Winona Ryder has opened up about filming one of the most brutal and emotional moments in Stranger Things, revealing that the shocking scene couldn’t be practised and was only shot twice. 

Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, the actress reflected on Joyce Byers’ final showdown with Vecna in the series finale, describing it as a moment you simply have to commit to in the moment.

The climactic sequence sees Joyce behead Vecna with an axe, marking Ryder’s final on-screen moment with Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays the show’s long-running villain. 

Ryder explained that the intensity of the scene left little room for repetition. 

“You can’t rehearse a scene like that. You just have to sort of save it for the take. I think I only did it twice,” she said.

She also shared a softer memory from the day, despite the violence of the scene itself. 

“I love Jamie so much,” Ryder said. 

“I remember when he was in that position and we were talking about bands, and he’s the most lovely person. I came in that day just for that.”

The beheading follows Joyce’s defiant line to Vecna, “You fucked with the wrong family,” which stands out as one of the rare uses of the F-word in the show’s history. 

Series co-creator Matt Duffer explained why the moment mattered so much. 

“We haven’t used the F-word in the show, and we’ve been looking for a moment for it… we were looking for a real moment that would deserve stronger language and we’ve been saving it and felt like, well, if we’re going to go there, this is the moment for it. Let’s give it to Winona.”

According to Ross Duffer, choosing Joyce to deliver the final blow felt natural. 

He described her as the group’s protector and said the scene gained emotional depth during editing, particularly through flashbacks that connected her rage to past trauma. 

The aim, Matt Duffer added, was clear: “Let’s make this the most emotional decapitation in history.”

Stranger Things 5 is now streaming in full on Netflix.