With all the hubbub surrounding this year’s Emmy Award nominations, one nominee in particular came as a welcome surprise: Shannon Purser, aka Barb of Stranger Things, who scored an unexpected nod in the Guest Actress in a Drama category.
It’s the first Emmy nomination for the Atlanta native, who made her acting debut on the Duffer brothers’ instantly iconic sci-fi Netflix series last summer.
When news of Purser’s nomination broke, the 20-year-old actress was quick to express her gratitude to her 385,000 Twitter followers and the Television Academy, tweeting: “Wow. I am so incredibly honored. Thank you so much.”
Wow. I am so incredibly honored. Thank you so much. Congratulations to all the other incredible nominees. — Shannon Purser (@shannonpurser)July 13, 2017
The star also extended her congratulations to fellow nominees including Alexis Bledel for her role as Ofglen in The Handmaid’s Tale and Laverne Cox for Orange Is the New Black. Purser’s Stranger Things costar Millie Bobbie Brown snagged a nomination of her own, in the Supporting Actress in a Drama category, for her performance as Eggo waffle aficionado Eleven.
Purser’s role as red-haired, uber-normal Barb made her a fan favorite, and one of the breakout stars of the series. Her character’s untimely death after an encounter with a nasty Demogorgon sparked the militant #JusticeForBarb movement in which fans demanded a response from the show’s directors.
“We’ll make sure there’s some justice for Barb,” the Duffer brothers told IGN. “People get very frustrated, understandably, that the town doesn’t seem to be really dealing with Barb. That stuff is all happening. We’re just not spending any screen time on it.”
Fans and critics alike have begun testing their theories to see if the next season of Stranger Things will deliver on that promise. While rumors of Barb’s resurgence continue to circulate, Purser was quick to dispel these claims, telling the Chicago Tribune, “As far as I know, Barb is dead. Really, really dead.”
We will all have to wait and see when season two of Stranger Things premieres on Netflix on October 27.
Credits
Text Abraham Martinez
Still via youtube