For those with a Netflix subscription, the summer of 2022 was quite special. After three years of waiting, we were finally treated to the fourth season of Stranger Things. Fans not only got a blockbuster season filled with twists, revelations and a brand new, ultra-creepy villain in Vecna, but the surprise of new character, metalhead and Dungeons & Dragons fan Eddie Munson. Joseph Quinn portrayed the wrongfully accused murderer, and helped make the high school (super) senior a stand-out character in the hit sci-fi/horror show’s fourth season. Now, he’s opened up about realizing he was getting famous, and how Jack Black was involved.
What Did Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn Say About Jack Black Helping Him Realize He Was Getting Famous?
Joseph Quinn had quietly been working away in a number of projects (including a small part in Season 7 of Game of Thrones) when he landed the part that actually made him famous. It seemed like he’d just burst onto the scene in 2022, though, and because he made such an impact as the very misunderstood but actually decent Eddie in the fourth season of Stranger Things, it led to a number of exciting new opportunities for him.
He recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about that time and realizing that a level of fame was coming his way. When asked about the dust-up between rapper Doja Cat and his ST co-star, Noah Schnapp, over the latter posting the musician’s private messages requesting he hook her up with Quinn, the actor noted that the experience was “odd” but “fantastic,” because he’d “never been used to something [he had a major role in] having that far reach.” This led to him bringing up the fact that School of Rock legend and star of the upcoming Borderlands adaptation, Jack Black, had mentioned that Eddie was his favorite character in Season 4, adding:
Ok, I'm showing off now. I just can't believe Jack Black knows who I am.
I can, theoretically, completely understand how wild it must feel to have someone you’re clearly a fan of, and likely have been for many years, not only know who you are but admit to admiring your work. For reference, take a look at what the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star told Netflix Geeked shortly after Season 4 hit Netflix, and I bet you can understand why it excites Quinn so much:
If you love Eddie like everyone else who got the chance to watch him does, then I have no doubt that you got a nice little jolt of positivity from hearing Black talk about him, and fully get Quinn’s thrill over it. Of course, as noted above, it would appear that he’s going to have to get ready for even more of his favorites (and everyone else) to know who he is and fawn over his work.
The past couple of years have been major for the actor. Not long from now, we’ll see his starring turns alongside Lupita Nyong’o in the horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, on June 28, and then his role as the emperor in Gladiator II on November 22. In addition, it was announced in February that he’s taking on the part of Johnny Storm in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.
Though the Stranger Things Season 4 ending didn’t give fans any shred (pun intended) of hope that Eddie Munson could, somehow, show up in the fifth and final season, the star’s answer at a recent convention might indicate that we’ll see the dearly departed heroic character in some form, when Stranger Things Season 5 hits streaming, but even if he doesn’t we still have lots from Quinn to look forward to.
