Joe Keery is both relieved and sad to say goodbye to Stranger Things

The end is in sight for Netflix’s super-hit Stranger Things, or it would be if the AMPTP would get off its butt and give the striking actors and writers everything they want, and that means a lot of the show’s stars are reflecting on the good times they had with the show’s Dungeons & Dragons-inspired monsters and the hell-dimension they come from. Noah Schnapp recently explained that experiencing his character coming out made it easier for him to come out in real life—noting that he “probably would still be closeted” if he hadn’t had the opportunity to play Will Byers.

Now, Joe Keery (best known for playing Stranger Things’ lovable hair-haver Steve) has opened up to Women’s Wear Daily—your number one source for information on the men of Stranger Things—about his thoughts on ending the show. In the interview, which the story notes was conducted before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Keery says that it feels “like it’s time” for the show to end, but it still “won’t be easy” for him.

“It’s very convoluted,” Keery says. “There’s a sense of relief, there’s a sense of sadness.” He says his goal to “just really soak it up” while filming the final episodes and “not take any of it for granted because it’s been an amazing ride with such great people,” and then, once it’s over, he’ll “move forward and try to just hold on to the joy” he felt while making it. “Everything has a beginning and the middle and an end,” he poignantly notes, “It’ll be nice to have the end of this too.”

Perhaps part of the reason he’s okay with saying goodbye to Stranger Things is that he’s ready to move on to other cool stuff: WWD notes that he’s starring with Lily James and Willem Dafoe in indie drama Finalmente L’alba, plus the Liam Neeson movie Cold Storage, and he’s playing Jon Hamm’s son (with short hair!) in the new season of Fargo (premiering in November).