Stranger Things 4, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton: “Our worst nightmares”

Before taking on the role of Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heatonon the recommendation of the Duffer brothers, the creators of Stranger Thingsthey recovered several films they had never seen, come on Goonies to Nightmare. “I was afraid of that film because I was afraid that I would have nightmares, but fortunately it went well”, says Natalia during the press conference of the fourth season of the series, ready to land on Netflix in two parts, the first from May 27th and the second from July 1st. In the new episodes, in fact, the dimension of the nightmare has a lot to do with it, given that the new threat that comes from the Upside-down and that haunts the inhabitants of Hawkins has precisely to do with the traumas and the dormant pains, buried in the depths of the heart. .

More we cannot tell you for fear of spoilers, but you just need to know that in Stranger Things 4 all the characters will develop a growth path capable of slinging them into adulthood because, having reached this point in history, it is logical that each of them takes on their responsibilities and looks to the future with commitment and conscience. In this, Nancy and Jonathan, who in the first seasons were the teenagers of the group, are transformed into two tutors capable of guiding the little ones – who have also grown up – through a journey where dangers and pitfalls will be the order of the day. “We feel like a family, from producers to directors,” says Charlie Heaton, explaining that after almost two years of waiting and over eight hundred pages of script, he has arrived at a new awareness capable of making his Jonathan more mature and responsible.

A speech that also applies to Natalia Dyer who, speaking with us of Vanity Fair, tells how she reacted to the nightmares she dreamed of as a child: “I asked for someone to sleep with me, I always thought there was a monster under the bed “, he explains while Charlie adds that, in his case, his father and sister played a fundamental role, always ready to reassure him. “I happened to cry after a nightmare. I often dream of falling. I remember once dreaming of a ferocious bear chasing me, ”Charlie says before being interrupted by Natalia. “In the first year of high school, I suffered from sleep paralysis. I thought I was living a paranormal experience, seeing ghosts: it happened to me for two years, until I understood what it was. I remember the terrible feeling of having something above me that was preventing me from breathing. However, I also happen to dream of losing my teeth, it seems to be something related to money ».

The fact that the public, whatever project sees them as protagonists in the future, will continue to associate their faces with the characters they brought to life in Stranger Things it does not seem, however, to worry them. “It is very likely that people who see us elsewhere will always say that we were” those of Stranger Things“, thinking back to our characters. But I think it’s something we can use to our advantage, as well as everything we’ve learned on set over the years. I don’t think it’s important for anyone to see me as Jonathan all my life, ”says Charlie Heaton who, when reflecting on having been Jonathan Byers for seven years now, can’t help but smile. “Thinking about the passing of time is fun especially if we think of the boys, who are now twenty years old: we have witnessed their transformation, and for this we can only be grateful “concludes Natalia before the Zoom screen closes forever, with the hope of not seeing each other again in the Sottosopra but to have a steaming American coffee in the Aldiqua.

Stranger Things 4: here is the (double) release date

Stranger Things 4 comes out in 2022: the first trailer (and everything we know)

Stranger Things 4: here is the first (spectacular) trailer

To receive the other cover of Vanity Fair (and much more), subscribe to Vanity Weekend.