Nell Fisher has arrived as a major player in the final chapter of the Hawkins saga. The actress, who takes center stage as Holly Wheeler in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, joined Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show to discuss her transition into the iconic cast and the physical demands of her “heroic” new role.
Fisher opened the interview by gifting Fallon a custom necklace featuring a “Jimmy the Joyful” Dungeons & Dragons figure, a nod to her own character’s “Holly the Heroic” piece. She revealed that since filming wrapped, she has taken up D&D in real life, though she noted that her teenage peers are often too self-involved to be intimidated by her role in the Netflix phenomenon.
The conversation turned to the physical challenges of filming, specifically a high-tension bathtub sequence featured in the new season. Fisher detailed a grueling two-day shoot for the scene, which she filmed alongside Cara Buono, who plays her on-screen mother, Karen Wheeler. The actresses had to wear weights in their clothes to prevent themselves from floating to the surface of the water while holding their breath. Fisher described a safety system where they would squeeze each other’s hands three times to signal they needed air, though she admitted it eventually turned into a competition to see who could stay submerged the longest, reaching nearly 45 seconds by the end of the day.
Beyond the stunts, Fisher touched on the more unsettling side of the production’s practical effects. She revealed that the crew created exact replicas of the child actors, complete with plastic faces, to be used in the cocoons within the “Abyss.” Fisher recalled the surreal experience of walking onto the set and seeing a short, plastic version of herself staring back, describing the replicas as “demonic.”
The appearance concluded with Fisher teaching Fallon a viral dance choreographed by the cast on set. Set to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” the choreography was created by Fisher alongside Millie Bobby Brown and other young cast members during the filming of the series’ eighth episode.