For our first digital cover of 2026, we spoke with actor Clayton Royal Johnson who returns as Andy in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things which had its series finale drop on New Year’s Eve. We were introduced to Andy in Season 4 as a member of the Hawkins High basketball team where he and other teammates emerged as antagonists under the leadership of Jason Carver (Mason Dye). They became convinced that Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) Hellfire Club’s D&D “satanic” activities were to blame for the murder of Jason’s girlfriend, Chrissy (Grace Van Dien).

In Season 5, we see Andy’s storyline continue as he still bullies Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), warning him to stop wearing the Hellfire Club club t-shirt as it shows disrespect for his late friend Jason who died at the end of Season 4. Clayton reflects on Andy’s character getting to experience more of an emotionally grounded arc in Season 5, and the collaborative environment of the series, particularly his scene work with Gaten Matarazzo.

Exclusive Photos for Popternative Magazine by Kathlyn Almeida

How has Andy’s storyline evolved in season five compared to season four, especially after everything his group went through?

Clayton: It was really cool to see my character evolve a little bit. I think you only got a hint of him in season four, he was very much a sidekick, which I absolutely loved playing. But from an actor’s point of view, to be able to see him talk about his friends who have died, instead of just moving on with life was really exciting, and to continue out his storyline was something I didn’t fully expect. I wasn’t sure how that was going to be handled. I knew my character didn’t die, but I didn’t know if it was going to be one of those things where it was I just accepted defeat. So, to be able to come back to that show was incredible.

What were your conversations with Gaten Matarazzo like when it came to the graveyard scene?

Clayton: Gaten comes from theater; he’s been in some incredible shows, so his rehearsal process is really strong, a lot stronger than I would say other film actors. And he’s just so down to try things out. We could talk about things before a scene, we could talk about how comfortable we are with certain things, certain stunts, how I can push him, how hard I can fake a punch, how close I can get with that punch.

And you’d think for someone who’s been on that show for so long, he would almost have the right to show up and just kind of not have to do as much work. But I think that’s a testament to why the show stuck around for so long, and why people love it, is because of how hard working everyone on the show is.

What has it been like being part of Stranger Things, one of the biggest shows in the world—and does the scale of it ever really sink in for you?

Clayton: When I first booked Stranger Things, it was really surreal, because I’d only really done smaller independent stuff, some Nickelodeon projects, and I didn’t think that it was in my cards, especially that soon in my career, to be able to hop onto a show like that.

And then to also get the privilege to do two seasons of it was a really great thing that’s brought so many opportunities, and I’ve been able to talk to so many other filmmakers and other people, people who are fans of the show. I don’t think it’s anything that I expected.

Season 5 of Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix.

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