Does Joseph Quinn actually play guitar? Debunking Stranger Things' iconic Metallica scene

English actor Joseph Quinn stole many hearts with his debut performance as Eddie Munson in the latest season of Netflix's sci-fi drama Stranger Things.

The 29-year-old star not only displayed his acting chops but also wowed fans with his iconic scene from Season 4's finale where his character, Eddie, is seen rocking Metallica's famous song Master of Puppets in the Upside Down.

The scene was performed with such finesse that fans actually wondered if Quinn was the one playing guitar.

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Joseph Quinn indeed played the guitar in Stranger Things

It is true! Joseph Quinn practiced for months in order to ace his guitar performance in the web series.

While talking to Radio Times, Quinn revealed that towards the beginning of the pandemic, the Duffer Brothers asked him if he could play a guitar. However, the actor was shocked to see what they were expecting him to do on screen after they sent him the last script:

"I was like 'Are you serious?' They were like, 'Yeah.' And I thought 'OK.' So I went and bought a guitar and then practised manically for months until we ended up shooting the thing."

With that being said, he did have a little help from the outside to perfect his iconic scene. While talking to news outlet Collider, Joseph Quinn stated that it was actually his guitar double, Aidan Fisher, who upped the ante of the moment.

Speaking to Radio Times, Quinn revealed that despite nailing the solo all by himself, he was "trying to be realistic" with what he could do:

"Like I've been playing [guitar] since I was a kid but I'm no virtuoso. So I had most of the song down, but for the solo, we had to fly someone, a black belt metal guitarist, in to help with that. The rest of it? I had a stab at it, yeah."

While Eddie was seen rocking Metallica's Master of Puppets, it was Fisher's hands that frenzied the solo. The body double even took to his Twitter handle to share some BTS shots where he can be seen dressed similar to Quinn.

The actor also went on to describe his D-Day on set:

"It was so thrilling to do on the day – me and Gaten [Matarazzo] were on top of the caravan in the middle of the Upside Down playing Metallica. And it was great fun!"

Not only were the fans impressed by his acting skills but also his American accent in the series. Joseph Quinn, who was born in London, had to practice speaking in a certain way, which was also apparent "while off the clock — including at restaurants."

Talking to news outlet Inverse, Joseph revealed that it was a task “doing this voice that doesn’t feel normal in your mouth.” He stated:

“You just feel like a sociopath. I just feel like an idiot, but you kind of have to do it. There’s no way around it.”

Other English actors in Stranger Things include Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers, and Millie Bobby Brown, who stars as Eleven.