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Stranger Things 4: Winona Ryder Reflects on the Younger Cast Growing Up


Now that the long-awaited Stranger Things Season 4 has finally arrived on Netflix, we will now once again witness the Hawkins crew together as they find a way to officially seal the gate of the Upside Down. Alongside the ensemble youngster cast, acclaimed actress Winona Ryder is also set to return and reprise the role of Joyce Byers, whom she played for four seasons.

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Stranger Things made its debut on the streaming service in 2016 and follows a group of friends as they befriend a mysterious girl named Eleven, who was later on revealed as the subject of a top-secret government project. This core group consists of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Mike (Finn Wolfhard). As the series progress, the cast has now grown up and the plot of the show has already evolved to a more mature theme as the Hawkins crew has now entered high school.

In an interview with THR, Stranger Things vet Winona Ryder opens up about her delight in seeing the cast growing in front of her eyes. Working with the younger cast for eight years, Ryder says she's proud of how grounded and talented they are.

"We’ve obviously been working with them for [eight] years now — most of them — but I just marvel at them. They’re grounded. They’re so, so talented,” Ryder said. “I have very, very mixed feelings about children in the industry — I was one — and I am just exceedingly proud of the kids that they are, and they’ve become. I remember saying to them, ‘The work is the reward. You’re doing it for this moment when we’re in the scene.’ And they got that right away, and they can remind me of that now sometimes when things can seem a bit overwhelming. There is a purity to kids that age, and there’s a real specialness there. These kids, in particular, just floor me at how kind and thoughtful and incredible they are.”

Seeing the younger cast grow up is surely a proud mom moment for Ryder as she can surely relate to what the youngsters have been going through. Like the rest of the cast, Ryder also started acting at the age of 12- years old and landed her first major role in the 1986 film Lucas at just 14-years old. And when the series premiered in 2016, younger cast members were just 11 and 12 years olds old at the time, and now, some of them are already in college.

Even the audience witnessed the younger casts' development to being young adults. But for Ryder, it certainly feels different seeing the youngsters go through adulthood, and it's evident that the actress is proud of what they've become.

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix, while Volume 2 will premiere on July 1.

Also Read: Stranger Things 4: David Harbour Waited Years To Deliver Hopper's Emotional Monologue

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