Stranger Things Star Charlie Heaton on Becoming a Dad at 20 — The Moment That Changed Everything
Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton looks back on becoming a dad at 20, saying the early responsibility demanded real sacrifices and a crash course in growing up fast.
Charlie Heaton is looking back at what it meant to become a dad at 20, and yeah, it sounds like it reshaped everything. With Stranger Things Season 5 rolling out, he talked about the whole growing-up-fast part, the sacrifices, and how his personal life intersects with the work we all know him for.
On becoming a father at 20
In a new Wonderland Magazine interview, Heaton says the shift was immediate: you learn fast, you rewire your priorities, and you take care of a tiny human whether you feel ready or not.
"Being a young father, you have to grow up very fast... you’ve got to look after somebody. That’s a big thing."
He calls it a lot of sacrifice, especially the distance part — the job takes him places, and that complicates everything when you want to give your kid good experiences and a lot of love. Heaton is now 31 and shares his son, Archie, with Akiko Matsuura, his former bandmate from Comanechi. If you only know him from Hawkins, that detail might surprise you, but yes, he was in a band before the Byers bowl cut took over his life.
Natalia Dyer, work, and the shared grind
Heaton is currently dating his Stranger Things co-star Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler). The two reportedly started dating while shooting Season 1 and made their first public appearance together in 2017. He describes working with her as something rare and, frankly, pretty special — not just the on-set part, but the mutual understanding when auditions go silent or a scene doesn’t land the way you hoped.
In his words, getting to collaborate with your best friend is a gift. And when one of you has a rough day at work, the other actually gets it. That shared shorthand matters.
Where Stranger Things 5 stands
Heaton is back as Jonathan Byers for the show’s final season. Netflix is staggering the release in a way that makes the holidays extremely upside-down-coded:
- Vol 1 premiered November 26 and is streaming now
- Vol 2 drops on Christmas
- The series finale lands on New Year’s Eve
So while Jonathan is dealing with monsters (again), Heaton’s real-life story is a little quieter and a lot more adult: early fatherhood, long days on set, and building a life with someone who knows exactly what that rollercoaster feels like.