Among the notable elements of Stranger Things: with the exception of Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, most of the actors are relative unknowns. Or at least they were, before the Netflix series became so huge. David Harbour was a “that guy” character actor; Cara Buono had small, though important, roles on Mad Men and The Sopranos; and the kids, including Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, were unknown revelations. But for season two, Stranger Things is getting a little more recognizable. No, Tom Cruise isn’t playing Nancy, but at least you’ve heard of Sean Astin and Paul Reiser.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Astin will play Bob Newby, “a kindhearted former nerd who went to high school with Joyce and Hopper and now manages the local Hawkins RadioShack,” while Reiser, who’s done great work in recent years on Married and Red Oaks, has been cast as Dr. Owens, “a high-ranking member within the Department of Energy on a ‘clean-up’ assignment, tasked with containing the events of last year.” Also joining is Linnea Berthelsen as Roman, “an emotionally damaged, magnetic young woman who suffered a great loss as a child. Although she does not live in Hawkins, she is mysteriously connected to the supernatural events at the lab.”
Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer are big fans of Aliens and The Goonies, which Reiser and Astin appeared in, so this must be a dream come true for them. Expect E.T. to show up sometime during season three.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
