Natalia Dyer is drawn to characters who are still figuring it out. This Spring, she returns to her biggest role to date as precocious big sister Nancy Wheeler in Season 4 of Netflix’s hit supernatural thriller Stranger Things. The 27-year-old promises that the next season will be bigger than ever. But whether she’s playing Nancy, fiercely taking on the Demogorgon, or Alice in Yes, God, Yes, discovering female pleasure for the first time, Dyer’s teenage characters are in a state of flux. She likes playing girls and young women who are allowed to grow and be messy and have flaws. Meanwhile, fame is the biggest adjustment Dyer herself has had to make as she navigates her 20s. Negotiating boundaries has been a learning process, but one that she seems to be taking in her stride.

We caught up with her to talk about Stranger Things, female stories and coming of age.

Full look **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

Season 4 of Stranger Things came out in May. It's been a while since you started filming before the pandemic. What are you most excited for people to see when it comes out?

I am really excited about the new cast members we have this season. I think they do such an excellent job. I feel like I say this every season, but I think this one is our biggest, darkest, scariest season so far. The scale of it is bigger. It feels more all-encompassing. This season, there are lots of different storylines going on. It really stretches what we're familiar with. I hope people like it.

You must have grown quite close to your character, Nancy, over the years. I read that you relish the moments in the script where you get to see inside her character's mind. Do we learn anything new about Nancy in season 4? Are there any moments where we see a new side to her or a new depth of character?

I think so. She's definitely still Nancy. She's still curious. There are some soft moments as well. It is a crazy season with lots of things going on, but I always get to know her a little bit better. I hope that comes across as well despite all the madness that a show like ours can do.

Over the course of all the seasons is there a particular scene or episode that has been most memorable to shoot?

I think back to season 1 a lot because it was so new. It was very memorable. I always talk about the scene in the woods with Nancy going through the trees. For me, filming that scene was so wild at the time. Shooting the crazy, chaotic upside down. I think back to season 1 a lot. Every season has its moments, but I think that one's the most indelible because it was so exciting and new. I hadn't been in this world before.

We see Nancy transform throughout the seasons. In your view, what are the inner conflicts in her mind?

I think she's quite determined to find things out to the point where she can be blindsided. She has flaws. She can really focus on something and neglect other things. She's a little righteous maybe at times, but that's what I love about her. I like characters who have flaws.

Do you relate to Nancy in any ways?

I do. She's curious and pretty studious. I wanted to be a journalist when I first went to college. That felt really natural to me, finding the story. She's very brave whereas I'm a big over-thinker. I think Nancy is more headstrong.

How did you initially prepare for the role? What research did you do?

I talked to my mum a bit about what the 80s were like. I watched a lot of 80s movies. I'd never seen A Nightmare on Elm Street before and there's a Nancy in that too. A different character, but sometimes she could be used as inspiration. That was fun. I'm not really a horror movie person, but I like 80s horror. Then I also bought this really awful popular perfume from the 80s. I was like, oh perfect, but it was terrible. I couldn't do it.

Are you decisive about your roles? Do you instinctively know whether it's a character you want to play

Sometimes, yes. Sometimes I get it in my head, and I feel it in my bones, but sometimes I can't quite figure the character out and I think there's something interesting about that as well. I love a good story and being a part of that is a gift. It's a very collaborative world. When it's good, it's amazing to be a part of that and to help tell the story.

In Yes, God, Yes you play Alice, a teenage girl growing up in a strict religious environment, coming to terms with her desires. It's a really refreshing representation of female sexuality. Do you feel like you ever saw that represented growing up? Would representation like that have made growing up easier?

I don't remember seeing much representation of female pleasure. I think when I was growing up it was always about female characters who get the guy, or the guy gets the girl. That's why when I read the script for Yes, God, Yes, I was like, I absolutely want to be a part of this. I think it's so important. Film and TV can be a reflection of society, but it also shapes society. We get a lot of comfort, acknowledgement and validation when we see people doing relatable things on screen. I do think there are more films like that now, but I certainly didn't have that when I was growing up. I was definitely passionate about it.

I rewatched Yes, God, Yes the other day with my housemates and we ended up having a really refreshing and open conversation about masturbation and the shame we felt as teenagers. Did you hope that the film would help facilitate these kinds of conversations?

Yeah, I think so. I wasn't trying to change anybody's mind, necessarily. I wanted to open up questions and make people feel more comfortable. There's nothing glamorous about Alice. It's very real and messy. I wanted to keep the conversation going.

You recently starred in Chestnut which has just finished production and tells the story of a queer love triangle. Do you feel like that also has a refreshing take on sexuality?

I think so. I think that film is about loving who you love. Any kind of relationship with anybody is going to involve feelings that are complicated. It's a really lovely, human relationship story. I really enjoyed working with a female writer/director again too. I don't know if that will open up conversations as well. I always hope that people think about things differently or from a different perspective after watching it. I would like to be a part of that.

I read that you ask yourself what matters when you're reading a script. What issues and causes are you most passionate about and why?

I like telling female stories. There are a lot of stories from the male perspective and through male gaze. There's nothing wrong with that, but in my experience, it's different to hear women talk and tell stories and get the attention and respect. It's interesting to explore what the female narrative looks like and how it is different. I think it sometimes has a different structure. There's more than one way to tell a story. I like making sure that women see themselves on screen and that they feel real and grounded and flawed and messy in their own way. That's something I feel passionate about.

Your biggest roles to date have been teenage girls. Is coming of age a subject you feel drawn to you?

I do, yeah. There are so many versions of that story. Just that transformation, coming into yourself in a new way. A lot of teenage stuff is emotional and it's a visceral time in your life. You're still trying to figure things out and you're trying out different paths. It's such a good time for self-exploration and drama and that transition into a new version of yourself.

What were you like as a teenager?

I was good. I didn't go to parties that often. I went to theatre a lot. I did community theatre. I wasn't a nerd exactly, but I was pretty focused on school and theatre. I was quite shy and studious. It's funny to think back to that person who's still you, but different in little ways.

Do you feel like your roles make you reflect on that time?

For sure, yeah. It's only natural to process your own feelings and dive into your memory bank.

You have a lot of young fans. A lot of teenagers can have an obsessive relationship with the celebrities they look up to. Who were you obsessed with as a teenager?

I don't think I had ever really had this crazy celebrity idol. I didn't really have social media or a lot of access to that for years. I listened to a lot of music, for sure, but I was never really a person who asked for autographs or photos, but I think we're living in a very different world today. Nowadays, the industry is geared towards that.

You've spoken about having boundaries with fans and your personal privacy. Do you think that because you're in a relationship with your on-screen boyfriend, Charlie Heaton, that some fans feel like they're entitled to details of that relationship more so than if you were dating someone not in the show?

I can understand that curiosity. It's intense curiosity. Some people are ok with that. It's a learning process as well about what kind of boundaries I need. I completely understand where that curiosity comes from and why, but I think that's what's made it necessary to put boundaries in place about my private life and ask myself what I need.

Lastly, what do you have planned for the rest of the year?

I just got an apartment so I'm very excited about the nesting process. I want to drag it out and take it slow. I keep dreaming about travelling. I keep manifesting that. Something I missed so much during the pandemic was being challenged and seeing different things and making vibrant memories. In this industry, you have to stay open and see what happens.

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Interview by Sophie Lou Wilson

Photography by César Buitrago

Fashion by Carolina Orrico

Casting by ImagineMachine cs

Make-Up by Jezz Hill at The Wall Group

Hair by Erol Karadag

Photographer’s assistant Adam Kenner

Stylist’s assistant Maria Montane