Charlie Heaton (aka Jonathan) from “Stranger Things” had the coolest things to say about Winona Ryder

Without a doubt, a key part of 2016’s silver lining has definitely been Stranger Things. The Netflix show became an overnight sensation and its young stars have since  become some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. While the show boasted industry veterans Winona Ryder and David Harbour, most of the cast members were relatively unknown. (And now, well, aren’t.)

Charles Heaton — who played Jonathan Byers, son of Winona Ryder’s character Joyce — spoke with Nylon for the magazine’s December 2016/January 2017 edition and opened up about his experience with the first season of Stranger Things, his upcoming roles, and what it’s like working with Ryder.

Of course, Heaton had nothing but nice things to say about Ryder.

He told the magazine,

“[Winona] gives everything to her role emotionally. It’s so beautiful to watch how vulnerable she can be on camera.

As the family at the center of the Stranger Things mystery, Ryder’s son and Heaton’s brother is Will Byers, who goes missing for most of the season. That would explain why Ryder and Heaton’s roles on the show were especially emotional.

Unsurprisingly, watching Ryder perform taught Heaton a lot about portraying emotion on-screen.

“[She taught me] to accept my vulnerabilities, to not be afraid to do that. She’s an icon," Charlie continued. "[For me] to come on set as a nobody and have Winona really take me in and be caring and giving, it was beautiful.“

We think it’s amazing that relative newcomers like Heaton have such good experiences with extremely talented stars like Ryder. We’re sure that by watching Ryder perform, Heaton was able to match her performance, which made the emotional aspect of the series so realistic.

Now, we CANNOT wait for Season 2 of the show to see what happens next to the Byers family and the rest of Hawkins, Indiana!