Priah Ferguson talks growing up on ‘Stranger Things’

by Sammie Purcell

Priah Ferguson might be starring in one of the biggest shows in the world, but she still tries to stay as grounded as possible.

The 19-year-old Georgia native stars as Erica Sinclair, the wise-cracking younger sister of Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), on “Stranger Things.” She also graduated from Fayette County High School earlier this year, refusing to miss out on real life teenage experiences.

While Erica didn’t start out as one of the main crew of kids on “Stranger Things,” over the past couple of seasons, she has become a fan favorite. The first half of the last season of “Stranger Things” premiered on Nov. 26. Episodes 5-7 will be released on Christmas Day, and the series finale will come out on Dec. 31. Ahead of the release of new episodes, Rough Draft Atlanta spoke with Ferguson about her time on the show.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Erica, over the past few years, has kind of become a fan favorite, but obviously she wasn’t in the main crew when the show started. I’m curious, what’s that been like for you, seeing this character explode and coming into the spotlight in that way later in the show’s run?

Priah Ferguson: It was exciting for me. As Erica evolved, I feel like I learned a lot about her. Knowing and understanding how confident she is and how much of a nerd she is, is really fun. She’s not scared or shy to show people that she really is nerdy, and her being one of the smartest in the room and saying what people are thinking, that’s always fun to me. So seeing her evolve has been just as special to me as it probably has been for the fans, because she did start off as the quick wit little sister with smart remarks, but then she tapped into herself a little bit and was confident in her nerdy side.

Read in full at RoughDraft Atlanta

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