Robin is first introduced to us as Steve’s snarky coworker at Scoops Ahoy inside the Starcourt Mall, and she’s got this cool self-confidence, mixed with a little bit of nerd, that’s instantly endearing. Plus, she’s not afraid to rib Steve about all his “children” friends. But what’s even more of a standout? Her incredibly chic bob. Hindsguard let us in on how she approached introducing this new character into Hawkins.
“We started very, very small, with Matt and Ross (Duffer, the show’s creators) saying she should be tomboy-ish. She should not be too girly or polished,” she says. “They wanted something natural and cute but endearing. I think she has a very endearing personality, and then I met Maya and she is just this bubble of joy. She is so fun.”
Hindsguard gave Hawke a blunt cut with only a very few layers in it, and then she used a big waving iron on it to create some movement and some volume in her roots. “That cut is interesting, because it works in the period and also works right now,” Hindsguard says, who says she really wanted people to be able to relate to Robin.
Poor, poor Joyce: She’s been in the middle of a trauma or recovering from one basically the whole time we’ve known her. But Hindsguard and Ryder opted to have Joyce’s hair a bit longer this season, as a reflection of just how much taking care of things like a haircut isn’t top of mind for her right now.
“That woman has given up,” Hindsguard says. “She’s just shoving her pain off.” She also points out that the whole Byers family is all rocking a very similar cut with all of their bangs, which is a real contrast to Wheeler household where everyone is very “done.” “When we first met her in season one, she pretty right on with the ’80s with a little bit of a mullet feel to it [her hair],” she says. “But now, she doesn’t even realize. She can’t focus on stuff like that because she’s been through so much.” Her thinking? Joyce would trim up the front purely out of necessity so she could see—and not bother so much with the rest.
