Natalia Dyer

Intro

Natalia Dyer is an actor known for Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things and for leading roles in independent films including I Believe in Unicorns and Yes, God, Yes. Her characters inhabit different kinds of coming-of-age stories: a supernatural mystery, a troubled romance and a comedy about a teenager questioning the expectations around her. The difference in scale between a continuing ensemble series and a smaller feature is an important part of her career, with each format allowing a different kind of attention to a character’s inner life.

Career snapshot

The official cast biography for I Believe in Unicorns lists earlier appearances in Hannah Montana: The Movie, The Greening of Whitney Brown and Blue Like Jazz. In Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns, Dyer plays Davina. The production’s synopsis describes a young caregiver who escapes into fantasy and then leaves with an older boyfriend whose volatility disrupts the promise of adventure. This was a central role in a film shaped around its protagonist’s experience, an informative early comparison with the larger ensemble that later made Dyer widely recognizable.

The entry point

Stranger Things places Nancy within a network of family, friendship and investigation. In Netflix’s interview about the fourth season, Dyer described Nancy’s increasing courage and willingness to take charge, comparing her later actions with the character’s first-season position. She also emphasized the value of returning to colleagues she knew and trusted. That continuity matters to the performance: changes in Nancy can be played against shared history, so an encounter with a familiar character carries more than the immediate demands of the current mystery.

Screen identity and style

The same interview discusses Nancy’s renewed interaction with Steve, played by Joe Keery, and her friendship with Robin, played by Maya Hawke. Dyer resisted reducing Nancy’s concerns to choosing a romantic partner when the wider story was placing everyone in danger. That perspective suggests a useful rewatch: follow her decisions and alliances as well as the romances. The character’s relationships remain important, but they also form part of her growing ability to investigate, organize and act alongside the other people confronting Hawkins’ threats.

Collaborations and patterns

Yes, God, Yes gave Dyer the role of Alice in Karen Maine’s coming-of-age comedy. She first played the character in a short that served as a proof of concept, then returned for the feature. In her We Live Entertainment interview, Dyer recalled knowing that Maine hoped to expand the story even before she had read a feature script. Returning to Alice therefore involved both recognition and development: she had a starting point, then more time and material through which to understand the character’s questions and uncertainty.

Era reflection

Dyer also compared two visits to South by Southwest in that conversation. She had attended with I Believe in Unicorns while still occupied with schoolwork, whereas the later Yes, God, Yes screening let her experience the festival more fully with its team. The recollection connects two independent projects through the practical experience of presenting finished work to an audience. Her later television credits include Chloe Lake in Based on a True Story, adding another series appearance alongside the extended Nancy Wheeler role.

Legacy and rediscovery

The gallery pairs a 2017 Comic-Con photograph with a separate interview image from promotion for Stranger Things’ fifth season in 2025. These are public and promotional appearances, with their creators and licenses preserved below. They do not stand in for scenes as Nancy, Davina or Alice. For rediscovery, those three characters offer a compact path through the work: each faces uncertainty, but the surrounding genre, scale and relationships differ. Comparing the films with the series brings those differences into focus while keeping the performances connected to their particular stories.

Selected screen roles

• I Believe in Unicorns: Davina — 2014
• Stranger Things: Nancy Wheeler — Television series
• Yes, God, Yes: Alice — 2019 festival premiere; 2020 release
• Based on a True Story: Chloe Lake — 2023

A career in pictures

A 2017 convention portrait and a distinct 2025 promotional interview image accompany Dyer’s film and television work.

San Diego Comic-Con (2017)

Public appearance

Dyer speaking at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017, photographed by Gage Skidmore.

Stranger Things interview (2025)

Promotional interview

Dyer in Beto Pasillas’s interview promoting Stranger Things season five. This is an interview frame, not a scene as Nancy.

Rewatch notes

• Played Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things.
• Played Davina in Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns.
• Returned as Alice when Yes, God, Yes expanded from a short to a feature.