AS WE ZOOM WITH LOUIS HEALY, HE’S SITTING IN A ROOM AT HIS BROTHER’S HOUSE, TRYING TO FIND HIS LIGHT – OR TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, FIND A WELL-LIT POSITION INSIDE HIS FAMOUS OLDER SIBLING’S ARCHITECTURALLY DESIGNED CONCRETE CAVE, WHERE HE’S CURRENTLY LIVING. NO STRANGER TO THE SPOTLIGHT HIMSELF, THE 23-YEAR-OLD ACTOR IS CURRENTLY STARRING AS BOYISH-LOOKING MONSTER HENRY CREEL IN THE WEST END PLAY, STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO TALK ABOUT WHIRLWIND WEST END FUN AND THE FAMILY COLLABORATION WE ALL WANT TO SEE.

Top **Ludovic de Saint Sernin**, gloves **Paula Rowan**

I read that as a child growing up, you had quite a wild imagination and loved having adventures and exploring, so this stage show was made for you!

It’s perfect for me; it’s a whirlwind of fun! It’s such a chaotic show and it takes you in so many directions, you never have time to think about what you’ve just seen. The audiences are on the edge of their seat from the very beginning, and it’s so exhilarating and exciting to be a part of it all, and the character that drives it. I think the TV series translates into this stage play in such an immersive and incredibly exciting way.

Screen-to-stage shows really tap into our need for immersive experiences and an opportunity for communal fandom. With this show, you get to be part of a cultural phenomenon and bring a new origin story to it – how did it feel when you landed the lead role as Henry Creel? Were you nervous? Excited?

Both! So many emotions and tears, as this is the biggest thing I’ve done workwise. I was nervous to step into such a huge franchise with such a dedicated fanbase and wanted to honour Jamie’s [Campbell Bower] work playing Henry on screen in the series. It helped that I had already seen the show twice before joining the cast, so I knew what to expect.

Louis McCartney previously played your role. Were you given the freedom to play Henry your way?

It was a journey to get to that point, working on my own version of the character. Watching Louis, he was so incredible and dynamic in his movement, and there is a blueprint in the role that must remain – but once I got into the rehearsal room, I was given the freedom to figure it out for myself and explore my version of Henry. I was apprehensive at first to try anything out of the box, but the directors encouraged me to go in my own direction.

How did you find your version of him then, as he’s battling the monster of Vecna within, and we find out how his powers came to be?

Act One and Act Two of the show for Henry are so vastly different, so there was freedom in the sense of nobody having seen this character on screen before, in his origin story. He’s villainised and a baddie on screen, but I didn’t want to portray him that way in this show. I wanted to make this younger version a troubled, but endearing and ultimately shy little kid, who is fighting off this ‘thing’ he can’t control. He’s lost and just wants to be normal but obviously goes off the rails and becomes this evil person we know. I wanted the fans to find a way to love this character and have empathy for who he was before the Henry we know now.

Jacket, shirt, shorts and shoes **Celine Homme**, hat **Harvy Santos**

Is there a particular moment of the show you’re excited to share with audiences each night?

There is a scene at the end of the show which is a direct reference to a scene in the series, in terms of the costume and music, called ‘Creel Family Dinner’. I won’t give too much away for those who haven’t seen either the play or series; but in the scene, Henry is able to drop into The Void and see or listen to things in the past. Visually, it’s such a fun scene to play, and often you can hear all of the big Stranger Things fans in the audience saying, “Oh my god, I know what’s coming, I love this”, or, “I know what that song means!”.

Are there a lot of stage door stories from fans after the show when you meet them, and has it brought you a whole new fanbase?

100 percent! There are people who have told me they’ve seen the show five times over, and then there are those who are complete newcomers to theatre and the show. It’s such a rewarding experience to be a part of this franchise and for the fans to acknowledge that I’m doing it justice!

Coat and shirt **Yohji Yamamoto**, hat **Harvy Santos**

If you could have someone you really admire and want to work with, an idol or icon you look up to, see this show, who would it be?

I would love Jamie [Campbell Bower] to come and see me in it, he’s already been, but I would love to get his feedback after watching me perform! I’m also a huge fan of the writer Jesse Armstrong, so if he by chance wanted to come and watch me in the show, that would be fantastic! He’s one of my favourite writers and creators.

So, now you’re a big West End star, do you have a dressing room rider, no brown M&M’s?

Haha! Not quite yet, maybe on the next job… we’ll see!

Left Top **Ludovic de Saint Sernin**, gloves **Paula Rowan**
Right Jacket, shirt, shorts and shoes **Celine Homme**, hat **Harvy Santos**

You’re obviously a passionate creative and love storytelling, so is there a specific genre you would love to try?

I’ve always had a fascination with Westerns since I was young. My dad used to watch all the old Western films, and I would watch them in the background and then run into the garden and play at being a cowboy! [Laughs] I love horror movies too. Robert Eggers and Ari Aster are directors that I admire, and I would love to be in one of their movies. I used to like writing stories when I was a kid too and made little film spoofs when I was at college. Growing up in such a creative household, if I wasn’t reciting a scene from Billy Elliott to my dad, I would be going into my brother’s rehearsal room and ask him what the buttons on different equipment did!

Were you that little brother who gate-crashed the band’s practice sessions?

Totally! It feels like less of an age gap between my brother and me, as now we’re mates. But when I was 6 and he was 18, as they were becoming The 1975, I would also wait outside the rehearsal room, and as soon as they came out, they would get a football thrown right in their face – I loved football obviously!

Left Shirt **Prada**, necklace and brooch stylist’s own
Right Full look **Marni**

You mentioned growing up in a creative family; have they ever given you any words of advice?

Well, my dad specifically didn’t want me to go into the industry, having seen how child actors can burn out or get bored. He came from a very working-class background, where being an actor wasn’t really something you would choose as a career. He was a welder, then in the paratroopers and then in his 20s, he was a stand-up comedian in working men’s clubs. So, he’s done well for himself, but has a totally different perspective on the industry, and he’s always told me to revel in the moment and never take anything for granted. When you come from a famous family like mine, you’re never truly able to escape the “nepo baby” narrative, but that wasn’t my experience. It’s always been my dream to perform, and with my parents being in the industry, they inspired me. As I’ve got older, I realise how fortunate I’ve been.

Even with having a mum on the run as we speak [in the TV show Celebrity Hunted]! Is she hiding in your brother’s house?

Haha! I’ve not found her yet. [Laughs]

Left Jacket, shirt, shorts and shoes **Celine Homme**, hat **Harvy Santos**
Right Full look **Marni**

So, when you’re not working, what’s Louis doing – aside from trying to find your mum?

Sometimes on my days off from the show, I feel so exhausted that I just want to listen to my body and rot on the sofa watching TV! [Laughs] I love music too, and play guitar and piano. I also have quite a few beat-making machines around the house and all my brother’s equipment to mess around on!

And break, like his favourite guitar?

Exactly! He’s always Face Timing me saying, “Don’t touch that, you can play the other one, but not that!” [Laughs]

Any upcoming collaborations with you and your brother you want to tell us about?

Well, if we do, it wouldn’t be a musical one. He’s a great writer and director, having created all the concepts for his own videos and directed some of them. We’ve spoken before about ideas he’s got for films down the line.

Sweater **Dior Men**, hat **Stephen Jones**

So, a lead role written for you then?

Exactly, I would be annoyed if he didn’t write it for me! Or maybe he’ll compose the soundtrack for a movie I’m in one day!

Well, either way, we’ll be seeing lots more of you, which is great for all your fans, and all the fashion houses looking for a new ambassador! Any labels you love you want to shout out to?

To be perfectly honest, I’ve been getting hand-me-downs from my brother for about eight years! [Laughs] But I do love Margiela and Celine, Dior, you know… All the posh ones!