While Netflix’s smash hit Stranger Things is nearing its end, its young yet dynamic cast has warmed its way into audience’s hearts over the past four television seasons and are looking at long careers in the future.
Among said cast is Priah Ferguson, who plays Erica Sinclair, the younger sister of Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas in the series. The Atlanta-born Ferguson recently sat down with The Big Tigger Morning Show on the V-103 Atlanta station to chat about filming the show, keeping up schooling, how she hopes the series ends, and more.
Priah Ferguson On Stranger Things
When asked about her day-to-day balancing school and filming, the 15-year-old actor stated:
“When I’m filming, I do school on-set. I like going to school, and being in-person, and kind of being in the scene. That’s why I’m not homeschooled…. On set, I have a set teacher. So I have to do three hours of school on-set everyday. In between those hours, they’ll call me to go to set… (The teachers) do not play…they are so strict…they’re so protective.”
It’s long been documented how child actors can struggle to maintain their schoolwork while advancing their acting careers, with some even dropping out of the acting game to pursue other fields. However, it sounds as though Priah Ferguson embraces that balancing act and is ready to take anything on, whether it be real or mythical.
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Priah Ferguson also commented on how sometimes, the scariest part of filming Stranger Things can be just acting the script out:
“When you’re filming, everything is visual effects…so when you’re filming, you’re literally screaming at a tennis ball on a stand on green screen, and you’ve got to act like it’s this big, scary monster like, choking you or something.”
Yet another common skill acquired by child actors is the necessity to be able to act off of creatures or events that aren’t really there at a young age. The creatures in Stranger Things obviously aren’t real (as far as we know anyway), so being able to sell the audience that they actually are is pertinent to a show like Stranger Things connecting with us as viewers. If the actors don’t sell us the monsters are there, we won’t fear them as much. Thankfully, that hasn’t been a problem for Ferguson or her co-stars since the show began, and likely won’t become one as it reaches its end.
On that note, Priah Ferguson also spoke about how she hopes the series ends in its announced 5th season, a sentiment many viewers likely share:
“It’s kind of bittersweet. I think in Season 5, we’ll kind of come to a resolution and it will be a breath of fresh air depending on how they end it. Hopefully they end it in a good way and not like a dark and scary way. I don’t know, I don’t really have much information about it yet…”
Stranger Things has put its viewers through the emotional wringer ever since the disappearance of Will Byers kicked off season 1 and hasn’t let up since. The show is well-regarded for its balancing of both light and dark elements, but overall these characters have experienced more traumatic events in a few years than most people do in their whole lives, so hopefully it ends on a somewhat happy note, for them and us.
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Ferguson also mentioned an upcoming voice role in Netflix’s My Dad the Bounty Hunter and another one she can’t give details on just yet, but the biggest takeaway is that she’s here, she’s working, and she has no plans to stop any time soon. Lastly, the actor offered advice for anyone coming up through the Hollywood system around her age:
“Know which direction you want to go into… and kind of have your head on straight. Be sure about what path you want to go on to and do your research. Do tons of research before you hop in”.
You can catch Priah Ferguson right now on Netflix’s Stranger Things and look forward to her future projects with Netflix and beyond. It sounds like she has quite a long career ahead, and I look forward to seeing it.
What are your thoughts on Priah Ferguson’s Stranger Things interview? Are you excited to see how season 5 wraps up the show? What’s your favorite Priah Ferguson moment so far? Let us know in the comments below and on our Twitter.
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Source: The Big Tigger Morning Show
