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This article contains spoilers for the final season of Stranger Things.
Charlie Heaton, who starred as Jonathan Byers in Netflix’s hit sci-fi show Stranger Things, has recently opened up about one of the most debated moments in its fifth and final season: the breakdown of the relationship between his character and Nancy Wheeler (played by Natalia Dyer).
Jonathan had been expected to propose to Nancy, even carrying around an engagement ring that was smuggled into Hawkins at his request. Their relationship had been a staple of Stranger Things since the second season, and by season five, their bond had seemingly weathered everything Hawkins could throw at them. Instead, their story culminated in a surprising yet mutual decision to part ways, a moment Heaton describes as well-written and authentic.
Heaton says that though he personally hoped that Nancy and Jonathan would stay together, their breakup ultimately felt true and “honest” to their characters’ development over the show’s decade-long run.
“They’ve been through so much together. And when you’re playing them, you care about them and you want them to have that ending, in some way,” he told People. “But [the ending] felt real and I think that felt more important than them being together.”
Those who want to continue believing in the romance between Nancy and Jonathan won’t have to stretch far. Heaton and Dyer are still together in real life, having been a couple since around 2017.
“It’s been a gift to work with my best friend,” he told Wonderland about their relationship. “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. You can be there to talk about it, or when you have a shit day at work, or come away from a scene, and you didn’t think it worked. To be able to both understand each other on that level is great.”
Meanwhile, the final episode of Stranger Things saw Nancy and Jonathan doing just fine on their own, with Jonathan at film school and Nancy following her ambitious instinct in journalism, having dropped out of Emerson College to take a job at the Boston Herald.
All episodes of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix now.
The post Charlie Heaton Shares His Take on That Stranger Things Breakup appeared first on Den of Geek.
