{"id":382301,"date":"2026-01-01T21:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T21:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/382301\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T21:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T21:11:08","slug":"why-the-teenage-version-of-winona-ryders-joyce-byers-looks-so-familiar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/382301\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Teenage Version Of Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers Looks So Familiar"},"content":{"rendered":"

The folks behind “Stranger Things” didn’t need a computer to recreate Winona Ryder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Episode 4 of the spooky Netflix series’ fifth and final season,\u00a0Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) explores Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) memories<\/a>\u00a0of his time at Hawkins High School during the late 1950s. At this point, we see\u00a0a young Joyce Maldonado (later Byers, via marriage to Lonnie Byers) handing out flyers for a production of the musical “Oklahoma!”.<\/p>\n

Because Ryder, who plays adult Joyce, spent the late ’80s and early ’90s cranking out above-the-title performances in classic films \u2014 “Heathers,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Edward Scissorhands,” we could go on \u2014 plenty of footage exists to give us a precise idea of what Joyce would look like as a teenager. So, when the young Joyce from “Chapter Four: Sorcerer” landed so close to the real deal, some viewers assumed she was an AI or CGI creation. However, the part was actually played by up-and-coming model and actress Birdy, not to be confused with the singer-songwriter of the same name.\u00a0Eagle-eyed fans might recognize Birdy from the Season 13 finale of NBC’s “Chicago Fire,”<\/a>\u00a0which aired in May.<\/p>\n

Following her appearance on “Stranger Things,” Birdy took to Instagram to confirm her identity. Her first post<\/a> following the episode was simply captioned “not AI winona \ud83d\ude42 #strangerthings5 #youngjoyce.” Alongside a screenshot of young Joyce at Hawkins High, the post included a behind-the-scenes still of Birdy out of costume and holding up Joyce’s “Oklahoma!” flyer.<\/p>\n

Read more: 20 Best TV Cameos Of 2025 (So Far)<\/a><\/p>\n

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