Winona Ryder Didn’t Know What Netflix Was When Cast in Stranger Things

Summary

• Winona Ryder didn’t know what Netflix or streaming platforms were when she joined the cast of Stranger Things, which became a huge hit.
• At that time, there were few competitors to Netflix, so it’s understandable that Ryder was unfamiliar with streaming.
• Ryder’s role in Stranger Things was significant, as she was a big star in the 80s and worked with Tim Burton on Beetlejuice, which is currently getting a sequel.

It seems that Winona Ryder had no idea what Netflix or streaming platforms were when she was chosen to be a part of the cast of Stranger Things, which ended up becoming one of the biggest hits in the actress’s career. In 2016, when the Duffer brothers’ series made its debut on Netflix, the streaming platform was already moderately established, but it is true that it had not become a global phenomenon. In fact, it was series like Stranger Things, House of Cards or Orange is the New Black that helped make Netflix what it is today.

At that time, there were practically no competitors for the service, since companies like Disney, Warner Bros. or Paramount would take a few years to catch up with Netflix by establishing their own platforms. Therefore, it is not so far-fetched that Ryder did not know what the whole streaming thing was about.

In a recent chat with Josh Horowitz on his Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy revealed that the actress didn’t know what Netflix was when she joined the project:

“Winona opened our first meeting, the Duffers and I sat down and had tea with her, she opened by asking, ‘What is Netflix? What is streaming? Is it like TV but different?’ That was the start of the starting point. I adore that woman… But Winona took a little onboarding to explain this emerging form of storytelling called Netflix and streaming.”

In Stranger Things, Ryder plays Joyce Byers, mother of Will (Noah Schnapp), whose disappearance is the starting point of the plot of the first season and the main trigger for the entire story. Joyce’s determination to find his son is essential within the story, and has turned her into one of the most beloved characters from the show.

Related: Stranger Things Will Use ‘All the Tools Available’ to Tackle the Aging Cast

Winona Ryder is Brining One of Her Most Iconic Characters Back

Beetlejuice 2

Release Date September 6, 2024

Director Tim Burton

Cast Jenna Ortega, Michael Keaton, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara

Main Genre Comedy

Writers Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg, Michael McDowell, Mike Vukadinovich, Larry Wilson

Winona Ryder’s participation in Stranger Things was something really important for the series, since the story takes place in the 80s, a decade during which Ryder was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Although during the 90s she also experienced one of the peaks of her career, in the previous decade she teamed up with director Tim Burton for the first time, becoming one of his muses thanks to Beetlejuice.

More than 35 years after the release of the film starring Michael Keaton, Burton is currently working on a sequel, which will bring back the main protagonist, Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, with both reprising their roles from the original movie. Joining them will be Wednesday star Jenna Ortega as Ryder’s character’s daughter, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s wife, Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe.

Beetlejuice 2 began filming earlier this year, but had to stop due to the actors’ strike. The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on September 6, 2024, although it could be delayed if the conflict between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP is not resolved.

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