Actress Winona Ryder was initially confused by “Stranger Things” being housed exclusively on Netflix.
Ryder had several questions about the streaming service when she first sat down to discuss her role, series director and executive producer Shawn Levy told hosts of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, according to Variety.
“She opened by asking, ‘What is Netflix? What is streaming? Is it like TV but different?'” Levy said. “That was the starting point… Yeah, Winona took a little onboarding to explain this emerging form of storytelling called Netflix and streaming.”
Winona Ryder walked into her first STRANGER THINGS meeting and asked: “What is Netflix? What is streaming? Is it like TV but different?”
“Winona took a little onboarding to explain this emerging form of storytelling called Netflix,” Levy recalls. https://t.co/hpnozTL2VI pic.twitter.com/Ve167xw9km
— Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) November 1, 2023
Ryder will reprise her role as Joyce Byers, mother of Will Byers, in Season 5 of “Stranger Things,” the outlet reported. Levy hyped up the show’s final season, referring to it as “epic in its cinematic scope.”
“But it’s very much ‘Stranger Things,'” Levy said. “I have to credit the Duffer Brothers. You read the outlines sometimes and it’s massive, but then you read the scripts and you remember again and again that their instinct for anchoring the epic in the intimate, and for anchoring the darkness of genre in the warmth of these characters, it’s so innate to them. Season 5 gets bigger in scale but doesn’t forget who or what it is.” (RELATED: ‘Stranger Things’ Star Abandons Acting After Being Propositioned By Producer)
The release of “Stranger Things” Season 5 has been delayed by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike, according to the outlet. Writing on the show has resumed, but production remains stagnant.
“I can say with confidence I think every actor, director, producer, writer and crew member wants to get back to work,” Levy said. “I think that ‘Stranger Things’ is a true flag-bearing franchise for Netflix’s brand and everyone there is also hungry to make the next season. However, none of that can happen unless there is a fair and equitable deal made.”
