You know Jonathan Byers, the older brother of Will Byers and the son of Joyce Byers from Netflix’s Stranger Things? His full name is Jonathan David Wheeler, he loves photography and he’s played by Charlie Heaton in the series. But that’s not all you need to know about him. In fact, there are ten more facts about Jonathan Byers that may surprise you. Get ready to dig deeper into this character! 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jonathan Byers from Stranger Things
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1) His name was originally Matthew
Charlie Heaton was supposed to play Matthew, but ended up playing Jonathan instead. The producers decided that Charlie was a better fit for Jonathan because of his hair and mannerisms. Despite being known as Charlie in real life, he still goes by Matthew in interviews since he’s been rehearsing and filming under that name. In fact, his character’s last name is Byers which makes it even more confusing! He’s also sometimes credited as Charlie Tahan or Charlie Heaton-Rhodes to avoid confusion.
2) Love for photography came early
Heaton’s parents both encouraged his love for photography. He would take pictures of anything, especially his friends and family members. Heaton kept journals of these photographs and he still has them today.
When asked how he likes being a teenager on social media, Heaton replied by saying, When I was young I didn’t have a lot of pictures of myself that are readily available now so it’s nice to be able to look back at something you did as a kid.
3) Left out by other kids because of his unique behavior
As an older brother, he looks out for his little brother Will and is protective of him; as a teenager, he is more concerned with being cool than making friends. As we learn later in Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly, in Season 2 (2017), Jonathan has been traumatized by something that happened to him when they were younger. This makes it hard for him to socialize with others and make friends. He tells Nancy Wheeler about his past, but does not go into details about what exactly happened. He tells her that he had thought about killing himself because of what had happened to him before she came along, which was why he was upset at her party and didn’t want to dance with her or be around anyone else. He also says that you can’t really know someone until you have walked in their shoes which seems like a direct reference to what had happened to him earlier in life. It could be speculated that Jonathan’s strange behavior is due to post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychological disorders such as depression or anxiety disorders.
4) Had a strained relationship with his father
My dad, he’s more like a scientist than a parent. He’s not even around that much, to be honest. I don’t even know if I’ve ever said ‘I love you’ to my dad or if he’s ever said it to me. In high school, we had our moments but we never really connected. It was mostly just silence between us. When I turned 18 and moved out of home, we started to build a better relationship. But when Will disappeared, everything changed.
It was hard for him because he wasn’t there for Will when he needed him most.He was always working on some experiment or another in his lab and didn’t pay attention to what was going on with his family.. We were both really lost after Will went missing but we got through it together. We’re getting closer now; things are good between us now.
5) Did have time to play Dungeons & Dragons
In an interview with Elle, actor Charlie Heaton explained that his character, Jonathan, becomes close to Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) because they both smoke marijuana. He also told Entertainment Weekly that smoking pot was something he was into in high school. However, Netflix has yet to confirm whether or not Heaton’s character smokes marijuana on screen. While his girlfriend Nancy Wheeler is shown lighting up a joint in Season 1 of Stranger Things, it remains unclear whether or not it’s an act of rebellion and if anyone else partakes in weed as well. One thing we do know: His dark and sometimes dangerous behavior is definitely attributed to getting stoned on some heavy duty cannibis–especially in Season 2.
6) Knew about Barb
Nancy’s best friend Barb played a pivotal role in season 1 before she was killed by demodogs. In season 2, Nancy has been on a quest to find out what happened to her and even put up posters with her picture on them. Did you know that Shannon Purser, who plays Barb, was originally supposed to die halfway through season 1? It seems that Barb and Will were meant to be killed off together as both actors had signed contracts for only one year of work. Instead of simply killing both characters off early, creators Matt and Ross Duffer opted to kill off Barb midway through season 1. This allowed them more time with other characters including Steve who has become a fan favorite in his own right.
7) He took up smoking pot in high school
A crucial part of Jonathan’s character development in season one was his descent into drug use. He started out with weed, but before long he was turning to harder stuff—and keeping it a secret from his family. He wasn’t above stealing money to fund his habit either, which resulted in him getting arrested for shoplifting at age 15. Whether you agree with drug use or not, it’s pretty safe to say that smoking pot isn’t good for kids under 18 and that children should be careful about any decisions they make about their health and well-being.
8) His relationship with Nancy wasn’t planned
Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things, had no idea that he and Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) would end up together when they first met on set. In fact, they almost didn’t share a scene together. However, one day during filming of Season 1, Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) was sick and they needed someone to film a scene with Natalia so Charlie volunteered. A fan asked Charlie what it was like when he first fell for Nancy while making Stranger Things. He said it just sort of happened and even though there wasn’t an actual plan for them to be an item on set, it all worked out in real life because Natalia is awesome!
9) Bookworm like sister
Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers in Netflix’s smash hit series Stranger Things. The show returns for a second season on October 27 and takes place in 1984, one year after where season 1 left off. In a recent interview with GQ, Charlie reveals that his character’s biggest aspiration was to become a CIA agent. He said, I think he wanted to work as an undercover agent for either like MI5 or MI6, even before his brother goes missing it was something he spoke about often.
10) His career-goal was becoming CIA agent
Heaton has also been in some movies as a young actor. He played John, a young boy who (along with his sister Jane) befriends Tom Rob Smith’s character on The Secret of Crickley Hall in 2011. Heaton is set to reprise his role in Series 2. In January 2014, Heaton appeared in BBC Four’s drama mini-series Capital alongside his mother, Denise Welch In August 2014, Heaton was cast as Billy in James Watkins’ thriller film Eden. He then had a starring role as Mike Wheeler in Netflix original series Stranger Things which premiered July 15, 2016. His character is best friends with Will Byers and older brother of Nancy Wheeler. His romance with Nancy is an important plot point during season 1.
Are Nancy and Jonathan a couple in real life?
Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer, who plays Nancy Wheeler, both denied that they were dating on Instagram. Sources told People magazine that they are actually a couple in real life after their on-screen romance in season one.
Are Steve and Jonathan friends?
Although Steve Harrington and Jonathan Byers are both popular students at Hawkins High, they seem to have little in common. They both attend parties together and play on opposite teams for their school’s football team. But aside from these surface similarities, Steve and Jonathan don’t have much of a relationship. Their friendship extends only as far as a vague mutual respect and not much else.
Who did Charlie Heaton have a child with?
Charlie Heaton and girlfriend Maika Monroe had a child together in 2016. She is also an actress, with roles in movies like It Follows, The Guest, and Independence Day: Resurgence.
Is Jonathan from Stranger Things Harry Styles?
Charlie Heaton, who plays a sad young man named Jonathan in Netflix’s science-fiction horror series Stranger Things, may look familiar to some. That’s because he was there for Harry Styles, even before he was Harry Styles. Heaton has been acting since he was 11 and appeared in three episodes of HBO’s Vinyl with Liam Payne before landing his breakout role on Stranger Things. And if you didn’t already suspect that Heaton resembles One Direction’s Harry Styles, there are plenty of other similarities between him and his TV brother.
