Just six weeks after closing the basement door on Stranger Things, Caleb McLaughlin is back with GOAT, his biggest movie to date. The 24-year-old voices the title character in Sony Pictures Animation’s latest film, adding to the studio’s impressive recent streak that includes the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse trilogy and the Oscar-nominated KPop Demon Hunters. The film centers on Will Harris, a literal goat whose dreams of playing professional roarball – a high-octane version of basketball played by animals within their unique ecosystems – are hampered by his small stature.
McLaughlin’s career has already seen him navigate underdog narratives, notably playing LeBron James’ best friend and former teammate, Dru Joyce III, in the James-produced Shooting Stars (2023), which chronicled the NBA superstar’s high school basketball team. GOAT also counts Stephen Curry, James’ fellow NBA icon, as a producer and voice actor. These roles, McLaughlin notes, resonate with a formative experience from his early career.
“I remember going to the bathroom and crying,” McLaughlin told The Hollywood Reporter. “I said to myself, ‘I don’t want to ever feel like this again. I’m not going to let it happen.’” He recounted an audition where he and another young actor were both cast for the same role, only to be reassigned to dancing duties. “There was growth in that moment. I got stronger and I got better because of that underdog situation.”
That resilience, he suggests, prepared him for the whirlwind success of Stranger Things. Recently, McLaughlin joined former co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo on Saturday Night Live to playfully address the “Conformity Gate” fan theory that emerged following the show’s finale. The theory posited that the final episode’s epilogue was an illusion created by the villain, Vecna, setting the stage for a true finale. McLaughlin initially dismissed the idea, but came to see it as a coping mechanism for fans grappling with the show’s conclusion.
“At first, I thought the ‘Conformity Gate’ theory was dumb,” McLaughlin explained. “I get that people want to live in this optimistic place of, ‘Oh, we want more Stranger Things,’ but I was like, ‘Guys, it’s over. It’s been ten years.’ I think people missed the concept of what the show is when they were like, ‘Oh, there’s going to be more.’ No, that’s just Mike’s imagination. That’s who he’s always been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling.” He and co-star Sadie Sink both believe Eleven is truly gone.
GOAT marks a new chapter for McLaughlin, a transition he’s embracing. “I’m loving it,” he said. “I appreciate my past, and it’s projected me to where I am today. So I’m really happy that I’m starting off the new year, and life after Stranger Things, with GOAT.”
Interestingly, McLaughlin filmed Stranger Things 5 concurrently with recording his voice work for GOAT. He was able to record whenever he had downtime, even during the Stranger Things 5 press tour in London. The process took roughly two years to complete.
A surprising detail emerged during production: McLaughlin didn’t realize his Stranger Things co-star, David Harbour, was also part of the GOAT voice cast until midway through 2025. “We worked with each other on all of Stranger Things 5 without knowing we were both on another project at the same time,” he said. “No one told me because of behind-the-scenes things and contracts and just wanting to keep the project under wraps.”
Voice acting, McLaughlin noted, requires a different approach than live-action performance. “I’m used to expressing my character through my physicality and my facial expressions, but with this character, I had to hone in on his personality through his voice and his tone,” he explained. “So I had to compensate for what I usually do with my voice, and I knew that the animation was going to be able to deliver who the character is through the mannerisms they wanted for Will. But, as the actor, I had to make sure that every question and every statement is heard in a more exaggerated way than I’ve ever had to do on Stranger Things or anything else.”
Basketball continues to be a recurring theme in McLaughlin’s work, following roles in High Flying Bird, Shooting Stars, and Stranger Things. He played organized basketball before his acting career took off, and still finds time to play recreationally. He sees parallels between Will’s underdog story in GOAT and his own experiences.
“I have moments like that, and they always motivate me to get better at what I’m doing,” he said. He recalled a childhood audition where he was initially cast in a role, only to be reassigned to dancing duties when another actor was also cast for the same part. “I ended up dancing and pop-locking, but that was all I was called in to do. I remember going to the bathroom and crying and being like, ‘No, I came here for acting. I didn’t want to just dance.’ I got stronger and I got better because of that underdog situation.”
McLaughlin’s versatility extends beyond acting and athletics. He acknowledged his skills as a dancer and acrobat, comparing them to those of Tom Holland. While he hasn’t had the opportunity to fully utilize those skills in stunts on Stranger Things, he remains open to incorporating them into future projects.
When asked to name the GOAT in the entertainment industry, McLaughlin pointed to Donald Glover. “He can do everything: acting, music, writing, directing. He can do it all, and no one else has been able to do it at his level. So it’s very admirable and inspiring.”
His recent appearance on SNL offered a glimpse into the show’s fast-paced, collaborative process. “What surprised me the most is how it feels like Broadway,” he said. “It’s live and ongoing. There’s no stopping. If you mess up, you keep going. People don’t realize how smart you have to be to be funny in sketch comedy. The ideas are always changing, and these people work hard all week until the last second.”
Regarding the viral “Conformity Gate” theory, McLaughlin admitted his initial skepticism evolved into understanding. “At first, I thought the ‘Conformity Gate’ theory was dumb,” he said. “But I think people missed the concept of what the show is when they were like, ‘Oh, there’s going to be more.’ No, that’s just Mike’s imagination. That’s who he’s always been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling.”
As McLaughlin looks ahead, he expressed a desire to work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I would just love to be in Marvel,” he said. “I need to call Shawn up and say, ‘Hey, man, please put a good word in for me.’”
GOAT opens in theaters on .
