Overview
- Bower cites Fred Rogers as a key reference for Season 5, noting that Tom Hanks’ performance and the eerie score in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood informed his approach.
- He adds the 2020 thriller Alone and Van Johnson’s turn in The Pied Piper of Hamelin to his Season 5 inspirations, expanding beyond the gothic notes used earlier.
- For prior seasons, he drew on The Shining’s Kubrickian stare and the poised physicality seen in Funny Games to define Vecna’s demeanor.
- He frames Vecna as a manifestation of resentment and lost innocence, exploring the character’s fixation on recreating a notion of home.
- He describes rigorous preparation to synchronize multiple personas, including on-set rehearsal videos and movement work using game-style ‘nodes’ to align physical transitions.