'Stranger Things' season 2: Execs dish on the characters of Sean Astin & Paul Reiser

The official release date of “Stranger Things” season 2 may not have been announced yet, still fans of the show have been hanging on to the few details that the cast have been filtering at award shows and red carpet interviews because of it. However, creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as executive producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen, just revealed some vital details about the new characters.

Undoubtedly, the entire cast is a large part of what made “Stranger Things” so popular around the world. The Screen Actors Guild Award even awarded the cast with Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. And the younger cast in particular have been stealing hearts each and every time they are shown on screen -- no matter they’re doing, from playing games with talk show hosts, to rapping and singing.

However, one aspect of “Stranger Things” season 2 that will completely set it apart from the original is the new characters that will make their way to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, with all its mystery and quirks. One new character by the name of Bob Newby will be played by “Lord Of The Rings” star Sean Astin.

The show’s executives spoke with Entertainment Tonight and confirmed yet again that Astin will be playing the love interest of Winona Ryder’s character, Joyce Byers. The actual storyline was not disclosed, but Ross had nothing but wonderful things to say about Astin’s acting.

“Sean Astin is a force,” he said. “He’s gonna surprise.” Considering the 45-year-old’s acting talents have well been tested, it is possible that Ross meant Bob will be a surprise to fans.

Another exciting addition to “Stranger Things” was the casting of “Whiplash” star Paul Reiser, which Matt admitted was a dream move. “The character [he plays] was named Paul Reiser for a long time and were were just like, ‘We should just [reach out]. We should just see if he wants to do it,’” he recalled. “And he did want to do it!” Matt then explained Reiser’s child was the one who pushed him to do the show.

The new characters will add colour to the already eventful lives of the Hawkins residents. “Part of the fun of the show is we want people to discover these characters,” Shawn said. However, it is unclear how long fans will have to actually wait until “Stranger Things” season 2 hits Netflix International.

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