This season, Stranger Things has quietly recast the once-wide-eyed kid sister of Nancy and Mike. Now played by rising talent Nell Fisher, Fisher is best known as the breakout kid survivor in Evil Dead Rise, but Stranger Things season 5 marks her biggest role yet.
The Duffers aged Holly up for Season 5, giving Holly an expanded role in the story. Of course, that meant the role needed someone with more dramatic range than the young actors who handled Holly’s earlier seasons.
Who’s Nell Fisher?
13-year-old Nell Fisher has already built an unusually eclectic résumé. The London-born, New Zealand–raised actor broke out in 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, where her mix of vulnerability and steel made her a memorable survivor. She followed that with the interactive Netflix rom-com Choose Love and the 2024 adventure-comedy Bookworm, sharing the screen with Elijah Wood.
Earlier credits include the post-apocalyptic drama Northspur and a recurring turn on My Life Is Murder. Fisher has had a global upbringing thanks to her diplomat mother, which may be part of her confidence on screen.
Why the Recast Matters
Aging Holly up allowed the writers to pull her deeper into the escalating chaos in Hawkins, demanding an actor capable of carrying heavier scenes. Fisher’s ability to pivot between fear, curiosity and quiet resilience made her an immediate fit. Early reactions from the set point to a seamless integration with the core ensemble.
Holly Wheeler’s Role in the Story So Far
The youngest of the Wheelers, Holly is often caught up in the drama of Hawkins without being directly involved in the town’s mysteries.
She also tends to be the first to notice things. In Season 1, she follows Joyce’s flickering lights into Will’s room and briefly sees the creature pushing through the wall. She later appears during the Halloween and Fun Fair events, noticing strange movement in the trees during the Fourth of July fireworks.
As the series progresses, Holly becomes a more active, lending crayons to Max, attending town meetings with her parents and watching as the older kids move in and out of the house with growing urgency. Her Lite Brite becomes an improvised communication tool during the Season 4 crisis, and she reacts to the “earthquake” and fallout that follow.