Winona Ryder’s “one condition” for starring in ‘Stranger Things’ that took eight years to pay off
Considering the turn that Stranger Things has recently taken, it might be hard to remember why it was ever loved. The show took a clean dive for the worse after Netflix insisted on keeping it going past its sell-by date, with the adult cast being dragged onto set to complete a story that should have ended years ago.
The story of the Upside-Down, Will Byers’ misfortune after being snatched by the nefarious monster, and Eleven’s mysterious powers were once regarded as the peak of storytelling within Netflix’s body of work, with the airing of the first season shattering records for the most-watched show on their platform.
However, it is now hard to recall its initial charm, with it having evolved into a strange Scooby Doo-esque show as a group of teenagers fight exceedingly ridiculous threats, each with far-fetched ties to the first one.
However, when looking back on the first season, it is easy to understand the appeal, with each episode being a love letter to the 80s and a way for the actors to showcase their dramatic abilities through countless suspenseful and heightened moments. This was one of the reasons why Winona Ryder became involved in the show, with the actor experiencing a sudden return to the screen after a long absence, describing the one other reason why she accepted the role of Joyce Byers.
Joyce Byers is one of the most stressed-out onscreen characters, being increasingly tormented and angry after watching her son being consumed by an evil entity and seeing no end in sight. Over the course of the show, she undergoes a huge transformation, becoming empowered through her search for answers and finding the strength to have her voice heard in the quest for the truth.
The excellent script in the first season was undoubtedly one of the reasons why Ryder became involved, but there was another thing that drew her to the show. When sharing the early discussions she had with the Duffer brothers about joining their venture, she said, “At the time, Tim [Burton] and I were talking about the Beetlejuice sequel. There have been moments over the last 15 years where we thought it was going to happen, but that’s the thing…it had to be perfect with everybody in order for it to happen. I remember, at my first meeting with the Duffer bros, I said, ‘As long as if Beetlejuice 2, happens you’ll let me go do that’. They agreed. Luckily, it worked out. That was my one condition.”
While now being infamous for her role in Stranger Things, Ryder first found fame through her collaborations with Tim Burton, starring in Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands as a teenager. She became the definitive face of gothic cinema, something that she was keen to return to, given her longstanding history with the director, making it a strong condition of her work on the Netflix show.
The first season of Stranger Things was released in 2017, while the sequel to Beetlejuice wasn’t released until last year, meaning that she was years ahead of the curve, and the projects did not clash in the slightest.
