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Stranger Things 2: Sean Astin's Bob Is The New Barb


Shawn Levy and the Duffer Brothers had no idea that Barb was going to come out as one of the most popular characters in Stranger Things, and even until now, fans are still holding out that she'll make a comeback at some point in the show. Sean Astin will be playing a character named Bob in season two, and Levy thinks that he'll eventually be the "new Barb" of the show.

Talking to Screen Rant, Levy explains:

"Yes. It's Sean Astin. Yeah. Sean Astin as Bob is going to be, I'm saying it, but he's kind of going to be the Barb of Season 2. His part is substantially bigger. He's in a lot of episodes. He is magnificent. And one thing the Duffers do really well is when they see what an actor is capable of, they write to that. They don't make the actor play what's on the page. They often change what's on the page to exploit everything that's unique about that actor. They did it with Steve Harrington last season and this season again and they did it big time with Sean Astin who as Bob I think is going to be a Barb level fan favorite."

For a side character who only appears in a handful of episodes, Barb has gotten incredibly popular with the fans. A lot of speculation has gone behind her appeal, but it's most likely that a lot of people can relate to Barb being a selfless friend who always goes unnoticed thanks to her more popular (and selfish) "hot" friend. You didn't deserve her, Nancy.

Going back to Sean Astin, though, his character Bob is said to be the new love interest of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), who has been through a tough time thanks to the whole debacle with Will in the first season. Now we're not sure if he can reach Barb-level in terms of popularity, but hopefully he gets to stay a lot longer in the show.

Stranger Things season 2 comes out Oct. 27 on Netflix.

See Also: Stranger Things 2: Getting 'Thriller' For The Trailer Was A Huge Challenge

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