Finn Wolfhard talks 'moving on from childhood' with 'Hell of a Summer'

From his first scene on "Stranger Things," Finn Wolfhard was looking behind the camera. 

Wolfhard, 22, who has grown up before fans' eyes as Mike on Netflix's hit series, has been acting professionally for half his life. But since he was a film-obsessed 8-year-old poring over DVD special features, he has aspired to be a director. Wolfhard's interest in the filmmaking process accelerated when he began starring on "Stranger Things" as a child actor and would hang around to watch the directors work, even when he wasn't shooting. 

He recalls "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer showing him the view through a lens while preparing to film his introductory scene in the very first episode. "I remember looking through the lens for the first time and it being so cool and feeling so in on the process," Wolfhard says. 

That hands-on education has led him to "Hell of a Summer" (in theaters Friday), his movie directing debut. The horror comedy, which he codirected with costar and cowriter Billy Bryk, combines Wolfhard's love of classic slashers and teen comedies, following a group of summer camp counselors who are terrorized by a masked killer.

After spending his adolescence acting, Wolfhard, who plays one of the counselors, got used to reading scripts that overly rely on Gen Z slang and outdated references to appear hip to young people. So with "Hell of a Summer," he set out to depict his generation in a more genuine way.

"Part of the reason we wrote this movie is because as young actors, every script we get that's centered around a contemporary teenage cast was a bit condescending and out of touch," he says. "Older writers are convinced that there's a gigantic generational divide, and in a lot of ways there is. But at its core, Gen Z really is not different at all. What our age group appreciates is something that feels universal."

The film also offered some wish fulfillment for Wolfhard, who always wanted to go to summer camp but never did because he suffered from separation anxiety as a kid. But that's not to say he had no personal experiences to draw from. Being on movie sets "felt like my own little weird version of summer camp," he says.

Fred Hechinger ("Gladiator II") leads "Hell of a Summer" as Jason, a 24-year-old counselor who returns to camp one too many times and whose younger cohorts see him as too old to still be hanging around. The movie, which Wolfhard sees as more coming-of-age comedy than traditional slasher, suggests Jason is putting off the next stage of his life, and he must learn to move on. 

Wolfhard began work on the script when he was a teen, but now, his life is imitating his art. Later this year, "Stranger Things" will air its final season, making the themes of moving forward hit much harder. 

"I was writing the movie from the perspective of the younger counselors," Wolfhard says. "Now, as the movie's coming out, I feel much more in line with Jason, where I'm at this turning point in my life and the end of this chapter, and I'm moving on from childhood in a lot of ways."

Throughout the year of shooting "Stranger Things" Season 5, Wolfhard brushed off his emotions about the end of the series that has defined his career, telling himself there was still plenty of time left. But when his last day arrived, it suddenly became real. 

"I remember thinking, 'Oh, my God, this is it. This is the last shot we're ever going to film for the show,'" he says. "I could not process it at all. I just couldn't do it. It was definitely an emotionally intense experience."

The Duffer brothers receive a special thanks in the closing credits of "Hell of a Summer" after supporting Wolfhard throughout the process, both practically and emotionally. At one point, they reassured him after he confided he was struggling with imposter syndrome.

"They were just like, 'Oh, that never goes away. Everyone has it,'" he recalls.

For Wolfhard, releasing his directorial debut ahead of the conclusion of "Stranger Things" makes for a "perfect end to a chapter of my life."

"This movie wouldn't exist without 'Stranger Things' and the inspiration I got as a little kid on that set," he says. "So to have both come out in the same year, it's a really great full circle moment."