McLaughlin: "We’re conditioned in society to feel self-conscious."

McLaughlin: "Even though 'Stranger Things' is a fictional world, there’s still discrimination towards people in the world, and they touch on those issues."

McLaughlin: "It’s going to be hard, sometimes you have to jump out of your comfort zone to be your biggest fan, sometimes you have to embarrass yourself to become your biggest fan. But do the stupidest thing, do something that you’re not good at, and that’s how you gain more confidence."

McLaughlin: "I don’t really like to rehearse scenes like that because I want my natural reaction. I want to be real and raw in the moment. So, I went off the cuff, just went for it. Of course, as we did more takes, it got better and felt more real."

McLaughlin: "If everything is good, you’re not learning anything. Your bad experiences, sometimes you learn from, sometimes it’s a scar in your life, but sometimes those bad experiences help you for the next situation."

[A motivational message he posted]

McLaughlin: "Find your happiness, don’t do it for other people do it for yourself! People will always judge and have an opinion about you or what they think they know about you. You can’t allow people to dictate your happiness because you will regret that you allowed them to stay in your head rent free."

McLaughlin: "I don’t like rehearsing much, depending on the scene. I like to understand the moment and the feeling of where I’m at."

McLaughlin: "I’m always prepared to do more or less; I’m going to just go for it. I had crazy moments this season where Lucas dealt with a lot more emotion, but in season one, I had more lines than I had in any other season. In season one, it was a smaller cast and mostly just the kids. So, I had a lot more lines at that time, but this season, I feel like the intensity grew. It really wasn’t about the lines, it was about the feeling of the show now and how to deal with it."

McLaughlin: "I wouldn’t say it’s about the tears, because since I was six years old, I used to cry at lunch tables — I used to do it for fun. I’d be like 'Watch me cry!' and I used to do that in front of my friends. I have tears built up in the back of my eyes right now, and I can go. I just need a lot of water and I’m good."

[On being positive with himself]

McLaughlin: "No-one is always their biggest fan, these words are just encouragement to become it - you’re never going to fully be your biggest fan, but you have to learn how to love yourself in a certain way."

McLaughlin: "A lot of people ask me 'is it hard to be a role model,' and I'm like, well when I'm being myself it's not, like this is who I am. I always like to help people, I always like to give advice. I like to, [you] know, just be a friend, like a friend to lead on, you know?"

McLaughlin: "Feeling good about yourself means you give off good vibes."

McLaughlin: "Everyone was like, 'Oh my god, they look so old on the screen blah blah,' but when you watch they look like teenagers. They look like they’re in high school. Our characters are aging with us — it’s not like our characters will stay 12 years old for the rest of our lives hanging out in Mike’s basement playing D&D. Everyone grows, everyone changes."

McLaughlin: "Sometimes I feel like I get paranoid more than I need to be, because of seeing what some people go through. You can’t mess up. If you mess up, they’ll bash you, and they’ll always remember. You’ll do something good, but they'll always remember, ‘Oh, but they did this.’ So you always have to be doing the right thing."

McLaughlin: "I feel like people need to take time and learn who they are and appreciate who they are. It’s healthy, it’s good, that’s how you go about your day. I’m not trying to confuse it with narcissism, because there is a line."

[On communicating with fans on social media]

McLaughlin: "It’s kind of hard for some people to do that. It’s not that they think they’re all that, it’s just for some people it’s hard to communicate with a million people on your page. It can be overwhelming for people, and it can be overwhelming for me sometimes, but it’s not bad at all if you think of us as regular people. They’re regular people, I’m a regular person, it’s just that I have a different platform, you know?"

McLaughlin: "I’m at a vulnerable stage in my life now; I’m a teenager. Teenagers mess up a lot, and it’s normal for anyone to mess up - also adults, anybody. I want to say I can control my privacy."

McLaughlin: "Continue being yourself and supporting your friends. Be your biggest fan!"

McLaughlin: "A lot of people always asking you about, like, 'How is it going up as a child actor and then transitioning into an adult actor?' I’m really am not. I mean, I’m technically an adult, but I still feel like a child. This is all I know. I’m doing the things that I love and things that speak to me. Doing Stranger Things is awesome. Now I’m able to do Concrete, and it’s a different level of working amongst great actors and great creators. I think it’s genuine and I appreciate the response that people are really loving and following me in my career."

McLaughlin: "Yeah! We’ve grown up together. In the first season, I was still kind of learning Lucas and learning his emotions in certain scenarios. ‘How is Lucas when he’s angry? How is Lucas when he’s sad? Does he show his emotions, or is he very quiet about it?’ But as the show went on, he’s just become a part of me, and he is me now. I’m glad that I was able to create Lucas instead of learning it from someone else. I get to bring myself into it. I’m the original Lucas! I’m glad the Duffer Brothers, the directors, gave me the freedom to do that."

McLaughlin: “I just love just how films are able to capture feelings and emotions in films. Right now, Euphoria is really good at that.”

McLaughlin: "Chionesu Bakari is a program that I know. In a church that I used to go to in Brooklyn, there’s a program for a group of young men and they just kind of help cultivate their lives and everything. I wanted to give back to the church that I grew up in and that raised me. You feeling me?"

[On building self-confidence]

McLaughlin: "For example, if you see a person you like, go up to them! Even though you’re so nervous to do anything and you feel like you’re going to get rejected, and even if you get rejected, it’s a good thing, because it just makes you stronger!"

McLaughlin: "But I feel like people will continue to say, “When the next season comes out, they’re gonna be 30 years old!” I’m probably gonna hear that for the rest of my life. I’ll be like, 'Guys, I’m not doing ‘Stranger Things’ anymore.' 'I know, you’re just getting so old!' Like, what do you mean? 'I’m 30 with kids.' We’re getting old — I’m old now!"