Stranger Things is gearing up for its final season, and if you needed a reminder of how much sweat and glue go into making Hawkins’ nightmares feel real, Vecna actor Jamie Campbell Bower has you covered—maybe a little too vividly. The actor behind the series’ big bad laid out, in colorful detail, what it takes to simply use the bathroom while suited up as the Upside Down’s top terror. It sounds like an absolute nightmare to manage.
Bower’s candid play-by-play came during a chat captured by The Radio Hagg on TikTok, where he explained why a basic human need becomes a production delay when you’re wrapped head to toe in latex and prosthetics. If you’ve ever wondered how creature performers juggle hydration and bodily functions with a costume that fits them like a sealed Tupperware, he spells it out:
Yeah, it’s a fucking nightmare. It’s the worst thing in the whole world. You know, not only do I have this ginormous hand on one end, I’ve also got stick-on nails on the other.
That oversized hand isn’t just for show; it changes grip and fine motor control. Add stick-on nails and you’ve got yourself a cocktail for bathroom mishaps.
Costume departments typically plan for this with seams, snaps, and—yes—flaps designed to minimize damage during breaks. But no design is foolproof, especially on a suit that has to look seamless under unforgiving lighting. The actor and singer continued:
And then I have, like, a flap that has to be undone. And I have to get someone else to undo the flap. So, yeah, an ordeal is putting it mildly. I’m either gonna piss myself or lose a nail in the process. So, yeah, it’s pretty rough. It’s pretty grim.
That sounds awful. I don’t know how creature performers like Bower, or more recently, Frankenstein star Jacob Elordi, are able to perform under pounds of prosthetics, having to rely on a small circle of artists to help them out during a bathroom break. But the clock matters so much in filmmaking. A two-minute break can become 20+ if a seam tears due to an errant pee shiver, and those minutes add up over a 12-hour day.
The Vecna suit remains part of the performance even in a VFX-heavy show. Restrictions shape movement, creating a physical vocabulary that the camera reads. Practical builds give actors something to push against—and that resistance shows up on screen.
Vecna is the big bad of Stranger Things, and for those who don’t know, he’s a human turned monster. Born Henry Creel (later test subject One), he’s hurled into the Upside Down and becomes a powerful psychic predator. And he’s portrayed wonderfully by Jamie Campbell Bower, who, despite having to hold his bladder past discomfort, is able to stalk his victims through traumatic visions and is revealed as the mastermind linking earlier threats in Hawkins.
Heading into the last run of episodes, it’s a good reminder that even bathroom breaks become strategy sessions on a set this big. If Bower calls it a nightmare, I believe him—and that frustration will likely help sell one of the most horrifying and iconic television villains when we return to Hawkins one last time.
Stranger Things Season 5 is rolling out for everyone with a Netflix subscription in three drops: Volume 1 arrives November 26, 2025; Volume 2 lands on December 25, 2025; and the series finale hits December 31, 2025.