After a decade of Stranger Things, the star reflects on his Broadway beginnings, his new Stephen Curry-inspired role in GOAT, and his ultimate dream of playing Miles Morales.
For Caleb McLaughlin, the spark of a lifelong career didn’t come from a calculated plan, but from a supportive brotherly gesture and a moment of onstage clarity.
Initially, McLaughlin had no intentions of becoming an actor; he was simply accompanying his younger sister to a community theater program called Pied Piper because she didn’t want to go alone. However, after transitioning into professional theater and landing a role in The Lion King on Broadway, everything changed.
“I remember being on stage performing ‘Just Can’t Wait to Be King’,” McLaughlin told Boardroom in an exclusive interview for the latest episode of Boardroom Talks. “And I said in my head, I was like, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.'”
That realization set the stage for a successful young career in Hollywood. Shortly after finishing his run as Young Simba in 2014, Caleb auditioned for a mysterious project then titled Montauk. He recalls the producers showing a montage of ’80s classics like The Goonies and Stand By Me to set the tone. That project, of course, became the global phenomenon Stranger Things. Over the last decade, playing Lucas Sinclair has been more than just a job; it has been his entire formative experience. McLaughlin describes the set as the world that molded him, his equivalent of high school and college. While he admits to feeling the “hit” pressure during Season 2, he reflects on the journey with zero regrets, happy with how Lucas’s story concludes, and grateful for the lifelong friendships formed with his castmates.
Now, McLaughlin is leaping from live-action icons to animated underdogs in his latest film, GOAT. The movie is a historic milestone — the first-ever fully animated sports film — and follows a young goat named Will who dreams of revolutionizing the sport of roar ball. The project features a mini Stranger Things reunion, with Eduardo Franco and David Harbour also lending their voices, though McLaughlin amusingly notes that he and Franco have now done two projects together without ever actually being in the same room.
Preparing for the role of Will required a unique creative process; the character is loosely based on the upbringing and basketball journey of NBA legend Stephen Curry, who also stars in the film and executive-produced it. Without costumes or physical sets to rely on, McLaughlin had to channel his inner athlete through vocal cadence and tone alone, even subtly incorporating goat-like mannerisms into his delivery to make the character feel authentic.
As he looks toward the future, McLaughlin is ready to trade the slingshot for a supersuit. While he remains focused on the release of GOAT, he isn’t shy about his dream role: playing Miles Morales in a live-action Spider-Man film. Whether he’s navigating the Upside Down or the basketball court, McLaughlin’s goal remains simple: to inspire younger fans and prove that no dream is unattainable.
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