At the height of the “Stranger Things” heyday, Caleb McLaughlin made more room for his faith.
More than 59 million viewers worldwide watched McLaughlin portray Lucas Sinclair in the Season 5 premiere of the supernatural drama. During that time, McLaughlin began attending church regularly and spending more time in prayer.
“I went to church a lot with my family, and I deleted Instagram and got off social media and just started grounding myself a little bit more and talking to God more,” the 24-year-old actor told the podcast “Podcrushed.” “It’s been really replenishing.”
After starring as young Simba in the Broadway production of “The Lion King,” McLaughlin was cast in “Stranger Things” at 13, launching a five-season run on the hit Netflix series and leading to him growing up in the spotlight.
“I’ve always felt the connection with God,” he said.
“It’s just always been a part of me, but it’s always a different level to me (now),” he continued. “I feel like sometimes you live your life, and you kind of get into the world a little bit, and then you kind of stop praying sometimes, and you’re like, ‘All right, I’m praying before I go to sleep. All right, great.’ But then you have those moments like, ‘Wait, I need to pray and talk to God and ground (myself).’”
Although McLaughlin’s father is a reverend, he said his father never pressured him to embrace religion. Instead, he gave McLaughlin the freedom to discover his own relationship with God.
“My dad is a reverend. But he never forced religion or church or God on me,” he said. “He’d ask if we wanted to go, but if we didn’t, he wouldn’t push it. I kind of found my own relationship with God.”
When “Stranger Things” reached its conclusion late last year, so did a defining period of McLaughlin’s life. Now, McLaughlin says his faith gives him a foundation for whatever comes next.
“I think the spirit knows what chapters in your life are closing and what are opening,” he said.
“Sometimes you get so caught up in relying on worldly desires, like people’s validation,” he continued. “But when you’re able to sit down, ground yourself, and pray, and knowing that God is listening, that becomes the foundation. That’s what you can rely on any time of the day (or) year.”
In addition to his role in “Stranger Things,” McLaughlin has appeared in films such as “Concrete Cowboy,” “The Book of Clarence,” “The Deliverance” and “Shooting Stars.” Most recently, he starred in the animated film “GOAT,” which was produced by Steph Curry.
“I feel like it’s my calling,” he said in a 2022 interview with Essence. “God has called me to do this thing called acting and the performing arts. I never wanted to do it — it just happened. I love it more than anything now.”
“I’m not in competition with anyone but myself, and I think once I know I work hard enough for myself and I know I put my all into everything, then that’s my goal. That’s what I want to reach,” he added. “There’s so many things that I can learn every day. The door is open to anything.”
