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22 Jan 2026 22:06
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Natalia Dyer thought she'd "bombed" her 'Stranger Things' auditions

    The 27-year-old actress portrays Nancy Wheeler in the Netflix drama series but landing the role took her by surprise because she was convinced she'd messed up her try-out


    She said: "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."

    Natalia admitted she and her co-stars had no idea how big the show would be or that it would still be going today.

    She said: "At the time, Netflix wasn't what it is today. They had some really cool shows such as 'Orange Is The New Black' and 'House Of Cards', but I really wasn't aware there was a possibility of a second season. The energy was like, 'I hope people like it. We like it. We think this is cool.' " And the huge "overnight" success of the show brought the cast, including the likes of Millie Bobby Brown and Joe Keery, together.

    She said: "It's a bond that is hard to describe. We were all very excited and we hadn't done anything like it before. So to have it become so big, literally overnight, was a very specific experience. It really tied us all together."

    And Natalie feels very "protective" of her younger co-stars because she knows she couldn't have coped with the scrutiny the likes of Finn Wolfhard have at such a young age.

    She told Cosmopolitan: "Every time I see Finn, it's like, 'You're so tall! Are you taller?' There's an inherent sense of protectiveness there.

    " I'm always impressed by them; by how they carry themselves and how aware they are of the pressures. But it's nerve-racking and I don't envy them at all. I would've been a complete mess if I'd gone through that at their ages. It really is a lot."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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     Today's News

    Politics:
    Prime Minister Chris Luxon says the weather events of the past 48 hours have been a profound tragedy 21:57

    Entertainment:
    Valentino has died at the age of 93 21:40

    Accident and Emergency:
    Two bodies have been found at a house on Papamoa's Welcome Bay Road - after a large landslide caused extensive damage early this morning 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Lily Allen is "happy to be alive" after a lorry ran her new Porsche "off the road" 21:10

    Auckland:
    What we know about the landslide at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand 21:07

    Environment:
    Young girl among missing campers at New Zealand's Mount Maunganui after landslide — as it happened 20:47

    Entertainment:
    Valerie Bertinelli claims she was "fired" as a spokesperson for a diet company because she gained weight 20:40

    Entertainment:
    Stellan Skarsgard has branded Donald Trump a "little man who got megalomania" 20:10

    Entertainment:
    Chris Pratt has admitted he won't keep the giant painting of his father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger on the wall all year round 19:40

    Entertainment:
    Drew Starkey has been appointed brand ambassador for Dior 19:10


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