Finding love on and off screen. Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer have settled into their own routine when they aren’t filming Netflix’s Stranger Things.
“Natalia and Charlie love their low-key life in Brooklyn,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly, noting that the “adorable” couple are “always together.”
According to the insider, Heaton, 29, and Dyer, 28, enjoy exploring New York City in their free time. “They cook together, take the subway together and when they’re out — they’re always holding hands,” the source continues. “They love going to art galleries and sneaking into movies and sitting in the back row.”
The pair have kept their romance largely out of the spotlight after meeting on the set of Stranger Things in 2015. Us confirmed in 2017 that the Netflix stars, who play Jonathan and Nancy on the show, respectively, took the romance off screen.
Dyer reflected on the “pros and cons” of working with her boyfriend, exclusively telling Us in 2018, “It’s a lot of fun, truly. He’s alright, I guess. He doesn’t mess up our scenes too much! No, he’s great. He’s talented, like everybody in the cast. They’re all super, just great to work with.”
The U.K. native, for his part, opened up about getting to explore an emotional bond between their characters.
“They’ve both had this shared trauma. They’ve both gone through this experience together and I think that brings people closer,” Heaton, who shares son Archie, 9, with ex Akiko Matsuura, told Us in March 2018. “I think also what was kind of cool about Jonathan and Nancy, especially in season 1, was that they brought out qualities in each other that maybe weren’t there without the other.”
Heaton later weighed in on how the relationship positively impacted his life. “There are times when you do get stressed. So to go home with someone you work with, and say, ‘I think they hate me.’ They’ll say, ‘No they don’t.’ You can break the walls down with your partner,” he told V Man in 2019. “Because we work in the same industry and have had similar trajectories, we’ve gone through it together.”
More recently, the Velvet Buzzsaw actress recalled having to adjust to dating in the public eye.
“The weirdest thing about [our relationship] is other people’s perception and reaction to it. Everything else just feels very human. It’s an understanding that would be hard to replicate. It’s an indescribable thing,” she told Cosmopolitan UK in May 2022. “I’m always curious as to why it comes up. Why do people want to know about it?”
The pair are set to work together again on season 5 of Stranger Things. Earlier this month, creators Ross and Matt Duffer announced that filming will be halted amid the ongoing Writers’ Guild of America strike.
“Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike,” they tweeted on the show’s official account. “We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out. #wgastrong”
For more details on Dyer and Heaton’s romance, watch the video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
