and Black Sabbath to prepare for his role
Eddie Munson is a devoted metalhead. ICYMI, in the scene where the Hawkins crew desperately tries to find Nancy’s music to snap her out of Vecna’s trance, Eddie clutches an Iron Maiden tape and declares, “THIS IS MUSIC!” Of course, to best portray a character with an unwavering love for all things heavy metal, Joe had to listen to the bands that shaped the genre.
In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joe listed the bands he listened to most to prepare for the role — and based on his performance in the finale, it’s no surprise that he listened to “a lot of Metallica.”
“And I listen to a lot of Black Sabbath, mainly Black Sabbath’s ‘Master of Reality.’ That album was going around in my head for years,” he shared. “I was never really that into thrash metal when I was growing up. I knew about new metal bands coming out during the ‘90s, which I liked, but wasn’t obsessed with that kind of music.”
…But he doesn’t know too much about Dungeons & Dragons
Joe committed to Eddie’s passion for all things metal, but he faltered a bit when it came to his second love, Dungeons & Dragons. In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor admitted that learning the intricacies of the fantasy game proved to be a bit too difficult.
“I bought the book, read a bit, and went, ‘OK, this isn’t going to happen.’ All respect to the D&D community, it just didn’t do anything for me,” he confessed. “The first game I played was when we did a bit of press in L.A. a few months ago. It’s all depending on your Dungeon Master, and we had a great one.”
He’s held roles in Game of Thrones and Catherine the Great
Joe’s first acting credit dates back to 2011 when he appeared in an episode of the British television series Postcode. Since then, he’s scored roles in dramas such as Arthur Havisham in BBC One’s Dickensian, Koner in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and Prince Paul in Hulu’s Catherine the Great.
He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
In an interview with Nuit Magazine a few years back, Joe shared that he was admitted to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), a prestigious drama school in the UK. Other notable alumni include Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rose Leslie.
In the same interview, Joe shared that if he weren’t acting, he’d probably be “on a beach, doing something for very little money and being happy.”
He keeps a low profile on social media
Although Joe doesn’t have a TikTok or Twitter account, he does have an Instagram page that popped up around the time of Stranger Things 4 Volume 1’s release. But according to his interview with Vulture, “a friend” manages the account. To date, he only has seven posts and most are related to ST.
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