Mr. Clarke From ‘Stranger Things’ Looks Totally Different IRL But Still Reminds Us Of A Science Teacher

Many people were lucky enough to have that one favorite teacher in middle or high school. The authority figure who was approachable, cool, and seemed to actually understand you. Scott Clarke is that guy. For the kids of Stranger Things, at least. The Hawkins science teach rocks a mustache and a sweater vest like nobody else, and he knows the ins and outs of sensory deprivation tanks. Right on! He might just be one of the unsung heroes of the series' complex universe. But Mr. Clarke from Stranger Things IRL looks totally different, and you might just recognize the actor from some other projects he's done in the past.

In Season 1, Mr. Clarke endeared science experts and plebes alike when he took the time to answer Dustin, Lucas, and Mike's barrage of questions about parallel universes and theoretically traveling to them. Cue his handy dandy paper plate sketch about the flea and the acrobat, which was basically Upside Down 101. He also barely flinched when Dustin bugged out and reneged on the big Dart reveal in Season 2. The Stranger Things audience is just a little bit smarter thanks to Clarke and he acts as a minor, albeit necessary, figure amidst all the supernatural chaos. The actor behind Scott Clarke, Randy Havens, plays him to nerdy perfection. And no, he does not comb his hair over like his character on a regular basis.

You may recognize Randy from his recurring role as Stan in another '80s-set series: AMC's Halt and Catch Fire. He also appeared in shows like The Vampire Diaries, Sleepy Hollow, and Resurrection. While he doesn't appear to sport a mustache on the reg when he's not working, According to his reddit AMA, the facial hair choice was a major factor in landing the ST role. When asked about his snazzy signature look, he responded,

Haha Shawn Levy once told me the mustache was a BIG FACTOR in me getting hired, so I definitely brought it to the show. I grew it for an AMC series called Halt and Catch Fire and ended up having it for about a year. I'm so glad it helped me get this part.

I used to wear sweater vests. I had a professor in college tell me that I must secretly be dangerous because I'd have to be brave to dress the way that I did. So be brave and wear sweater vests! Also, the on-set teacher for the kids and Mr. Clarke had almost the exact same style. It was amazing.

You hear that? Never underestimate the power of a sweater vest. Randy also appears to geek out about Stranger Things just as much as we all do and he happens to be pretty hilarious when poking fun at his lack of actual science know-how.

Up next for Havens is the TV series Living the Dream and director Joel Edgerton's drama Boy Erased, if you want to catch him do his thing outside of Hawkins, Indiana.

We don't know much about Mr. Clarke's personal life except that he enjoys horror movies like The Thing (and debunking the visual horrors of them), he dated a lady named Jen, he's up on his Hugh Everett's Many-Worlds Interpretation, and the story of Phineas Gage is part of his middle school curriculum. We want to go deeper. Some of the minor characters of Stranger Things really stand out. Case in point: Lucas' sister, Erica. Or Barb, may she rest in peace. We're not championing a spinoff here, but call us intrigued. Come to think of it... an informative science show about the plausibility of supernatural happenings called Clarke's Remarks does have a nice ring to it.