‘It was so hard to enjoy’: Winona Ryder Warns Millie Bobby Brown Against Perils of Stardom After Stranger Things Fame
Hollywood superstar Winona Ryder warned her younger co-stars from the Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things about the fame they received at an early age. The 50-year-old actress became a household name quite early after she got her first movie role, in the 1986 adolescent rom-com Lucas, which premiered when she was 14 years old. By the time, she was 18, she became a superstar with iconic roles in the movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers, Reality Bites, and Edward Scissorhands. However, success at such a young age came with increased public pressure that she had to go through.
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In her recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the star shared her own experiences that she faced that made her more aware of what the child actors on Stranger Things were going through. Winona Ryder, who plays the role of Joyce Byers on Stranger Things helped her young co-stars to coop up with the fame and stardom that they experienced after the series got popular in 2016.
The Stranger Things introduced child actors including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Gaten Matarazzo, who ranged from ages 11 to 14 in the first season.
Winona Ryder Helped Millie Bobby Brown in Dealing With Stardom That Came With Stranger Things
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The actress has already dealt with the perils of stardom she received at a young age which is why she always is considerate and understands how her younger co-stars are coping with the attention the show has given them.
“I want the kids to understand, that this does not happen,” she said. “This is really unusual. And I’m always telling them, ‘The work is the reward!’ Because when I was that age, it was so hard to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
Stranger Things‘ showrunner, The Duffer Brothers, shared how the actress was helpful to her younger costars, especially Millie Bobby Brown, who played Eleven in the show. Ross Duffer shared, “She’s talked to the kids about what celebrity is like and how the press can be and the anxiety and confusion that comes along with celebrity, I think she’s really helped them. I know she’s specifically helped Millie a lot to work through that. And that’s something that no one else can help with, really, because so few people have experienced it. It’s not something I understand. It’s not something that, you know, even a parent would understand.”
Winona Ryder Talked About The Pressure on Young Movie Stars
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The actress opened up about the pressure being put on young movie stars and young women specifically to stabilize their place, talking about the early era when the male leads were cast with two decades younger love interests, “This business is brutal,” she stated. “You’re working constantly, but if you want to take a break, they tell you, ‘If you slow down, it’s going to stop.’ ”
She paused and spoke, “And then it did slow down. So then you’re hearing, ‘It’s going to be impossible to come back.’ And then that changes to ‘You’re not even part of the conversation.’ Like, it was brutal.”
Stranger Things is available on Netflix with the final two episodes will be aired on July 1st.
Source: Harper’s Bazaar
