‘Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton gets real about his romance with Natalia Dyer after years of privacy

Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton has given fans a peek inside his relationship with girlfriend and longtime costar Natalia Dyer ahead of season 5 release.

During a Wonderland magazine cover story published Tuesday, November 25, the 31-year-old actor opened up about the intense fan reaction to their off-screen romance.

“It’s nice, I guess?” he said with a laugh.

Heaton shared that neither he nor Dyer expected the attention their relationship has drawn over the years but he recognizes that it “heightens” viewers’ investment in the on-screen relationship between their characters, Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler.

Heaton further shared what he and Dyer like to do in a quirky pastime away from the cameras, revealing that they  read and perform two-hand plays together, whether at home or occasionally in public spaces like a local park.

“I know it sounds super nerdy,” with a laugh, before adding, “I’m making myself sound way more cultured than I am.”

The actor further added, “It’s been a gift to work with my best friend. To be able to have a shared experience with your partner about the anxiety when you don’t get a job – I know what that feels like, she knows what that feels like.”

Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer first met at the audition for the hit Netflix series, and they have now been a public couple since 2017. They play love interest of each other in Stranger Things.