Nine years. Five seasons. Forty-two episodes. Countless Demogorgons, bike rides, brushes with the Upside Down, conspiracies, and close calls. Now, it all comes down to this: the final season of Stranger Things. And with it, Natalia Dyer says goodbye to Nancy Wheeler – the role she’s inhabited, shaped, and grown with for nearly a decade. In its last chapter, Nancy’s transformation from straightlaced high schooler to fearless monster hunter reaches its apex, as the long-awaited conclusion promises to be as emotional as it is intense. She’s not alone in facing that farewell. Maya Hawke joined the crew in season three as Robin Buckley – very deadpan, somewhat-awkward, instantly iconic – and quickly went from outsider to ally. Reunited here before the final season airs, Dyer and Hawke reflect on leaving Hawkins for the final time – a beloved world where childhood turned into chaos, the supernatural became real, and a group of misfits became the heroes nobody expected.

Natalia Dyer: Hi! How the heck are you over there [Maya is in Europe]?

Maya Hawke: Hi! I’m good. You know when you fly away from the place you live and all of a sudden the things you have to do in the world really decrease? Even though I’m working here, I can’t make that meeting, and I can’t do that thing. And the time difference means I don’t hear from LA until [late]. So it’s really nice. But ever since we wrapped the show [Stranger Things] I’ve been so sad and really missing it. What I miss most are the people. Where are you?
ND: I’m in my apartment in New York. I’m just grounding here for a minute and doing a little bit of life stuff before things get hectic.

MH: Have you done an official Stranger Things press day yet?
ND: No, I haven’t. I’m trying to remind myself of everything, going back to the beginning, which is fun. Are you rewatching anything?

MH: I’m not, are you?
ND: I haven’t. I’ve been contemplating it, I don’t know if I’m ready.

MH: I kept wanting to do it and then they sent me the new stuff so I just watched that.
ND: I’ve only seen episodes one and two.

MH: Oh, I’ve seen three and four. It’s really good. I’m very, very happy.
ND: Everyone is so good.

MH: I’m curious. As you review the emails that come in with press requests, I feel like they’ve really shifted from, you sit on a couch and Zoom with like, 100 journalists, to now, they’re like, you’re going to make 1000 TikToks. In some of them you’ll play a fun game with your friends, in some you will humiliate yourself beyond possible repair. [laughs] How do you decide what to say yes to? I look at these requests and struggle so much with like, it’s not 1965 anymore, you’re not Marlon Brando – “I don’t do press.” There’s a part of me that feels like it’s pretentious to be like, “No, I don’t do fishbowl.” Then there’s a part of me that’s like, “Why am I doing this fishbowl game? What does it mean? How does it help the movie?” How do you feel about all of that?
ND: My approach to social media and media in general… I just don’t feel that naturally compatible with it. But you’re right, we do live in a time where you can’t just say, “No, I’m not going to do that, it doesn’t feel organic.” I guess one way to look at it is just that it’s part of your job, as an entertainer.

MH: That’s how I look at it sometimes.
ND: And there is a little bit of – not to stretch it too far – but acting has humble beginnings, street performance, like a bit of a clown. I feel like that’s how I try to remind myself that sometimes it’s about putting yourself out there. Naturally, sometimes you get really wrapped up in the intimacy of what you’re doing, that something [that’s so much like] selling yourself feels like a betrayal. But I think you have to find a way to marry them and understand that they’re two parts of this weird, amazing job that we do.

MH: I would prefer it if we got into costume and did all the TikToks as our characters. If it was a performance instead of this uncanny valley between, “Am I being myself, am I not being myself?” When you get dressed in character but you’re being yourself – I don’t like that. [laughs] I want to be the character in the character’s outfit, or myself in my own clothes.
ND: Wouldn’t that be wild [to do press as our characters]? That’s definitely a good marketing idea – not that they’re hurting for marketing ideas. [both laugh]

“Filming this last season, there were so many beautiful moments on set. I felt so grateful to have so many ‘I love my job’ moments.”

MH: I saw someone on the internet really reading into one of our marketing videos being like, “Because they’re not talking about this and they are talking about this, they should obviously be talking about this, and that means that there must be this secret thing here.” I just cracked up laughing, oh, you guys, if you thought that we were that on it. [both laugh] You grew up in Nashville – I’m also pretending to interview you at the same time as we’re getting to catch up. [laughs] Is this business what you thought it would be? In what ways were your expectations different [to the reality?] In which ways is it exactly what you expected, and in which ways is it really different? And how much does that have to do with the way times have changed, and how much is it to do with what it’s like to peek behind the curtain?
ND: Growing up in Nashville, I got into this through community theatre. That was how I fell in love with [acting]. And that’s obviously something that is very different, it’s very community, no one’s getting paid. As a kid, it’s all about that space of making something together. When I was growing up, there wasn’t a lot of film in Nashville. There were a lot of commercials and music videos, and I think I had done a couple of little indie films when I was in school, but then the Hannah Montana movie came through and that was the biggest. It was talk of the town. Working on that, and I was only there for like, a couple days…

MH: Nah, nah, nah. You’re in the Hannah Montana movie?! Are you joking?! [ND laughs] How did I not know that? That’s one of the greatest movies of all time!
ND: [laughs] It’s weird because in this industry you don’t know what leads to what, how things snowball, and how you get anywhere. But I look back and I do feel like it was a weirdly life-changing role. They were just rolling through and they happened to want to cast two local girls to play these British daughters.

MH: Wow! That’s your character? You’re the kids! [gasps]
ND: It’s so, so brief, but that was my first time on a big film. I don’t know why they were casting two girls who play British in Nashville, Tennessee. [laughs] I don’t think I had the best accent.

“Maybe you don’t know how much something means until you’re like, “Oh, but like, never, never again.””

MH: I remember, your accent was flawless. I had no complaints, no notes. You were absolutely perfect and divine, as you always are.
ND: [laughs] When’s the last time you watched that movie?

MH: A year ago? Two years ago? More recently than one might like to admit. The soundtrack is so good. The Taylor Swift song Crazier, and the last song, [sings] “You’ll always find your way back home,” which I think Taylor also wrote. They’re so good! Then there are these two little British twins, who are just extraordinary. They’re really on top of it. [both laugh] Do you feel like that was life-changing?
ND: In a way, I think so. I flew to LA to go to the premiere, I was on the red carpet. It was very: “Wow, I’ve made it.”

MH: Did you take general meetings in LA after the premiere?
ND: I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve got such a PTSD relationship with LA because every association with the city is just cars and meetings…

MH: Cars and meetings, cars and meetings, cars meetings. Did you screen test for Stranger Things in LA?
ND: Yeah, I did.

MH: I haven’t done a screen test in years. I don’t think they really do them anymore.
ND: That’s something so wild that’s changed, the Zoom of it all, the video aspect of everything. I dearly miss going in the room, I miss those kind of chemistry reads.

MH: I miss it so much.
ND: I think it’s such an important part of this job. It’s an aspect I didn’t realise I’d miss until it wasn’t there anymore. It’s a muscle, an aspect of performance and it’s a space for an actor to cultivate a certain skill that you don’t necessarily have the opportunity for anymore.

MH: I miss it, too. Self tapes also let you work the muscle, but they’re so timeless because you could either spend half an hour doing it, or you could spend like, five days.
ND: When I was younger and in theatre, things were very visceral, that’s where you fall in love with this job, and where you get the most from it. With all of the technology these days, you have to remind yourself a bit more of the aspects that brought you here – and they’re worth it when you have those moments. Filming this last season, there were so many beautiful moments on set. I felt so grateful to have so many ‘I love my job’ moments – making something with people I love. That’s the most gratifying aspect. Of course, that’s like, whatever percent of the time…

MH: I used to make a joke at drama school: “God, the day is like, 80 percent magic and 20 percent bullshit.” I was like, “This sucks.” Then I got into the real world and I was like, “Oh, 80 percent magic is a high number.” You’re lucky if you get five percent magic a day. It took me a while to learn that, how to adjust to it, and to figure out how to make that five percent really magical.
ND: And really be present with it. Especially in film and TV, the hurry up and wait of it all, and the fatigue of being so on. You do have to make a mental effort to not let that get in the way of a day, scene, moment or possibility, for yourself, but also for your fellow actors.

MH: That’s one thing you’re so great at, reminding everyone that the five percent magic is possible. You have this wonderful ability to go, “Wait, everyone, wake up, listen, watch, the magic might walk right by you and you might not notice.” I watched you give reality checks like that to me and to others so frequently throughout this past season. I was so grateful every time.
ND: That’s so sweet, thank you. For me as well, there was a real keeping the balloon in the air [feeling]. I know there were times where I felt like I needed those pep talks.

MH: We were shooting for a year, everyone’s going to have their days.
ND: Yeah, it was a long time to be shooting and everybody was cognisant of it being the final season. There was an attempt to try to stay present as much as possible. It’s really special, what we have – have had. Being able to work together over years, with these characters, these people, and develop these relationships – not everyone gets that.

MH: Especially this past season, for me at least. I think it was something about everyone’s ages starting to balance out. When I first came on the show, the ages were all very stark. There were the kids, the teens and the grown-ups. I felt somewhere in the middle. Even though casting-wise, I was paired with Joe [Keery], I was so much younger than him at the time. The difference between 24 and 19 felt big. It was so nice to get to this place this season where we all felt generally on the same footing. Everyone was living by themselves, we got rid of the parents – no offence parents, but they had to go [laughs] – and we all got to camp out together in town, in walking distance from each other. I treasure it so much.
ND: Same. Of course season one was a very impactful thing, but honestly this last season is so big in my heart for all of those reasons. Obviously, you’re making something and that’s amazing – you want to make great projects and be a part of amazing stories and art – but the interaction with how that plays into your own personal life is so big.

MH: It’s all about community. You know when you get a script email for a project, I wish it would tell me what [the experience will] be like to film it, because that would almost influence my decision more. Tell me that everyone’s staying in a shitty hotel off the Oregon coast, and everyone’s going to take a van together to set every morning. Tell me that we’re all going to do a week of rehearsals beforehand and get to know each other and eat dinner together every night.
ND: Exactly. I do think that’s something you learn as you go through this business. Yes, script and direction, all these things are very important. But also where is it? How long is it going for? Who else is going to be in it? Am I gonna be lonely? Am I going to have a hard time? Sometimes you don’t know and you can’t know, and you throw yourself into something… I feel like everyone’s been there like, “Whoops, that was a little bit different than what I imagined it was going to be.” Maybe it’s a privilege to get to think about those types of things.

MH: Of course, it’s a huge privilege. I think it’s both a privilege and just a mirror of what your priorities are. As I get older, my priorities are, of course, to make great art and be a part of great things, but also, how will this affect the life of my partner, of my dog, of myself? How will I feel every day waking up and going to do this? Will it make me a better daughter, friend, partner – will it make me a worse one? And if it does make me a worse one, then it has to be really good. [both laugh]
ND: Those questions become more important.

MH: Every job you do in this work affects who you are so much. To the point where I don’t allow myself to shop while I’m doing something, because I’ll shop for the character and not for myself.
ND: [laughs] The amount of times I’ve gone shopping on a job, and then later I’m like, “Huh…”

MH: “Why did I buy a petticoat?” [both laugh] I was talking last night to Christian [Lee Hutson, MH’s partner] about something similar to this, there are aspects from jobs that you want to keep, and there are also some… I just did a movie where there was a part of me that I wanted to let go of. I was almost like, I recognise this character, I have that person in me and I would love to let her go. I don’t want her around anymore. But I’m going to give her some real space by doing this movie, let her live, and do her thing. Then I’ll ask her to politely know that she can be immortalised forever in this movie and she doesn’t have to stay with me. Do I sound insane?
ND: It’s an extremely human art form and there are aspects of it that are incredibly therapeutic. You’re exploring aspects of yourself, you’re trying things on. There’s also the gift of letting someone do that by watching someone do that. But I think it can be extremely helpful in your own life. The way that this job ricochets off real life can be really special.

MH: I think so, too. Nancy is the character you’ve played the longest, and Robin is the character I’ve played the longest. I feel like my personal development and the character’s have really woven around each other and entangled and separated in lots of interesting ways. I’m curious what your thoughts are on that, about the ways in which a character sits with you? And how are you feeling about no longer playing Nancy?
ND: Wow, yeah, that’s kind of crazy. Maybe you don’t know how much something means until you’re like, “Oh, but like, never, never again.” It’s a beautiful thing and again, it feels so rare. Obviously our characters are a bit younger than us, but they’re growing up, you’re growing up, you’re learning things. I was twenty when I started this show, and ten years later, I realise just how young twenty is. You feel very adult [at the time].

MH: You feel so adult.
ND: Maybe it’ll take a few years, decades, to figure out what that really was, and how things intersected. Also, with how the Duffer Brothers write, I’m like, “Is that me?” Over time you do feel closer and closer to this character, and you’re like, “Is it coming towards me, or am I going towards it?” They do a great job of writing to people’s strengths.

MH: For a while I was having that feeling of, “Are they coming towards me? Am I coming towards it? Like, what’s going on? Am I like Robin? Is that who I am?” Then I realised, “Oh no, Robin is who I am around the Duffer Brothers.” Very specifically. Every person brings out different things, and especially in the beginning, they brought out a really nervous, “Am I doing a good job? Is it going to be good? Oh no, I’m so sorry. Oh whoops. Is it OK? Do you like me? Are you glad you hired me?” The person they brought out in me is who Robin is – that’s what I realised after a long time.
ND: That makes sense. I had a similar thoughts. Obviously this character does not encompass all of you, and it’s not exactly you, but I do do that. [laughs] You also get a sense of growing up during this whole process, and it feels very beautiful in a smudgy way, all those things are a little blurred, lived together and interacted with.

MH: We’re like a fucked up little family – we were, we are, we were. It’s amazing how time deepens relationships, it’s a beautiful thing. Do you remember when we met at the season three re-read?
ND: Yeah. It’s so funny, we’ve talked about this, how in season three, we really didn’t get to work together that much. I’m so happy that this season [we did], and the season before, but [that was] weird with the pandemic.

MH: It wasn’t until season five that I felt like I really ditched my own new kid syndrome. I think I had a big new kid chip on my shoulder, of like, “I’m not really a part of this.” It wasn’t until season five where I was like, “Oh no, I’m part of it.”
ND: Oh my gosh, you are totally a part of it. Even working together on season four, I remember it so vividly, filming in that asylum on the last day before the pandemic started. I really love our characters together.

“It’s really special, what we have – have had. Being able to work together over years, with these characters, these people, and develop these relationships – not everyone gets that.”

MH: What do you feel really excited about for next year? I feel like this year has been so interesting, finishing the show and it being bookended by the show coming out. It’s like there are these dual finishings: there was the end of filming, and now we’re going to have a reunion next week. In some ways, that’ll go on for a month or so with all the different moments of giving it away.
ND: It’s going to be emotional. The wrap was emotional.

MH: It was so emotional. We cried like in a rotating domino effect on that last day. I think Joe went down first, right? Then that made us all go down.
ND: That was very surreal. I’ll remember that forever. It’s a hard thing to process entirely, which is beautiful, I actually think it’s nice to process in little pieces, it comes to the surface every now and then – it hits you. How do you feel?

MH: I don’t know how I feel. I know I felt way sadder in the last couple of months before we finished filming than I expected. Way more… Scared. Like, “Whoa, what am I going to do without this anchor in my life? This anchor of these people, of coming back to this place.” Then I worked on myself a lot and figured out how to find a new rhythm, but there’s something about the show coming out that’s bringing back some of those feelings of, now it’s really over. That last day filming really impacted and changed me. It was one of the most special days of my life. I learned a lot about acting, and a lot about friendship.
ND: Definitely. Speaking about magic, that was a very, very magical day and it’s something you can hold on to forever. That’s why I’m here, that’s what I chase.

MH: Community and creativity. When they intersect, I’m the luckiest person in the whole world.
ND: It’s gratitude.

MH: Because acting is about being present, and being awake. It’s like being human with the volume turned up.
ND: Being human with the volume turned up, that’s a beautiful way to put it.

HAIR ADAM MARKARIAN; MAKE-UP OLIVIA BARAD AT SEE MANAGEMENT; FASHION ASSISTANT SAGE LEOPOLD