Winona Ryder had “one condition” when joining “Stranger Things“: Don’t blow “Beetlejuice 2” for her.
Ryder had been meeting with “Beetlejuice” director Tim Burton in secret before “Stranger Things” even happened. Should “Beetlejuice 2” finally be greenlit, Ryder wanted assurances that Netflix would let her press pause on the TV series to go do the film sequel.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar (video below), Ryder says the “Beetlejuice 2” carveout was the first thing she discussed with “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer when she met with them to play their Joyce Byers.
“At the time, Tim [Burton] and I were talking about the ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel,” Ryder said. “There have been moments over the last 15 years where we thought it was going to happen, but that’s the thing. It had to be perfect with everybody in order for it to happen. I remember at my first meeting with the Duffer Bros. I said, ‘As long as if “Beetlejuice 2” happens you’ll let me go do that.’ They agreed. Luckily it worked out. That was my one condition.”
Now, more than 40 years after the original 1988 horror-comedy classic, Ryder returns for sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which will open the 2024 Venice Film Festival. “Stranger Things” is also wrapping up with its upcoming fifth and final season, which is still in production.
“I am literally on my 10th year playing her,” Ryder said of her “Stranger Things” character. “It’s an absolute first for me to play a character for that long. It was huge to say yes to just one episode. They only gave me the pilot episode. I didn’t at the time know what streaming was. It was terrifying in that regard.”
The series debuted in July 2016 and became one of Netflix’s biggest TV series ever; its fourth season alone amassed more than 140.7 million views globally within its first 91 days of availability. (Technically it is more than that as split seasons, like “Stranger Things 4,” continue counting views for all episodes up until 91 days after the premiere of the final half.) The series has also garnered more than 70 awards worldwide including Emmys and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, and has been nominated for over 230 awards.
Season 5 was announced as the final season of “Stranger Things” with additional projects within its universe in the works, including the “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” live stage show in London’s West End. There is also an untitled animated spinoff series coming.
Watch the Ryder interview here:
