“I think actors in general are a little strange,” admits Natalia Dyer, 22, who plays gutsy teen Nancy Wheeler in cult series Stranger Things, now in its third season. “Even when we’re filming dark things, the goofy cast make the set electric. I love Brett Gelman [who plays Murray Bauman]; he’s so off the cuff. And David Harbour [who plays Jim Hopper] is a big, funny personality.” Not to mention Charlie Heaton, who plays Dyer’s love interest, and is her boyfriend in real life.
With its mix of dark humour, ’80s nostalgia and edge-of-your-seat suspense, Stranger Things is widely thought of as one of the best Netflix Originals series to date. Millions of viewers tune in every episode, just not Dyer’s nearest and dearest. “I don’t get pestered for spoilers. In fact, some of [my family and friends] haven’t even watched the show, which is nice in a way. My family don’t talk about it too much, but they’re very supportive,” she says.
Veteran Hollywood actress Winona Ryder is Dyer’s go-to for support on set. “Winona is very hands-on and always asks questions. She knows when things feel right and when they don’t, and she’s not afraid to say so. I look up to that.”
Dyer’s list of actresses she admires is long: there’s Jameela Jamil from The Good Place – “I respect her so much for using her platform to speak out about how women’s bodies are portrayed” – plus all the women in the Netflix comedy film Wine Country. “Those are my kind of people: the Amy Poehlers and the Tina Feys. And Mindy Kaling.”
Let’s make a Stranger Things/SNL crossover episode happen, people.
This article originally appeared in the September issue of marie claire magazine.
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