Joe Keery Reveals the Rare Gift Winona Ryder Once Gave Him

Joe Keery on Winona Ryder’s Gift

Joe Keery and Charlie Heaton shared that their Stranger Things co‑star Winona Ryder is exceptionally thoughtful when it comes to presents, often choosing rare and meaningful items for the cast. In a joint interview for Elle UK alongside Natalia Dyer, they explained that Ryder has surprised both of them with unique vintage pieces tied to music history.

Charlie Heaton’s Vintage Clash T‑Shirt

Charlie Heaton, who portrays Jonathan Byers, described Ryder as “such a generous person” and “a great gift giver.” He recalled that she once gave him a Clash T‑shirt she had owned since the 1980s, turning it into a personal relic from both her life and the band’s era.

Joe Keery’s Rare Pink Floyd Shirt

Joe Keery, known on the show as Steve Harrington, revealed that Ryder gifted him a vintage Pink Floyd T‑shirt that had belonged to the late singer‑songwriter Elliott Smith, who died in 2003. He noted that he has barely spoken about the gift publicly, emphasizing how special it is and adding that he does not wear the shirt, choosing instead to preserve it because of its emotional and historical value.

“She gave me a Pink Floyd T‑shirt. A beautiful, old Pink Floyd T‑shirt. And she told me that it was Elliott Smith’s,” Keery said, explaining why the shirt feels too precious to use.

Winona Ryder on Stranger Things and Her Career

Winona Ryder, a major film star since the mid‑1980s with roles in movies such as Heathers, Beetlejuice, Little Women (1994), Reality Bites, Girl, Interrupted and Black Swan, joined Stranger Things in its first season in 2016. She has said that despite a long and successful career, being cast on the series significantly changed her life and opened up new opportunities at a time when roles for women her age were limited.

In a 2022 interview, Ryder accepted that she will likely always be closely associated with Joyce Byers, and she is comfortable with that. She called the experience of working on Stranger Things “a gift,” stressing that she feels fortunate to have had such a lasting project with people she loves.

Watching the Young Cast Grow Up

Ryder has spoken warmly about watching the younger members of the cast grow up over the course of the show’s production. She described seeing their development, both as actors and as people, as one of the most beautiful experiences of her career and “an honor of a lifetime.” Her comments highlight the strong sense of family and mentorship that has formed on set over the years.

Current Status of the Final Season

The first four episodes of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things are now available on Netflix, marking the beginning of the end for the series. Fans can see more of Ryder’s Joyce Byers as the story moves toward its conclusion, while the cast reflects on nearly a decade of shared work and on‑screen growth.

Author summary: The story shows Winona Ryder as a generous mentor on Stranger Things, giving Joe Keery and Charlie Heaton rare vintage shirts while calling the long‑running series a life‑changing gift and privilege.

AOL — 2025-11-29