"Stranger Things" star Natalia Dyer says that the show has put some of her youngest co-stars in a position in which they have been oversexualized. None of them had anticipated the Netflix sci-fi thriller's overnight success, but when "Stranger Things" gained popularity, it thrust the cast into the limelight. Some of the youngest stars, aged 15 to 17, found they had been turned into sex symbols, and Dyer said she now feels the need to protect them.
"I generally feel like, to me, it's oversexualizing them," the 25-year-old told The Independent in a recent interview. "I feel protective over the younger kids even though they're not kids anymore, they're teens. They're all great people and all having to grow up in very crazy circumstances. As a private person, I just feel like, leave people alone — unless you're talking about their work or what they want to talk about. It's a very tricky and complex issue."
Dyer explained that sexualizing young actors is "a cultural issue" and that "there must be a bigger concept" behind the reasons why it happens.
"Just let people be the people that they are, without any judgement," she said.
The actress admitted she also struggled with the pressure of fame. Suddenly, she was constantly in the spotlight and had very little of a private life. She struggled to adapt and initially suffered bouts of anxiety.
"It's lovely to meet fans, but it's very like, 'Oh my gosh, I just want to go to the grocery store and get some milk. I don't want to take a photo everywhere I go,'" Dyer said, adding that it was initially jarring, but she feels more confident in how she now handles situations.
"I feel like my work is what I did," she noted. "I don't owe somebody a photo. I gave them my work."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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