The Netflix show's director and executive producer Shawn Levy reveals that the Joyce Byers depicter asked important things during the first meeting for the hit sci-fi series.
- Nov 2, 2023
AceShowbiz - "Stranger Things" served as Winona Ryder's acting comeback after years of hiatus. The Netflix show's director and executive producer Shawn Levy revealed in a new interview that the Joyce Byers depicter, who wasn't familiar with entertainment industry at the time, asked important things during the first meeting for the hit sci-fi series.
Of the "Beetlejuice" actress, Shawn shared on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, "She opened by asking, 'What is Netflix? What is streaming? Is it like TV but different?' " He further recalled, "That was the starting point… Yeah, Winona took a little onboarding to explain this emerging form of storytelling called Netflix and streaming."
Ultimately, Winona accepted the offer to play Joyce on the series, which also stars Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard among others. The role helped Winona to secure other gigs including HBO's adaptation of Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America" and "Beetlejuice 2".
During the podcast interview, Shawn also discussed the fifth and final season, which filming will start next year. Calling the upcoming season an "epic in its cinematic scope," he shared, "But it's very much 'Stranger Things'. 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," he continued.
Prior to this, Shawn said that the writing for the show resumed after WGA strike ended, but the production continued to be in halt due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. "I can say with confidence I think every actor, director, producer, writer and crew member wants to get back to work," Levy recently told Variety.
"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," he divulged.
