It has been only a few days since everyone stopped talking about Stranger Things (we think), but it looks like none of us will stop talking about Caleb McLaughlin anytime soon.
The actor who played Lucas Sinclair in the hit Netflix series will be returning to our screens in a few short weeks, taking on the role of a young Ricky Bell in BET’s upcoming biopic on Boston R&B group New Edition. The three night, six-hour miniseries, titled The New Edition Story, traces the vocal sextet’s rise to fame in the ’80s and airs January 24, 25, and 26.
“It’s cool to play a smooth, cool character,” McLaughlin tells EW about the role as Bell. “He’s very smart, very laid back. Nothing bothered him… [But] it’s Ricky before he became confident in himself.”
McLaughlin handles Bell’s early years with ease, as evidenced by the clip below. (For Bell’s later years, Hairspray’s Elijah Kelley resumes the role.) And it doesn’t look like the vocal expectations of The New Edition Story’s affected the New York native.
“Singing is always fun to do. But when I sing, I really mean it,” McLaughlin adds. “So instead of worrying about the cameras around me and what people think, I had to really get into a place of being Ricky and singing like him.”
And here’s the latest trailer for The New Edition Story, via the miniseries’ Facebook page…