Culture 4 min read By Morgan Griffin
Gwendolyn Sundstrom on Grace's Bond With Jason in Crystal Lake
Gwendolyn Sundstrom discusses playing Grace, Jason Voorhees' childhood friend, in Peacock's Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake, her scenes with Linda Cardellini, and the show's killer twist.
Gwendolyn Sundstrom has stepped into the Friday the 13th universe with a role that did not exist in the original films. In Peacock's slasher prequel series Crystal Lake, she plays Grace, a childhood friend of Jason Voorhees, portrayed by Callum Vinson. The series is now streaming on Peacock, and Sundstrom spoke with Deadline about building a friendship with one of horror's most infamous figures.
Crystal Lake revisits several familiar faces from the long-running franchise, but Grace gives the story a new perspective on Jason's early life. Sundstrom described the relationship between Grace and Jason as central to her character's arc, noting that the friendship allows the series to explore a side of Jason that audiences have not seen before. The young actress said she learned a great deal from working alongside Linda Cardellini, who appears in the series, and praised the experience of sharing scenes with her.
The series has also drawn attention for its finale, which includes a major throwback to Friday the 13th Part 2. The concluding episode reveals what has been haunting the woods around Camp Crystal Lake, and this time the answer is not Pamela Voorhees. The finale brings back the baghead version of Jason Voorhees, a look that originated in the 1981 sequel and has remained a favorite among longtime fans of the franchise.
That reveal is part of what Sundstrom referred to as the show's killer twist, a development that reshapes the story heading into any potential future episodes. The finale also attempts to address a longstanding plot hole in the Friday the 13th franchise regarding Jason's growth, offering an explanation that has divided some viewers but given the series a new thread to pull on.
Earlier in the season, Crystal Lake included an Easter egg that only devoted Friday the 13th fans caught. In the fifth episode, Pamela Voorhees' outfit serves as a nod to the original films, rewarding viewers who have followed the franchise closely. Such details have helped the series build a reputation for treating its source material with care while expanding the mythology.
For Sundstrom, the role of Grace places her at the center of that expansion. Her character's friendship with Jason adds emotional weight to the prequel's depiction of the Voorhees family and the events that shaped Camp Crystal Lake. The actress said the experience of working on the series was formative, particularly the opportunity to observe and learn from Cardellini, whose presence anchors much of the show's adult cast.
Crystal Lake is available to stream on Peacock. The series mixes familiar franchise lore with new characters like Grace, and its finale has given fans plenty to discuss, from the return of baghead Jason to the show's effort to reconcile long-standing questions about the character's history. Sundstrom's comments suggest that the friendship between Grace and Jason is one of the elements the series hopes will resonate with both new viewers and longtime Friday the 13th devotees.
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