Winona Ryder reflects on 'Stranger Things' role ahead of 'Season 5'

Winona Ryder recently shared that she had to fight for her character in the hit sci-fi series, Stranger Things, which is coming to an end this Autumn. 

In her latest interview with ELLE UK, Winona Ryder opened up about the journey behind her Stranger Things character Joyce Byers, and how she fought to bring depth, complexity, and realism to a role that was initially written as just “the mom.”

“I had to fight really hard to make Joyce real and flawed,” Winona shared, adding that “it’s tough to convince people that flaws are good.” 

While Stranger Things built its identity around alternate dimensions, the actress made sure Joyce existed with more than one emotional layer, someone as fragile as she is fierce.

Recalling the time when she signed on for the Netflix series, Winona Ryder admitted she only “dimly understood what Netflix was.”

She went on to address that being part of the series also meant stepping into the role of mentor. 

“I was the oldest person on the set,” she noted. 

“I was like, ‘This doesn’t happen. This is weird – the phenomenon. The work is the gift. That is why you’re doing it.’ Which was what was instilled in me. And I think I was successful with some of them,” she remarked in conclusion of this topic.