Winona Ryder Reveals How She Found Inspiration to Play Her Role in 'Stranger Things'
Winona Ryder, who portrayed Joyce Byers in "Stranger Things," shared how she found the inspiration to play her character in the Netflix series.
Ryder shared during a cover-feature interview with Marie Claire that she enlists the help of her parents — Michael Horowitz and Cynthia Palmer — who are both writers when it comes to preparing for her roles.
The "Beetlejuice" star revealed that because she didn't have children of her own, she came to her mother to help understand where Joyce Byers is coming from when she loses her son Will (Noah Schnapp).
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"I said, 'Mom, if every bit of logic is telling you your kid is gone, would you still [refuse to believe it]?' And she said, 'Absolutely.' I said, 'What if they show you a body?' She said, 'If you don't see it happen, you don't believe it,'" Ryder said, sharing her conversation with her mother.
Ryder came to the conclusion that it was "a weird, primal thing." However, the actress admits that she may have overdone embodying the role of Joyce because she ended up "crying or freaking out" almost every day of shooting.
Aside from learning what it feels to be a mother who loses her child, Ryder admits that her return to stardom has been very "overwhelming." She's surprised to find out that some people have been dressing up as her character, and wonders how really big superstars handle their fame.
However, Ryder worries for the young stars of "Stranger Things" — Schnapps, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin — if they are handling stardom well.
"I do worry about the massive exposure at that age," said Ryder. However, she adds that the kids appear to be taking it all in stride.
Netflix released a teaser for "Stranger Things" ahead of its premiere this month. The short promo features the disappearance of Will Byers in 1984 and the weird occurrences that happened right after.
"Stanger Things" season 2 is slated to premiere on Oct. 27 on Netflix.
