The first four episodes of season 5 end before we get any answers about the full relationship between Vecna and Mr. Whatsit, but for his part, Bower’s just happy to have the opportunity to do such varied acting.
“I felt like I’d bitten off a large amount of something when I was asked if I could join the show for season 4” Bower admitted. “I spent so much time considering [Creel] as a child and considering his childhood, his environment and his upbringing when he was more human.” Thanks to that approach, Bower could find something human inside of even the monstrous Vecna, whom he describes as “pure resentment. No sooner did Bower become comfortable with his take on Vecna than the Mr. Whatsit persona is added, offering yet another challenge.
“That was quite a meaty bite to have because as an actor,” Bower said of this other identity. “There are so many times where what you want to be doing is playing the truth, and the truth in this scenario is clearly that Holly Wheeler is being used in some way, and he’s not telling her. And that is a terrifying thing to sit opposite a child and have to lie; that means it’s really, really scary.”
We’ve already seen bits of that scariness even in Mr. Whatsit, particularly when he takes Holly to the childhood home of his memories. But if Bower is being honest, we’ve only begun to see what Creel and his identities can do, which means we’re in for even scarier stories to come.
