Portraying the stereotypical, perpetually clueless ’80s dad, Ted Wheeler has been a consistent face since the very first episode of Stranger Things graced our screens. Miraculously, he’s managed to stay out of the loop since day one. Instead of fighting Demogorgons and monsters, he’s usually channel surfing or napping on his La-Z-Boy. The character is portrayed by Joe Chrest, a seasoned actor who’s appeared in at least 70 projects. Ahead of Stranger Things 5, Volume 1’s release, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chrest to discuss Ted Wheeler and an accomplished career.

Nerdist: Stranger Things is finally coming to an end. As someone who has been a consistent face since the very beginning of the series, how does it feel to watch everything come full circle?

Joe Chrest: It was actually pretty emotional today. There’s been a lot going on, kind of a whirlwind doing things with the Target campaign and reshoots, and it’s finally here. You say almost a decade. It is for the viewers, but for us, it’s now over a decade of our lives. I think I first went up to shoot the first episode in September or early October of 2015, so it’s been over a decade. Finn [Wolfhard] and some of the boys are the same age as my real-life son, and they were both 12 when it started.

I was just going through some old pictures, and I’ve got a picture after an award show where I got my arm around Finn, and he’s down below my armpit. Now he’s taller than me. It’s just been really cool to watch all those guys grow up in their careers. When you’re working with people who care about the same thing for so long, it’s a family.

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Nerdist: One thing that is very special about your Stranger Things character, Ted Wheeler, is the on-screen family dynamic we see you build with Finn Wolfhard, Natalia Dyer, and Cara Buono. How do those bonds go deeper than what we see on screen?

Joe Chrest: I think the very first scene we shot was one of the breakfast scenes. As soon as I got into town, we just kind of walked in and looked at our house, and it was dressed out. All of us just really quickly sort of became a family over this breakfast, and the kids were doing things—like it’s a 12-year-old little kid kicking his sister under the table and things like that—and they were newcomers. To watch them within the course of one year really just skyrocket to the top, and how they dealt with it, it’s something that I’m sure their real-life parents are really proud of. I was working on something in Atlanta last year and [Finn] was on set visiting the director…We hadn’t seen each other in a year. You feel like you’re seeing your actual son. It’s a great bond we have.

Nerdist: Even though he’s mainly in the background—napping or delivering his quippy one-liners—a lot of us have grown very attached to Ted Wheeler on Stranger Things, who perfectly encapsulates the stereotypical, checked-out ‘80s Dad. What can you tell us about how his role develops in season five?

Joe Chrest: Well, I can’t tell you too much, but I will tell you that the fans who’ve followed the show and Ted are in for a real surprise this season. Possibly even shocked, dare I say. I wish I could say more about it, but I think there are some hints out there of what might be to come in the new Target campaign that dropped today as well.

Nerdist: We know that a new actress, Nell Fisher, has been cast to play Holly in the upcoming season of Stranger Things. How would you explain Ted’s relationship with his youngest child?

Joe Chrest: You see Ted, in glimpses of when Holly was younger, being visually to people outwardly a better dad to Holly. You see him holding her, putting her to sleep, and spending time with her at the fair. And it reminds me of somebody who might not have been the best father or mother or parent with the first child, and then maybe as they’ve grown older and they have a child a lot later, or they weren’t necessarily the best parent, but then now that they’re older as a grandparent, you see them get a second chance.

Although I never looked at Ted as a bad father, I think he’s so many of those dads today. I mean that their priorities aren’t exactly right. I think there’s no mistake that he’s sleeping so much because so many of these guys work their butts off for their families, but then ultimately what the kid would’ve probably rather had was the time, not the fruits of the labor of working so hard to get them the things they want materialistically.

Nerdist: If you could describe Stranger Things season five in three words, what would those be?

Joe Chrest: Well, I can tell you two words: jaw-dropping. When I read the very first episode, right from the beginning, I was like, no exaggeration, just punched in the gut. I was like, what? I couldn’t believe what I was reading. And I think it’s going to be shocking for a lot of people, but in a good way. I can’t wait for people to see it. I can’t wait to see it tonight. Shocking and jaw-dropping. And if you’ve seen the trailer, it’s adrenaline-charged for sure.

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Nerdist: You have a very extensive career spanning over 30 years. Much like Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things, many of the roles we see you in is that subtle character in the background that makes us go, “Oh wait, I know that guy.” Many times, those characters stick out to us. How does that type of character acting serve as an unseen backbone of good storytelling?

Joe Chrest: I consider that a privilege. I see my job as to support the protagonist. You know, how do I fit in? Even if it’s a very, very small part, it’s there to serve the overall story. It’s not like you have to make a meal out of a snack, but understanding what I’m trying to do. And it’s really gratifying. Steven Soderbergh, whom I’ve worked with a lot…talked about early on that on a movie set, the analogy was that we’re all pushing a big rock up a hill together. Anything you can put into getting that up the hill, it doesn’t get up there without every single cog. The craft service people, the drivers, everybody has their stamp on it.

And that’s the great thing about this Stranger Things group. Everybody understands what a great place that is to go to work, and it’s just an awesome environment to be around. It’s just in the love that we all feel no matter what in bringing that to life. So many different things, like the special effects makeup people like those guys put in. It’s just a cool team.

Joe Chrest is a talented supporting actor with a career spanning more than 30 years. , he’s appeared in 131 projects across TV and film, including Stranger Things, 21 Jump Street, Antman, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Chrest is married and has two children. He previously served in the US Air Force during the Cold War.

As we head into Stranger Things 5, we can’t wait to see Chrest steal the scene on our screens again, whether that be from the background as he has been or in the foreground, which indeed would “shock” us all.

Stranger Things 5, Volume 1, releases on November 26 at 5 PM PT/8 PM ET.

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