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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - Season 9© GettyImages

Jaime Campbell Bower reads Lizzo lyrics as Vecna and breaks the internet

Amazing and terrifying in equal parts.


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
AUGUST 3, 2022 3:23 PM EDT

Jaime Campbell Bower’s Vecna is one of the most terrifying villains in recent memory. This week, the actor was featured on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and did a reading of some Lizzo lyrics with his Vecna voice. It was mindboggling.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon   Season 9© GettyImages
Jaime Campbell Bower showing off his vocal skills.

Campbell Bower discussed his success with “Stranger Things” and many aspects about his character, including the makeup and THE preparation it took to bring Vecna to life. “It’s about 90% real,” said Campbell Bower of the makeup, sharing that it takes about eight hours to put on, in a process that starts at 3AM. “I feel sorry for me too,” he said after people gasped in the audience.

When discussing Vecna’s voice, he said, “It took a few months to get right. I was doing the voice and it started in this like, very kind of like nasally? More like Freddy Kreuger and it just wasn’t landing.” Campbell Bower then explained that he went home and did a bunch of horror movie research and landed on a deep and booming voice. “I’m a singer, so I kind of just relaxed myself, relaxed my larynx,” he said.

“I was wondering if you would mind doing the Vecna voice for us right now,” said Fallon, handing Campbell Bower a microphone. “We put some of your lines on cue cards, the twist is that they’re all things Vecna would never say.” Campbell Bower looks straight at the camera and starts reading through the cue cards, which contain all sorts of things, from Julia Roberts’ most famous lines in romantic movies, to some of Lizzo’s most empowering lyrics. “In a minute, I’ma need a sentimental man or woman to pump me up. Feeling fussy, walkin‘ in my Balenci-ussy’s tryna bring out the fabulous,” reads Campbell Bower, cracking up in the end.

Jamie Campbell Bower Talks Stranger Things, New Music and Recites Lizzo Lyrics as Vecna (Extended)

“Stranger Things” aired its fourth season this year, with the show’s heroes temporarily defeating Vecna yet being unable to stop the fusion of the Upside Down with the real world. This season became Netflix’s most streamed series in English, and the second most streamed series of all time, following “Squid Game.”

On August 2nd, the “Stranger Things” writers announced that they were starting to work on writing season five, which will be the show’s final season.