CHICAGO — It’s been an exciting few weeks for Jake Connelly.

The 13-year-old from Arlington Heights has had the thrill of watching the Chicago Bears — his favorite hometown team — clinch a playoff spot, saw New York City done up for the holidays for the first time and has been on a winter break from his northwest suburban middle school, giving him ample time to spend with family.

Oh, and he’s starring in one of the world’s biggest TV shows.

Jake is a new cast member in the fifth and last season of “Stranger Things.” The supernatural Netflix series set in the 1980s, which concluded with a final two-hour episode on Dec. 31, has captivated viewers for the past decade, garnering a steadfast following with its retro callbacks and horror-infused science fiction flair.

Jake plays Derek Turnbow this season, a loudmouth bully-turned-unlikely hero. He fits right in with the series’ long-tenured cast, but fans have especially taken a liking to the local newcomer, relishing in his painstakingly endearing performance.

“The comedic timing of this kid is remarkable,” one person commented on a compilation video of Turnbow’s one-liners that Netflix posted to Instagram last month. “A masterclass in comedy (to be honest),” the streaming service replied.

It’s been a whirlwind since episodes started coming out just ahead of Thanksgiving, Jake said, but he’s been taking the newfound stardom in stride.

“I’m looking forward to just riding the wave and seeing where everything takes me,” he told the Tribune in an interview last week, speaking side by side with his parents in the lobby of a Chicago hotel. The three of them, plus Jake’s 16-year-old brother and a few members of their extended family, flocked to the city ahead of the New Year's Eve finale, which they watched on the big screen together in a Streeterville movie theater.

Headed into the homestretch, he was a little nervous — but mostly excited. And, as a fan of the show himself, sad to see “Stranger Things” draw to a close.

“(It’s) very bittersweet,” he said.

Born and raised in Arlington Heights, Jake comes from a family of Chicagoans; his parents met in the city before moving to the northwest suburbs to start a family.

Acting wasn’t ever really on his radar, with his mom a pediatric nurse and his dad a data analytics manager. Rather, they were a sports family, Jake playing tackle football since he was a second grader. It wasn’t until one of his mom’s friends invited Jake to take part in a local commercial that he found himself putting on a character for the camera.

The gig was for the home renewal company Feldco and Jake, who was 9 years old at the time, had a single line: “Mom!”

“He memorized his lines in one night,” his dad, Phill Connelly, quipped.

Hooked from the get-go, Jake signed with a Chicago-based talent agency, then one short film, a bit of musical theater and a couple of years later, he had an audition for “Stranger Things.” He sent in a self-tape, where he put his own spin on a small snippet of dialogue from “Home Alone.” Two months and a few callbacks had passed by the time he’d heard the role was his and when he did, Jake was utterly surprised, though already on alert.

He got the call from his talent agency in spring 2023 — mid-tornado warning.

“We had just come out of the basement,” Jake remembered. With sirens blaring in the background, his agents told him he was going to Hawkins (the fictional Indiana town in which “Stranger Things” takes place).

At the news, his whole family screamed.

“I never thought I would get something this big,” he said.

The idea was for then 11-year-old Jake to head to Atlanta — where the show films — shortly after booking the job, his mom, Kerri Connelly said, adding she’d also planned to go with him. But then a writer’s strike hit Hollywood in May 2023, putting filming on pause and pushing their move to the following January.

That meant Jake had to keep his role under wraps among friends and classmates longer than anticipated. So he came up with a small fib to turn away any suspicion: He announced that he was going to be in a mayonnaise documentary. Well, the cover story started out as a mayo commercial, but knowing he’d be gone for a while, Jake amended the alibi to a feature-length film.

“Nobody was asking anything else to a mayonnaise documentary,” he said.

Jake and his mom eventually moved to Atlanta for a full year to shoot, where they lived in the same neighborhood as the rest of the cast and, in between call times, went on a tour of former filming locations for the show.

Four years old when “Stranger Things” debuted in 2016, Jake had to wait a few years before delving into the cult favorite. He and his family watched together by the time he turned 10 and immediately loved it.

Despite initial nerves, Jake felt at home on set as the older actors welcomed him with open arms and his years of football prepared him for stunt work. He reveled in the experience, from taking in the surprisingly practical effects to having his own movie-style fashion montage as he tried on his wardrobe to the tune of ’80s music.

He even recalled debating the best spot to grab an authentic Chicago hot dog with castmate and DePaul University alumnus Joe Keery.

Keery, who was waiting tables at a Lakeview bar when he landed his role in “Stranger Things,” has since made a name for himself not just as an actor but as a singer-songwriter under the alias Djo. Over the summer, Keery returned to Chicago to perform as Djo at Lollapalooza.

“Joe always said that Devil Dawgs was the best but for me, I’m just a big Superdawg fan,” Jake said.

Jake brought a piece of Chicago with him to the Season 5 premiere in Los Angeles earlier this fall, wearing Bears cufflinks and Superdawg socks with his tuxedo. On the way to the premiere, which Jake attended with his brother and parents, Kerri Connelly remembered grabbing her son’s hand and telling him: “Be yourself, soak it all in (and) enjoy the moment.”

The moments haven’t stopped. Back home, he’s had watch parties for the show with friends and family, including one night when his aunt decked out her entire basement in all things “Stranger Things,” complete with a fog machine. And a few weeks ago, Jake appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” where he exchanged jokes with Fallon and even gave the former “Saturday Night Live” star a run for his money, taking over Fallon’s desk chair and playing host for a few minutes live on air.

“Comfy chair,” Jake recalled, flashing a grin. Meanwhile, his family saw his talk show debut from behind the cameras, where Kerri Connelly was so nervous she almost couldn’t watch.

Jake’s parents haven’t quite wrapped their heads around how their son’s life, and their lives, have changed. Retaining a sense of normalcy has helped, with Jake staying in school and hanging out with his friends as always, but some things are undeniably different.

While in the hotel lobby last week, a small group of fans stopped Jake for pictures. Among them was 12-year-old Camila Aritzmendi, a longtime “Stranger Things” fan from Panama on vacation in Chicago with her family. She did a double take when she saw Jake.

“I was telling all my friends and family, ‘Is that Derek?’” she said. “But I didn’t believe it.”

Jake doesn’t know what’s next, but said he’s keen to take things one step at a time. His mom threw out a few ideas: a role in “Star Wars” or maybe a superhero.

“What do you think?” she asked him.

“That would be funny,” Jake replied.

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