Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer reveals that she thought her audition for the part of Nancy Wheeler was a disaster. The 1980s-set series was created by the Duffer Brothers for Netflix in 2016, following the adventures of a group of young teens and their parents in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, which is constantly beset by supernatural creatures that emerge from a parallel dimension known as the Upside Down. Stranger Things is set to conclude with season 5, but before that, season 4 will air in two parts on May 27 and July 1, 2022. In addition to Dyer, the Stranger Things cast includes David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Charlie Heaton.
Nancy Wheeler is one of the series' main characters and has appeared in every single episode. She is the older sister of Wolfhard's character Mike, who is one of the main figures in the group of children at the center of the story. Throughout Stranger Things, Nancy has found herself in the middle of a love triangle between the jock-turned-good guy Steve (Joe Keery) and the outcast Jonathan Byers (Heaton), with whom she bonded after his little brother Will disappeared in season 1. The character's arc up until Stranger Things season 3 has seen Nancy become much stronger, more independant, and fiercely protective of her young brother.
During a profile with Cosmopolitan, Dyer shared the story of her original Stranger Things audition. The actress revealed she was in the audition room twice, once for the initial audition, and once for a callback. She thought she "bombed" both of them, despite receiving the call to return from the series' team. Read her full quote below:
"I auditioned twice for the role. I thought I bombed the initial audition, but then I got the callback, and I thought I bombed that as well."
Of course, the actor did not bomb her audition, and Dyer is now an up-and-coming star thanks to her Stranger Things role. During the time between seasons of the series, she has been able to appear in other major projects, including Dan Gilroy's art world horror satire Velvet Buzzsaw, the Catholic coming-of-age picture Yes, God, Yes, and the Amanda Seyfried-led suspense thriller Things Heard and Seen. This is a significant change from her career before Stranger Things, as Dyer had mostly acted in short films and held small roles in projects like Blue Like Jazz and Hannah Montana: The Movie.
Given her lack of major acting roles before joining the big-budget Netflix series, it makes sense that Dyer may have doubted herself during her Stranger Things audition. However, now that the Netflix series has proven to be a huge hit, partially off the back of Dyer's committed performance and excellent chemistry with her on-screen gang, this may change. Dyer is now certainly able to step into an audition room with confidence, as the actor's Stranger Things role has undoubtedly made Nancy a fan-favorite in the minds of many.
Source: Cosmopolitan