Jamie Campbell Bower has his say on ‘Stranger Things’ “conformity gate”
Jamie Campbell Bower has revealed the truth about the “conformity gate” rumours that surrounded the finale of Stranger Things when it was released earlier this year.
The so-called “conformity gate” speculation became rife on social media after fans suspected that the finale that premiered on Netflix on New Year’s Day was not the real one, and instead would be replaced with a secret ninth episode.
This was largely down to the fact that, unlike much of the show’s plot up to that point, many of the characters received a happy ending, leading fans to believe that this was an illusion created by Bower’s villain role of Vecna.
Despite Netflix attempting to douse the rumours at the time, Bower laughed as he recalled the “pretty crazy” memory at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, when he was asked by Entertainment Weekly what the weirdest Stranger Things fan theory was.
“That there was gonna be another episode,” he replied instantly. “Everyone was like, ‘Conformity Gate, there’s gonna be a ninth episode.’ I was like, ‘If there is, I’m not in it! I shot what I shot, I’m done.’”
Bower noted that it was “pretty crazy” to watch the “confirmation bias” on social media unfold, with fans falsely theorising about every supposed clue that was made.
The actor added, “Anything that we did was like, ‘Well, that just proves it’. They were like, ‘That‘s it, it’s coming.’”
Explaining how the remnants of “conformity gate” have continued even now, Bower said, “And I still get asked the question, even now. People are like, ‘Is there a ninth episode coming?’ I’m like, it’s been six months! If there is, they’re kinda behind.”
For his own part, Bower has since moved on in his career from Stranger Things, splitting his time between his band BloodMagic and roles in the upcoming True Haunting and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
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