Winona Ryder says ‘Stranger Things’ co-star is ‘going to be like Meryl Streep’

Winona Ryder has dished out some extremely high praise for her young Stranger Things co-stars, even predicting that one of them might become the next Meryl Streep. The teenage cast members of the Netflix hit were unknowns back when the first season debuted in 2016, but since then they’ve become international household names, going on to land roles in countless major projects between them.

So even though Stranger Things is set to end after its fifth season, this is likely just the beginning of some glittering careers ahead for the actors who play Eleven and her friends. That’s what Ryder believes, anyway, as she told E! News. Speaking ahead of season four arriving next week, the Heathers icon revealed she’s “blown away” by how the teen cast have grown as actors over the years.

“I continue to be blown away by these kids,” Ryder said. “I grew up in the eighties… I was their age when the show takes place. These kids are just magic.”

She went on to specify that she thinks Sadie Sink — who plays Max Mayfield — will go on to become a hugely celebrated actress, comparing her to multi Oscar-nominated performers like Streep and Norwegian star Liv Ullmann. As for the whole bunch put together, Ryder noted that it’s been a privilege to witness them go from adolescence to adulthood since the show begun.

“Sadie is like Liv Ullmann,” Winona enthused:

She’s going to be like Meryl Streep… They’re all so talented. Just kind, good people…I’m very protective and I have mixed feelings about kids in the industry. But we really scored with these kids. It’s been great watching them grow up.

Ryder isn’t the only one with a lot of faith in Sink’s acting talents. Producer/director Shawn Levy has previously teased that season four will be a huge one for the character of Max, with episode four specifically designed as a showcase for her impressive range, something Levy said the team had been “wanting to give [Sink] since the day we met her.”

We’ll find out what’s in store for Max when Stranger Things 4 premieres the first seven of its super-sized episodes on May 27. The final feature-length two then follow on July 1.