Just so weāre all keeping track, Josephā¦
Improvised the horns during the cafeteria scene (for all we know, Iād wager cash money at this point that he probably also fully improv'ed the table walk moment, too)
Improv'ed the entire picnic table scene with Chrissy on the day with Grace - which is an absolutely crucial turning point moment for bothĀ characters, in the eyes of a lot of the audience.Ā
Reacted in-character to an unexpected touch (this is the one that still blows my freaking mind)
āHarringtonās got her.Ā Don'tcha, big boy?ā - The ad-lib that started it all!Ā Joseph, you absolute menace, I love your silly, precious little brain.
Basically completely rewrote the entire walk-and-talk with Steve in the woods with Joe on the day, both textually and tonally
āThis kidās gotta get his ego in checkā / āitās his tone, right?ā - 100% The Joes
Learned to hot-wire (or at least convincingly fake hot-wiring) a classic 1980s Winnebago 1.) entirely without looking 2.) and all while delivering his dialogue and improvāing one of the best and most memorable lines of the season
Insisted on: Eddieās entire era-appropriate metalhead outfit, from the fluffy mop of hair to the white Reeboks, including his rings (which he nicked, but if you think you just read that: no, you did not, shh), his skull bandana, handcuff belt, and a number of the pins/badges on his battle vest, along with his battle vest/jacket combo
Went on a super low-carb diet in order to lose 20 pounds, which he was stuck on for the entire shoot
Got a voice coach just so he could learn how to speak at the higher register of someone much younger, also helped with his American Midwest dialect
Exhibited countless instances of on-screen hyper-reactivity (ie. intense emotional overwhelm to the point of exhibiting entirely involuntary physical symptoms, including trembling hands, frothing at the mouth, eyelid twitches, voice tremors/cracks)
Picked up the guitar again after many years of not playing and practiced his ass off to the point where Metallica asked him if heād come out to meet them. And when he played with them, despite saying he was rusty, every one of those dudes in Metallica looked stupid impressed with him.Ā
This. Just⦠this happened. This blooper moment has to go on the list, specifically because it personally made my freaking year, okay? lmao
Also, sadly, responsible for ad-libbing Eddieās last words before his death, to his dear friend Dustybun: āI love you, man.ā
ETA: Please note, Iām making this list for the purposes of people seeing precisely just how much work and time and effort went into Eddie as a character. Any comments or tags aboutĀ āheās just doing his jobā orĀ āhe didnāt do muchā are going to earn you an immediate block, because you insist on trying to downplay the painstaking level of work Joseph put into the character. Because he is at least deserving of equal credit and recognition for all the contributions he made that the Duffers didnāt think to mention to anyone.
Nearly all of these bullet points, btw, were stuff mentioned by just about everyone except Joseph - they came from the hair and costuming team, co-stars, the Stranger Things writing team, and other direct sources who were there on the day.Ā Saying Joseph isĀ ājust talentedā is like saying the Grand Canyon is sorta big, or Gene Kelly sure could kinda bust a move.Ā Yeah, talent is a PART of it, but the point of this list is showing that far more is involved in creating a character like Eddie than just being reallyĀ ātalentedā.Ā It requires creativity, determination, discipline, empathy and skill.Ā Maybe just ask yourself: why are you so insistent on denying this man his fair due? Btw, I will be updating this to add any new tidbits that people might share down the line!Ā Ā
Meanwhile, on the Doofensā side