Brett Gelman’s Murray Bauman was introduced in Stranger Things Season 2 as an eccentric private investigator hired to look into the death of Barbara Holland. He was eventually clued into the crazy goings on in Hawkins, Indiana, and his importance in the Netflix subscription-exclusive series has grown with each season. With that boosted profile has come Murray collecting many fans, but with under half a year to go until Stranger Things Season 5’s release on the 2025 TV schedule, Gelman opened up about why going to fan conventions has been hard for him.
The actor spent some time talking about working on Stranger Things while appearing on The Sackhoff Show, including what his experience at conventions has been like. When host Katee Sackhoff asked if he’s attended such events, Gelman answered:
I was doing it a little bit and I might do it more, but I had a hard time with that. I had a hard time with that because I’m not as famous as the kids either. The kids are like the Beatles. It’s really crazy. So if you're there, it's like… I don't know, it feels like high school. I mean, I still am such like a youthful person. I don't feel old at all. I mean, I'm not old, but like I feel even younger than I am. In a way, I feel like I've always been the same age and it's this age, whatever it is. So it's like, I go there, and I'm like "Oh my God, there's nobody at my table.’ And then everybody's lining up for Joe Quinn.
Joseph Quinn debuted as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things Season 4, and unlike Murray, the Dungeons & Dragons-obsessed teen was killed off. Nevertheless, this proved to be Quinn’s breakthrough performance, paving the way for him to join big movies like A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator II, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Sam Mendes’ upcoming four-part Beatles biopic, where he’ll play George Harrison. It’s no wonder people line up in droves to see him at conventions.
Still, I can understand why Brett Gelman would be bothered seeing by not getting nearly as many fans stopping by his table compared to his younger co-stars. However, that doesn’t take away from his admiration for the other Stranger Things actors, adding:
Let me say it's very deserved. All of these these people are insanely talented and they're great people. I’m very happy for them, but yeah, it would be like ‘Oh my God, everybody's at Joe and Jamie's table, and they're not at mine. What's happening?’ I was getting jealous, and I was like, ‘I can't take this!’
Murray is arguably Brett Gelman’s most well-known role, with Martin from Fleabag trailing in second place. He’s definitely his most badass character thanks to when Murray wielded that flamethrower in Season 4. And while Gelman might not have gotten large crowds at his previous convention appearances, it’s not as though he/s never approached by fans, with him saying:
But then it's weird, because then I I get a lot of people saying that I'm their favorite character. I don't know, that's the whole thing with fandom and fame… it's such a fickle, non-existent illusion in a lot of ways.
Hopefully even more fans approach Brett Gelman about Stranger Things as we get closer to Season 5. Maybe that will persuade him to attend another fan convention, and this time a lot more people will show up to chat with him, get his autograph, take a picture with him, etc. There’s enough enthusiasm to pass around to all the Stranger Things cast members.
Stranger Things Season 5 will release across three volumes on November 26, December 25 and December 31. Let’s cross our fingers that Maury Bauman doesn’t meet the same fate as Eddie and makes it out of this final clash with Vecna and the forces of the Upside Down alive.
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