Free Guy: Why Stranger Things Star Joe Keery Was Nervous For The Movie

20th Century Studios’ Free Guy not only stars Ryan Reynolds, one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, but features a number of famous faces all around him. Primetime Emmy winner Jodie Comer stars opposite him with Marvel director Taika Waititi also appearing, even the late Alex Trebek, former host of Jeopardy!, appears. Another cast member is Stranger Things‘ Joe Keery, who says that the famous faces all around him were intimidating. Speaking in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis, Keery confided that his time working with director Shawn Levy on the Netflix series put him at ease but he was still nervous stepping onto set.

“I will say I was very nervous to do this movie just because you’re working with massive talent,” the 29-year-old actor said. “I mean, every single person that was in this movie, I was a fan of, and kind of anxious. And just like anybody else would be, you meet these people that you’ve seen their work. But the other side of the coin is that everybody was so amazing and nice and collaborative on set. And that, I don’t think that happens every time, so I’m feeling pretty lucky. But I do think that a lot of that has to do with the vibe that Shawn [Levy] creates. He creates a really, really just comfortable, comfortable vibe on set.”

Coincidentally, Keery wasn’t the only one on set that was intimidated by the other names on the call sheet. Speaking in an interview with Net-a-Porter, Jodie Comer expressed similar concerns for her early time on set.

“I had done television for so long, my insecurity was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’m a TV actress; maybe I’m never going to do film.’ And, years ago, maybe there was a clear divide, but now I don’t think there is. When I did Free Guy, it just felt enormous. I was intimidated by the grandeur of everything: the sets, the stunts, it was very physical.”

Free Guy is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with an 84% positive rating as of this writing. ComicBook.com’s own Charlie Ridgely rated the film a four out of five, writing: “It’s hard to make a good video game. It’s hard to make a great romantic comedy. Somehow, Free Guy turns out to be both, while also containing Ryan Reynolds’ best role to date. It’s a sweet, sweet fantasy that’s impossible not to enjoy.”

Free Guy is now playing in theaters.