What is life after Stranger Things? Natalia Dyer, who spent her 20s playing Nancy Wheeler in the supernatural megahit, is in the midst of finding that out. This year, she’s headed back to the silver screen in the forthcoming Goodbye Girl alongside fellow TV alums Kiernan Shipka and Cole Sprouse.
What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?
I’d personally love to see more original tales, more adventures, more pirate movies, and less algorithms.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Seeing new places, doing things that scare me a bit, and finally learning how to meditate.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
The most common would probably be my name. It’s not Natalie! But you’re close!
What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?
This is more than one but Miyazaki films like Nausicaä, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle were seminal to me and my imagination growing up. There’s also an illustrated book that was a childhood favorite of mine called Hope for the Flowers that circled back into my life in a lovely way. It’s cute and profound.
What keeps you up at night?
Oh, the many, many texts I haven’t responded to.
What’s your biggest vice? Your greatest virtue?
I’d like to think my greatest virtue is curiosity. I used to think it was my ability to ruminate for hours but have since found out that might not be a good thing, so maybe that’s my biggest vice.
Where do you feel most at home?
Home is usually where my very anxiously attached dog Penny is.
What would you wear to meet your greatest enemy?
It would involve an incredible pair of boots.
What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?
Zooms have been both a blessing of convenience and sometimes the bane of my existence. They might be my greatest enemy.
What grounds you, and what invigorates you?
I am lucky to feel very grounded by my friends and very invigorated by disco music.
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
