Braxton Quinney on Bringing Dustin to Life in Stranger Things Tales from ’85

[00:00:08] Braxton thank you for joining today Pop Culture Unplugged. Absolutely thank you for having me today. Congratulations Stranger Things Tales from 85 and how excited are you this project is finally out people are watching all the Stranger fans are tuning in. I'm thrilled for it it's been a two to three year process doing all the recordings and stuff like that so I'm just super happy that this is actually getting sent out to the public.

[00:00:33] I went to California for it and getting to see everybody and everybody's super excited to see it getting to see it on the AMC theater screen was just surreal so I was super happy that it got announced on Thursday last week. What's been the fan reaction so far with you know fans friends family? It's been unreal everybody it's I'm still in high school so everybody in my school has been just thrilled to see it my family I have younger brothers so they haven't been

[00:01:03] able to watch all the Stranger Things the real life version yet they're a little bit younger so it does a new generation it allows a new generation to see it which I was excited about because they were thrilled when they heard that I got the part so was I but they were like I can't wait to see this we haven't been able to see the real life version yet so we're gonna watch this it'll introduce us to the real life version before we can watch it I was like yeah it's it's great and so everybody has been

[00:01:32] extremely supportive and extremely extremely thrilled to see it which has helped me along the way a lot. How did this opportunity come for you to go for you know let me rephrase this question how did this opportunity come for you to you know for the role of Dustin? Yeah so my audition so I started out in musical theater which is a lot different than voiceover but I had a director who was like you would be great in voiceover and I was like okay I was I was young I didn't really know what voiceover was but I was

[00:02:02] like okay maybe in the future we can give it a shot so I started I got an agent and I started getting auditions for voiceovers and I was like okay I really enjoy the voiceovers it's like you can kind of you can kind of trap yourself in like a little space and you can really just be who you want to be and that's what I really liked about it.

[00:02:21] So when I got this audition in 2022 I wasn't like thinking of it as Stranger Things but the audition process they gave us seven or so scripts something like that which I was guessing for all the kids but I tend to do more comedic stuff I do really like the comedic sarcastic auditions and stuff like that.

[00:02:42] So I got to pick the script that I felt most comfortable with and that was the comedic one which I did and so I did it not thinking anything of like oh this could be Stranger Things or another big project and I didn't hear anything back for a couple months and then early 2023 late 2022 I they asked me to come in for a scratch and that's when I figured out it was for Stranger Things and I was like oh wow this is Stranger Things this is this is big time big time deal and I was like

[00:03:12] okay well we're gonna be on a game here we're just gonna we're gonna lock in because I was like oh well I didn't I didn't know that this was for Stranger Things and so it was fun getting to do the scratch and at the end of the day that was like the first big thing that I've been a part of so I was just so thankful that Eric and them gave me the opportunity to do a scratch and after that I hadn't heard anything for a couple months but I was like wow that was that was cool I got I got to do something for Stranger Things

[00:03:39] and then out of nowhere my mom checked me out of middle school in eighth grade and was like hey there's people that want to talk to you on a Zoom and I was like okay I wonder what this could be for but okay I'll do it so she checked me out of school I go home and then immediately they were like we want to offer you the role Dustin and I was like you're joking right there's there's no way and so I was freaking out on uh freaking out on the Zoom

[00:04:08] and I was like wow there's there's no way that I actually get to be a part of the Stranger Things universe because this is a show that I've loved since COVID like when I first discovered it and was able to watch it and I was like this is surreal it was amazing so you mentioned uh voiceover is your goal to stay now with voiceover do you want to eventually get in front of the camera too so it's a little bit of both I'm heavily in a musical theater right now as well um I do like voiceover a ton it's it's where I feel like

[00:04:38] I can come out the most and really express my emotions I would love to do some on-camera stuff as well I think that is really cool uh how they do some of that behind the scenes as well so I would totally be down to do something on camera as well so you mentioned you were a fan of Stranger Things every before you get in this world too you know like for like Dustin you know he's known for his humor intelligence curiosity you know like for you like what were the key elements you focused on because you know you wanted to not only you're

[00:05:06] building this version of animated Dustin but you know you also want to like be as close to the original also yeah um so for that I did go back I watched season one season two season three I've watched all of them but that's where I where I tried to like hone in and I really wanted to focus on his comedic aspects like how he talked with people how he was humorous with other people and I do think an advantage

[00:05:33] that I have is seasons two and three is right where Tales of 85 is and when I was recording like first year or two recording I was in middle school so I was like okay I can really play off of some of these like interactions that I have in middle school so that's that's kind of what helped me a little bit through that but I do think a lot of pressure Eric Eric Robles was such a great showrunner and I do think that he helped a lot because when I'd be in the booth he's like well we don't need to imitate

[00:06:01] I just want you to be you and that's really what that took a lot of stress off of me uh knowing that this was for stranger things and I was playing Dustin and he was like just just be you we casted you for this just just be who you are and I was like okay this takes a lot of pressure off of me so him telling me that and then leaning more into the humorous side for Dustin I do think that that's kind of what helped shape the role of Dustin and tales of 85 for me any any advice from

[00:06:31] any of like the original cast that you did you guys get a chance to meet anybody so I haven't had a chance to meet anybody in the original cast yet um but I will say all the advice that I've had has been from Eric and uh Meredith uh Lane who all who has helped in the recordings but a lot of their advice has helped me throughout the process with just being myself in the booth and I mean Eric he's great

[00:06:57] every time I stand up in the booth and I musical theater I tend to act out a ton so I'm always in the booth I'm always moving around he'll match my energy every single recording that I do and he'll get up and he'll reenact everything so all that and all the advice he's given me is is really pushed me to be my best in tales 85 so so then we don't without giving out too much away because you know I want fans from stranger things to go see this too like how would you describe Dustin's overall like this

[00:07:25] season like the sticks for him oh yeah I would say he's really energetic which is good I really love energetic characters he really brings it he's also adventure seeking which is really great for stranger things as well he's wanting to go on to the next adventure he's wanting to go discover more and more which pushes him in the group and some new members as well to really chase after some of the

[00:07:50] new monsters that Eric and them have incorporated into tales of 85 so I think the main thing for him is really adventure seeking and I think that's one of the main key aspects that he has that really stands out from a lot of things there so this takes place between season two and season three correct how would you uh how would you say Dustin has matured at this point emotionally I think he's

[00:08:15] matured quite a bit I think he has taken on a leadership role a little bit uh creating new clubs and stuff like that so I think through that I think he's maturing more and more the HIC is new which was incorporated in tales 85 if people watched it and I think through that he's matured a lot he also there's new relationships with Rosario as well that he is starting to participate more in the new character

[00:08:43] new addition of Nikki has been great where he has scenes with her and I I think he's really leading the group and I think he's really getting out there as well which I think is helping him mature more going into season three you mentioned like a leader because I just I wrote down in my notes to you I feel like he he's got to step up more for this yes yes he's really he's spearheading the adventures which is what I really like about it because it's like okay he's not wanting to sit back and let the

[00:09:11] adventures come to him he's really wanting to go at it and I was like that's what I like I like a character who's wanting to go at it full force and not be not be shy about it and I was like I like that I really like that do you feel like this is like the missing chapter would you say of the original story yes I I do think it it expands more on it which like I said earlier I do think it expands more

[00:09:36] it allows new audiences to get into it which is a part that I really enjoyed when recording it's like okay I'm getting to record for this and new people who haven't been able to watch it are getting to experience this as like you know an introduction so I was like I I do think that it can be interpreted as a missing chapter in the stranger things universe but I do think it's also a little

[00:10:01] introductory introductory period to other people who haven't seen it before are there you do you think there's clues or like certain seeds that fans should pay attention while they're watching this you think there's like you know like like like easter eggs would you say okay there's easter eggs yes there's there's a lot of easter eggs in here I will say tales of 85 takes place in the 80s a lot of the easter eggs that I enjoyed were a lot of the 80s references I wasn't born in the 80s but there's a

[00:10:31] lot of those 80s 80s references you have ghostbusters nightriders stuff like that that I had to do some really deep research into which was which was fun because I hadn't grown up with all this stuff but that is something that Eric and them really emphasized with there's some of these easter eggs here which make it make it seem fun it incorporates a lot of the stuff that maybe was left out of season

[00:10:59] one and two with other um easter eggs like those ghostbusters and nightrider and stuff like that if you can't tell I love ghostbusters oh yeah oh that's a let me let me move this real quick oh yeah that's a that's a good poster I like I need to I need to go get a ghostbusters poster I don't have one yet um you know we mentioned earlier you know Dustin's kind of like a leader everything too but would you say like you know he's also like he likes to push the group to investigate mysteries also

[00:11:25] he does he really does what do you think is the curiosity for him to like that he needs to push it I don't know I think in season or not season in uh episode four I do think there is one scene where he's with Steve and he's saying how he really misses the adventures and I think he doesn't want it to be

[00:11:48] over I think he enjoys being around his group of friends I think he enjoys having these fun moments these where he gets to chase monsters where he gets to be a part of something I mean they're not the most liked group of people at school so I think this really gives him a purpose um being able to hang out with his friends and chase monsters so I think that kind of yeah so like the fans are going to tune in

[00:12:17] they're going to watch this what do you hope they get out of this like the diehard fans I hope that they first off I hope they really enjoy it but I do think that by watching this I think it'll give them a better sense of where the friend group is seasons one and two the incorporation of Nikki I think Nikki was a great addition to Tales of 85 as well I think that was a big thing that I was like wow

[00:12:41] okay this this character is really it's she's not mentioned in season two or in seasons one two or three but I think for people who are getting into the series I think that she's a great character I mean we haven't seen her we haven't seen a character really like this where she's more of like a tinkerer where she is helping the gang as well like fight these monsters we haven't really seen a character

[00:13:06] that has the abilities that Nikki does and I think having her in Tales of 85 really sparks something new that's not really seen in between seasons two and three and I think a lot of people will enjoy that as they go through Tales of 85 and that'll go into season three as well do you think we're going to get more down the road have you heard anything that they have any ideas as of right now season one is what we're doing and I'm just super happy that it's out there and everybody to see I would love if

[00:13:35] there was more but season one I'm just happy that everybody has gotten to see it everybody is going to get to see it I'm just super happy it's out for everybody to see last question describe Dustin in three words your own take on it describe Dustin in three words first one is humorous that that is one

[00:13:57] throughout the scripts he's humorous um sarcasm that's that's one that's that's one that I like I'd like a little bit of sarcasm not a ton of it but you know just little little hints of sarcasm in there which he does have his fights with Lucas I do think that there's a little bit of that there but then also caring I think when people watch it there is a little bit of a debacle I think that's the word

[00:14:26] in episodes four and five with the HIC where you know they get into arguments but at the end of the day it's not about we have to chase this monster we have to do this it's more of a okay well we've been friends for a long time I'm not gonna let this affect us I'm gonna go back to my roots we can forget about the monster for right now but I care about y'all which is something that I deeply enjoyed

[00:14:56] getting into and exploring more with Lucas there were some fights with Lucas that season or episode five have that and I do think that's where you really see it where Dustin cares he cares about his friends and stuff like that so those sarcastic humorous and caring would be three words I would describe him as amazing well like I said I hope we get more down the road you never know I I hope so I hope so but

[00:15:24] I hope everybody can go watch season this this season one of uh Tales from 85 amazing Braxton I want to thank you for giving us today a good luck with uh hopefully we get better more and more reviews down the road too yeah thank you so much for having me today it was great thank you