One summer can change everything, or so the tagline for season 3 of Stranger Things promises ahead of the July 4th premiere — and indeed, so much has changed since the second season dropped nearly two years ago. When the smash Netflix series returns, the Hawkins kids are older, not much wiser, and still very much battling the forces of evil from the Upside Down. However, this time they have more help, as evident in the announcement of two new series regulars for S3: Maya Hawke and Priah Ferguson. The latter made her mark on the series in season two as Erica Sinclair, Lucas’ sassy and smart as a whip younger sister. When the show returns, Erica will be thrusted into the action and finds herself on a mission to help save Hawkins from a dangerous new threats.
“You guys are definitely in for a treat,” Priah excitedly shared when we sat down with her for an EXCLUSIVE chat about the show. Season three picks up six months after the events of the last finale, and so much has changed in Hawkins in a very short time. While there is still so much she can’t say about what happens, Priah did tease that her storyline finds Erica put to the test. “I got to do a little bit of action, and that was really fun,” she said. “This season is definitely scarier…but it’s also really, really good and it’s suspenseful.” Fans have definitely picked up on that after watching the two teaser trailers for the series. They’ve also picked up that Erica will be spending most of her time with Maya’s character Robin, who works with Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) at Scoops Ahoy at the Starcourt Mall, and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), her older brother’s best friend. So, what was it like teaming up with the show’s most beloved bromance?
“Joe and Gaten, they were super nice,” she shared. “They were funny, they were fun to work with, and I just love their personalities. I learned a lot from them.” Same goes for working with Maya, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, who was the new kid on the Hawkin’s block this time around. “When Maya Hawke joined, it was really fun on set, but she also gave good advice, like always stay kind.” One thing that fans don’t see much of in the few sneak peeks is any interaction between Erica and her big bro Lucas, but it sounds like we just have to hang tight to the premiere. “Erica’s relationship with Lucas is like any annoying little sister: she gets on his nerves,” Priah says when we asked about the Erica/Lucas interactions this season. “She also looks up to him and she’s sad that he probably hangs out with his friends a lot and doesn’t really show her that much attention.”
Sounds about right, though considering Erica famously referred to her brother and his friends as ‘nerds’ for most of last season, it doesn’t seem too crazy that he’d be hesitant to be besties with her. And speaking of Erica’s catchphrase, when asked who among the cast was the biggest ‘nerd’, Priah had one name spring quickly to her mind. ” [I hope he doesn’t] get mad or offended, but it would probably be Gaten. His personality matches up with his character … he has a little bit of quirkiness to him, which is fine. I have a little bit of quirkiness to myself!” Don’t we all!
Stranger Things 3 premieres on Netflix on Thursday July 4th, and if you’re thinking of throwing a viewing party with your friends to celebrate the day, you’re not alone. Priah admitted that she’d also be having over some close friends to ‘binge watch’ all eight episodes of the thrilling show. However, it sounds like it will take a couple of viewings to really catch everything that’s going on. “This season has a lot of plots,” Priah teased. “There’s several different stories going on at once, so you guys will really have to keep up!”
Stranger Things returns with it’s third season on Thursday, July 4th, 2019, streaming exclusively on Netflix.