Natalia Dyer just shared a reminder for any crazed Stranger Things fans who might need it: lusting over her teenage co-stars will never be appropriate or cool. Sorry, not sorry!
In a recent interview with The Independent, the 25-year-old actress, who plays relatable ’80s horror movie teen Nancy Wheeler on the Netflix hit series, explained why she’s seriously uncomfortable with the fandom frenzy that’s engulfed her younger castmates, including Millie Bobby Brown, 16, Finn Wolfhard, 17, Gaten Matarazzo, 17, Caleb McLaughlin, 18, and more.
Related: Thousands Petition Netflix To Remove French Film Sexualizing Young Girls!
The sci-fi ’80s-era drama became an instant classic when it premiered in 2016 and has only grown in popularity since then. However, Dyer pointed a finger at the media for making its stars mini sex symbols well before their time. She said:
“There are so many layers going on here. I generally feel like, to me, it’s oversexualizing them. I feel protective over the younger kids even though they’re not kids anymore, they’re teens. They’re all great people and all having to grow up in very crazy circumstances. As a private person, I just feel like, leave people alone–unless you’re talking about their work or what they want to talk about. It’s a very tricky and complex issue.”
She stated that sexualizing young actors is “a cultural issue, there must be a bigger concept behind it as to why,” before adding:
“Just let people be the people that they are, without any judgement.”
Yeah, we have to agree with her there! There’s just no good reason why a show that follows mystery-solving preteens in Indiana would land star Millie Bobby Brown on W Magazine‘s “why TV is sexier than ever” list back in 2017. Make it make sense for us!
The British actress actually spoke out about the “inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults” she’s received in a February Instagram post on her 16th birthday. And that was just from Drake! LOLz! In all seriousness, the fact she’s had to deal with that at her age is so ridiculous!
It’s tacky articles like the one we just mentioned which embolden fans to act inappropriately when these young stars are spotted out in public. Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, has also talked about being stalked by adult fans and receiving an inappropriate comment from a follower.
Related: Finn Left APA After His Agent Was Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
In the interview, Dyer spoke about her experiences of being approached in public, noting “it was jarring” at first and overwhelming that “there are fans everywhere.” She noted:
“It’s lovely to meet fans. But it’s very like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just want to go to the grocery store and get some milk. I don’t want to take a photo everywhere I go.'”
Natalia continued:
“It’s a difficult thing to navigate. It’s been like five years since we started Stranger Things, and I’ve become more confident in how I handle situations. At first, I had quite a few bouts of anxiety just as the show was coming out because there’s this mentality of letting people down and not giving enough.”
You’re doing just fine in our eyes, gurl! And kudos to her for calling out the B.S. as she sees it. Let’s hope viewers will finally learn to keep their chill — especially since all of these kids will be young adults by the time season 4 eventually returns!
Perezcious readers, care to weigh in on this? Let us know your thoughts (below) in the comments section!
[Image via Adriana M. Barraza/Apega/WENN]
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