Stranger Things took most people by surprise, growing more and more compelling with each one of the eight episodes of Season 1 and the primary draw, of course, was that group of kids dedicated to finding their best friend. While the young characters were likable and following them had Stranger Things ‘ new fans on the edges of their seats, the parallel story arc focusing on the adults in Stranger Things was equally compelling. In particular, Winona Ryder, playing Joyce Byers, delivered some raw, emotionally tense scenes as the distraught mother desperate to find her missing son. Now, Ryder opens up about what it was like to play her Stranger Things role and how the overnight success affected her, personally.
Stranger Things Star Winona Ryder On Her “Hysterical” Television Debut
Throughout the beginning episodes of Stranger Things, Will (Noah Schnapp) is missing and the subject of an exhaustive search by children and adults alike, but, as Entertainment Weekly points out, no one was more invested in finding Will than his own mother, played by Winona Ryder. Winona has no children of her own, so, in preparing for her Stranger Things role, she had to draw on her own childhood and the experiences of her generation.
Ryder freely admits this may have made her character seem outdated by today’s standards, but, then again, Stranger Things doesn’t take place in the modern day. Instead, the series is set in the mid-80s, so Winona’s portrayal is right on the money.
“For the first five out of the eight episodes, I’m pretty hysterical,” Ryder said on Jimmy Kimmel Live . “As I think any parent would be in those circumstances. So it’s weird. It was a very fun shoot, but it was a weird fun because I’m quite old-school in my approach.”
Among her most difficult Stranger Things scenes, Winona lists the shots in which Joyce Byers has to cry, because Ryder is allergic to the tools most actors use to induce crying. Normally, a substance is blown into an actor’s eyes to induce tears, but being unable to tolerate the substance left Winona in a troubled state.
“You have to be really hydrated to cry that much. But I had to cry for real, so it was quite hard. It was hard,” said Ms. Ryder. “But it was rewarding.”
Winona Ryder Was Overwhelmed By The Instant Success Of Stranger Things
It seems everyone is talking about Stranger Things , especially now that Netflix has confirmed a second season, and Winona admits that she never expected such a sudden and far-reaching response to the fledgling series. While Winona doesn’t use the internet as much as most people, E! News reveals that her parents are devoted members of the online community and always make sure to share relevant items with their daughter. In this way, Ms. Ryder was able to experience the fanfare surrounding Stranger Things as it flourished.
“It was definitely overwhelming,” Ryder said. “I’m not on the Internet that much. But my parents are and they forward me the good stuff. They’ve always sort of been like that…But with this it was different.”
When asked how it has been different with Stranger Things , Ms. Ryder revealed that it left her feeling quite different than she had ever felt with her previous acting successes.
“It’s been incredible, it’s been amazing—overwhelming, humbling.”
While Ryder may not be a big fan of the internet, she did reveal that she spends a good bit of her free time binge-watching television shows on Netflix. She says she watches quite a few shows that have been cancelled long ago and enjoys them all, so she was a little disappointed to find out that Stranger Things caused a considerable price hike.
“I got an email from them saying the price was going up to $12.99 and there was an ad for the show with my face and it was like, ‘you have to get from $7.99’…It’s dangerous, but great—I do binge watch,” Winona Ryder revealed.
[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]
