Priah Ferguson Is Graduating From Stranger Things

It feels cosmically fitting that Priah Ferguson is saying goodbye to Stranger Things at the same time that she’s finishing high school. The 20-year-old actor has spent all of her most formative years on the set of Netflix’s sci-fi hit, after being cast as Erica Sinclair when she was 10. Because the show was filmed in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, she was able to balance her showbiz career with her studies at Fayette County High School. While moving on feels “bittersweet,” Ferguson is fully ready to embrace what’s next. “I'm so excited to do new things,” she tells Elite Daily. “I’m closing this chapter of my life, and I just can't wait to move on and see what else is out there.”

While there’s constant talk of Stranger Things spinoffs or continuations, Ferguson is happy to leave her character wherever she ends up in the finale. “I think Erica's done,” she says. “I think she's tired of the Demogorgons and the monsters. I think Erica just wants to live and be done with all that.”

But she isn’t leaving all of Erica behind after the final season airs throughout the last months of 2025. The outspoken character has made a lasting impact on Ferguson’s personality. “Playing Erica has made me more blunt, not in a rude way, but kind of like, ‘Hey, let’s get it moving.’ I’m usually more quiet, but I learned to take that attitude from Erica,” she says.

She’s also thought a bit about what Erica might be up to in a few years. “I think she’d graduate and go to a cool college, where she studies law,” Ferguson says. “A lot of ideas are coming to mind, but I definitely feel she will grow to soften her tone and learn to practice law.”

But at the moment, Ferguson is more focused on her own future. Now that she’s got her diploma, she wants to go to school to study marketing and cosmetic science (“Hopefully I can have my own little skin line one day”). But of course, her acting career comes first: “That’s what I want to do, and what I love to do.” She just wrapped on the upcoming Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic Samo Lives, with a star-studded cast including Dane DeHaan, Kathryn Newton, Chase Sui Wonders, and Jeffrey Wright.

As Ferguson charts out her next chapter, she shares her favorite mall snack, the actor she’s dying to work with, and her manifestations for 2026.

Elite Daily: If you were playing Dungeons and Dragons in real life, what would your character be?

Priah Ferguson: I really like Erica's character, Lady Applejack. I think I’d pick someone similar to her.

ED: What’s your favorite thing about the ‘80s?

PF: The music. When I was on set, I was listening to an '80s playlist and jamming. Then I started listening to it in my day-to-day life. I have my own little '80s playlist now.

I want to do a coming-of-age story that speaks to my generation.

ED: If you're spending a day at the mall, what stores are you hitting up?

PF: Definitely Sephora. And Auntie Anne's. When I’m at the mall and I smell Auntie Anne's, I have to get it.

ED: What's the last TV show you were obsessed with?

PF: Forever on Netflix.

ED: Who's an actor that you dream of working with someday?

PF: I would love to work with Regina Hall. She's so funny, but she can also be serious when she needs to be. I like the way she goes back and forth between those two worlds.

ED: What’s your zodiac big three?

PF: I’m a Libra sun, Capricorn moon, and Pisces rising. I have a lot of water signs in my chart, which explains my sensitivity sometimes.

ED: Do you relate to being a Libra?

PF: I do. When I find out certain celebrities are Libras, I'm like, I see that. I see myself in you.

ED: What movie have you rewatched the most in your life?

PF: The Notebook. And I've definitely rewatched Hamilton on Disney+ several times.

ED: Which artist is going to be on top of your Spotify Wrapped this year?

PF: Mariah the Scientist. I love her. I listen to so many different things, but I listen to her the most.

ED: What’s a TV or movie genre you want to explore next?

PF: I want to do a coming-of-age story that speaks to my generation, Gen Z. I don't have a specific genre or project in mind, but I just know when it comes my way, I’ll be ready.

ED: What are you manifesting for yourself in 2026?

PF: I want to land a role that shows my range in the acting world, and also to tap into the beauty world a little bit more. I want to get a YouTube channel up and running; I love to vlog. I want to hit the gym more. I’ve got to create a vision board.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.