In the world of television success stories, few shine brighter than Cara Buono's journey with Stranger Things. The actress, best known as suburban mother Karen Wheeler, has become something of a secret weapon for hit shows - a fact acknowledged by none other than her former Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm.
The Lucky Charm Effect
After Stranger Things' explosive first season, Buono received a telling text message from Hamm, who famously played Don Draper. "Jon said, 'You are the rabbit's foot,'" she reveals with a smile. "I said, 'I'll take that!'". What Hamm meant was that Buono's presence seems to sprinkle gold dust on every project she touches - a theory that Stranger Things' phenomenal success certainly supports.
For the past decade, Buono has featured in virtually every episode as Karen Wheeler, the quintessential 1980s mother whose children secretly battle supernatural forces in Hawkins. Since its 2016 debut, the show has smashed streaming records, with season four becoming one of Netflix's most-watched series ever.
The Price of Phenomenal Success
The success comes with an astronomical budget. Netflix reportedly spent between $50 million and $60 million on each episode of the final season, making it one of the most expensive television productions in history. The investment has paid dividends - Stranger Things is estimated to have brought in two million new subscribers and generated over $1 billion in revenue for Netflix since 2020.
The show's cultural impact extends far beyond streaming numbers. It sparked an 80s nostalgia revival that sent Kate Bush's 1985 anthem Running Up That Hill back to the top of the charts in 2022 after featuring prominently in the series.
Navigating Turbulent Waters
Fans waited more than three years for the concluding season, though off-screen dramas threatened to overshadow the long-anticipated finale. David Harbour, who plays police chief Jim Hopper, faced allegations from his ex-wife Lily Allen's new album apparently chronicling his adultery. Shortly after, Millie Bobby Brown filed a complaint accusing Harbour of on-set bullying and harassment before filming the final season.
While Harbour and Brown downplayed the stories by posing together at the Los Angeles premiere, Buono chose to remain silent on the scandal. Unlike her younger co-stars who found fame through Stranger Things, Buono arrived with an impressive television pedigree.
She earned an Emmy nomination for her role as Dr Faye Miller in Mad Men and played pivotal character Kelli Moltisanti in The Sopranos. Both shows won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy while she starred in them. "I know you shouldn't care about awards, but I really want Stranger Things to be nominated this time," she admits. "Then I can be a crossword-puzzle trivia question: 'Who is the actor who's been in three Emmy winners?'"
Becoming Television's Mother Figure
Despite her stellar CV, the 54-year-old actress remains remarkably grounded. During our meeting in a West London photographic studio, she proves chatty, maternal and refreshingly open. Much of her devotion to her Stranger Things family stems from personal struggles during season one.
"I really, really wanted a big family, but I had a lot of fertility issues and several miscarriages during the show," she reveals. "So I always think the universe gave me Stranger Things to be around all these kids, because it came at this time when I was accepting I wouldn't have more children."
She feels privileged to act as a de-facto mother to the young cast, who have grown up in the spotlight's glare. "Millie was a child and no one should ever be treated like that," Buono says of Brown's experience with online bullying. "It's outrageous and disgusting that people don't have anything better to do. I'm protective of Millie - I'm protective of all of them."
Karen Wheeler's Badass Transformation
While Karen Wheeler traditionally pottered around her kitchen oblivious to the supernatural chaos, season five unleashes a new version of the character. In episode one, with families locked down together after Hawkins' apparent earthquake, a Demogorgon breaks into the Wheeler home.
"I'm having a drunken fight with my husband, I'm about to take a bath and I end up trying to save my daughter from a Demogorgon," Buono explains. "I grab my wine bottle and start attacking it."
The scene thrilled Buono, who had long imagined Karen as a closet drinker numbing herself into denial. "Finally, we're seeing fierce, badass Karen," she says. "It's a good evolution for her - she's still clueless but she didn't back down."
Filming the series finale proved emotional for the cast who had become a family over the past decade. "There were a lot of tears, a lot of 'This is the last time we'll be in this location,'" Buono recalls. "I was in the last scene on the last day's shooting and I couldn't get my line out I was so emotional."
From Bronx Beginnings to Hollywood Success
Unlike her character's Midwest upbringing, Buono grew up in New York's bustling Bronx neighbourhood. Her Italian American father worked as a mechanic while her mother held several jobs while raising four children. The youngest Buono discovered acting for rather practical reasons.
"Girls my age were already kissing boys, but I had two big brothers and nobody would go near me because of them," she laughs. "I thought if I act and there's a scene that says, 'You must kiss', then I'll have to be kissed."
From age twelve, she started skipping school to attend Manhattan auditions, eventually landing an off-Broadway role that "opened my world up." She balanced acting with academics, winning a place at Columbia University and completing her degree in three years instead of four while funding herself through acting gigs.
Her career has spanned theatre, film and television, including playing Bruce Banner's mother in Hulk and mobster Christopher's girlfriend in The Sopranos. Her Mad Men role involved romantic scenes with Jon Hamm shortly after her marriage to social entrepreneur Peter Thum.
"It was a bit uncomfortable making out with Jon on screen because I'd just got married," she admits. "But my husband was very funny about it. Everyone would text him after every episode, but he just joked about it: 'Yep, that's my wife!'"
Giving Back and Moving Forward
The charity-minded couple co-founded Liberty United, transforming confiscated guns into jewellery with profits helping gun violence victims. "It's turning tragedy into beauty," Buono says. Since university, she has also volunteered overnight shifts counselling victims of rape and domestic violence.
Now, as Stranger Things concludes, Buono looks to the future with optimism. Unlike actresses of previous generations, she has few fears about ageing affecting her career.
"The situation has changed; it used to be by 40 you're done but that's not the case any more," she notes. "People of all ages are embracing stories with older actresses. With age you understand yourself and human nature better. You're more accepting. You have less f**ks to give and it's fantastic. Right now, I'm having the best time of my life."
As Stranger Things takes its final bow, Cara Buono's journey from lucky charm to beloved television mother demonstrates that sometimes, the most powerful magic happens behind the scenes.
