Natalia Dyer has watched Nancy Wheeler transform from a reserved high school student into one of Hawkins’ fiercest defenders over the course of Stranger Things. By the time the fifth and final season premiered on Netflix on New Year’s Eve, Nancy had fully come into her own, fearless, decisive, and ready to put herself in harm’s way for the greater good.
In the series finale, Nancy even volunteers to act as bait, drawing the Mind Flayer toward a dangerous cliffside so the rest of the group can set up an ambush. It’s a high-stakes move that leaves her cornered in a narrow passage, with no guarantee of survival if the plan goes awry; a far cry from the hesitant teenager viewers first met in Season 1.
Reflecting on that journey, Dyer told Deadline that the scale and intensity of the final chapter felt markedly different from the early days of the show. “I mean, the finale really kind of felt a bit like an action movie at times, just so wildly different from things that we were doing in Season 1,” she said.
The actor described growing alongside her character as both rewarding and formative. “Getting to live with these characters and grow with these characters and have them in these bigger and bigger scenarios has been so fun, such a training ground, such a fun place to grow up and grow as an actor,” she added.
With the finale now out in the world, Dyer admitted the emotions are still settling in. Calling the experience “surreal”, she said she’s relieved that the cast and crew no longer have to hold on to so many secrets. At the same time, the sense of closure is heavy. “But also, the word that keeps getting tossed around is it’s so bittersweet. It’s like a real final goodbye. So, yeah, we’ll probably be processing our feelings for a long time,” she shared.
She also spoke fondly about watching the culmination of the series together as a group, describing the experience as deeply meaningful. “So beautiful and perfect. It was something we talked about doing for a while, and I’m so glad we were able to make that happen, because it was just really special to do that and have that moment for ourselves to see it all together in a theatre,” Dyer said.
