Karen Wheeler has been a part of the Hawkins scene since the very first season of Stranger Things, but aside from her flirtations with Max’s lifeguarding brother Billy, she’s mostly been a background player. She’s Nancy, Mike, and Holly’s mom, and she’s been supportive/scolding of them as the story requires. The first part of season five, however, saw Karen step up in a big way when one of Vecna‘s minions paid a visit to her home intent on snatching her youngest daughter into the Upside Down.
This is not just any family home; this is where the famous basement is located, where Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas discovered their shared love of Dungeons & Dragons. But Karen’s mostly been on the fringes of Stranger Things‘ monster mashing until now—when we see her put up a hell of a fight, brandishing her weapon of choice: a broken wine bottle, something that also happens to represent her coping mechanism of choice.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Cara Buono, who plays Karen, spoke about the character’s evolution so far—and teased a tiny bit about what’s to come.
“I love the physical transformation that happens for Karen, which I think you’ll really get a kick out of,” Buono said. We’re intrigued. But we also want to hear more about the Karen we’ve seen so far in season five.
“[In season five], suddenly Karen’s thrust into the unbelievable,” Buono said. “This whole time, she’s been in denial and drinking her wine. One of the ways I justified her being the quintessential clueless ’80s mom was by asking for her to be drinking as often as possible.”
As for her preferred beverage, Buono said it’s white wine. “Because her rug is white in the living room and she doesn’t want to spill. It’s a little less of a hangover than red. I would say, chardonnay. I always said she’s kind of a high-functioning closet alcoholic. It was my way to try to justify the immense denial and cluelessness that she embodied.”
Hawkins is under military lockdown in season five, but as we see with younger characters as they gather supplies for their radio station, there’s a thriving black market. That’s how Karen gets her own supplies, Buono explained.
“Karen knows where to get the wine,” she said. “She’s focused on the wine, maybe some nail polish, and there’s someone who’s got a truck coming in with all that. I created a whole world of accessing the contraband. She’s smoking cigarettes in the garage, waiting. Because she also has mascara! That was really important to me.”
However, as Buono—who has worn a variety of wigs throughout Stranger Things—will admit, Karen’s hair has seen better days: “It gets a little sad looking in season five because they’re under quarantine without a lot of access to the good hair products.” Those “hiding underwater” heroics also take a toll on her curls.
We’re pulling for you, Mrs. Wheeler! Stranger Things returns with more episodes December 25 and 31.
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