Ten years ago, Charlie Heaton stole our hearts as the shy, empathetic older brother on Stranger Things, followed by a short stint as a do-good investigative reporter in HBO’s sexiest finance drama Industry. But now, he’s done playing Mr. Nice Guy. This go-round, the British actor is starring in Below, a Netflix series that follows a secluded Newfoundland fishing village as it’s terrorized by a mysterious sea creature that lurks just beneath the cold Canadian waters. His character Wade is bold, brash, and restless. Heaton can’t get enough, and clearly neither can audiences as the sci-fi series debuted to 17 million viewers, a new record for any Canadian Netflix production. Kiernan Shipka knows a thing or two about stepping into daring new roles as well, especially as a former child star. A few days before the premiere, Heaton reunited with his former Industry co-star Shipka to talk shedding old characters, picking up new accents, and reintroducing yourself to the world on your own terms.
TUESDAY 12 PM OCTOBER 6, 2026 NEW YORK CITY
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KIERNAN SHIPKA: I want to start with how we met because I think it’s a really funny story.
CHARLIE HEATON: Yeah?
SHIPKA: I was walking in a park, trying on my new weighted vest, and I walked by you and you were being so kind to some Welsh Stranger Things fan. I came up to you and I think you thought I was another fan, like, “Oh man, it’s a pile-on in the park.” I was like, “No, it’s me, Kiernan.” It’s so weird that I didn’t know you for part of my life, but it was such a funny way to meet.
HEATON: Yeah. I think I had a hat on and headphones. That’s usually how I walk, head down. But you ultimately ended up saving me because I don’t know if you remember, but the girl was really intense.
SHIPKA: Well, she also recognized me and was like, “Am I on drugs?”
HEATON: I felt slightly embarrassed because I was like, “Damn, I didn’t know that was you.” You caught me in a moment.
SHIPKA: I thought it was so funny. Was Industry your first thing after Stranger Things?
HEATON: Yeah.
SHIPKA: What was that like?
HEATON: It was amazing. I’d been playing a 20-year-old for such a long time. I hired a UK agent, Ollie [Azis], and he was like, “I really want to find you something British.” Because a lot of people don’t know I’m British, especially when I hang out in London. I think his idea was a homecoming—to use my own voice, which I hadn’t had a chance to do in a long time.
SHIPKA: Oh my god.
HEATON: When I initially auditioned, I tried to do a really posh accent, but then the second scene was the end scene. It was 10 pages and I was so annoyed that they would send that amount of pages for an audition.
SHIPKA: Damn it. Makes me sad.
HEATON: I remember being like, “Fuck this, I’m just going to read it.” I was really pissed off because I hate doing that. I like to have digested it properly, but I was just reading it and it was kind of chaotic. But because I wasn’t thinking about it and I was miserable, my own voice came out. And then I remember them being like, “Do that.” I came off from playing a really nice boy for 10 years, and you with Mad Men and Sabrina—it was like both of us stepping into an adult role. It was a perfect thing to open up that next chapter.
SHIPKA: Totally. And you’re so good in it.
HEATON: Thank you.
SHIPKA: I really admire the way that you work because you show up very prepared, you’re very dedicated and serious about what you do, but you also feel so liberated. I was watching Below last night and I was like, you’re always so fun and free on camera. Is that just naturally how you show up? I feel like if the wind started blowing, you would blow with it.
HEATON: That’s really, really kind. When I’m enjoying it and I can feel that loose, that’s when I get the best work. When you’re doing any job, you can’t always be playing. But I do find that if you’re stressed and you’re already coming into it anxious, then you’re limited. There’s always a lot of anxiety for me the weeks before something.
SHIPKA: Oh, yeah.
HEATON: You have no idea how to get into the character. “This is the one where they find out I’m a fraud.” I always start in that place. And particularly with Industry, I remember thinking, “How can I actually handle doing something like that?,” because of the amount of dialogue and the style of it. But then you always find a way in. I was really bad at school. I’m very ADHD, so I couldn’t ever concentrate. I was never somebody who did my homework. I was never someone who was very prepared. But I always found that when I was passionate about something, that’s when I could hyper-focus. I think it’s the same with this job. I make sure that I learn all my dialogue or I’ve done enough research so on the day when I’m there, I’m free to play.
SHIPKA: It’s like a gift to your future self to show up prepared. Then you can just have fun.
HEATON: It’s hard. Most of the work you do as an actor is just homework. I mean, it’s nice because you get to use your imagination.
SHIPKA: It is. And then you show up and so much is different than what you maybe thought it was going to be. It’s a delicate balance. What do you do to prepare for something? Is it the same kind of system, or do you change it up?
HEATON: We hung out when we were doing Industry, and you do loads of different things.
SHIPKA: I do some funky actor stuff.
HEATON: I remember you talking about a mantra.
SHIPKA: Oh, I’ve done hypnotherapy. I also do mantras, but that’s just for my life.
HEATON: Oh, okay. I think each specific role requires something different. I try to immerse myself in it as much as possible. I try to slightly live my life in the moments when I’m shooting those things, adjacent to the character. Even small things, like when we were walking around Canary Wharf and just observing people. I do a lot of that.
SHIPKA: Or go out drinking. [Laughs]
HEATON: [Laughs] Or go out drinking. I run a lot, right?
SHIPKA: Yeah, I know this.
HEATON: I do a lot of rambling to myself, where I try to talk myself into believing I’m this person.
SHIPKA: You’re so fun in Below. The show’s fucking crazy.
HEATON: Yeah, it is. I had no idea who that character was. I had a very vague idea, but it wasn’t until I got there and I put the wardrobe on that I was like, “Oh, this is this person.”
SHIPKA: I was shocked when you showed up on screen. I was like, “That’s my Charlie?” The intro shot of you on that ATV is crazy. Did everybody have to do this accent or were some cast members from Newfoundland?
HEATON: Some of the cast members are from Newfoundland. Obviously, the family, me, Josh [Hartnett], Rohan[Campbell]’s guy, who plays my brother, is Canadian, and then Ruby [Stokes], who plays my sister, is also from the UK. We did some Zoom accent sessions with a coach who was from Newfoundland because they wanted us to sound like we were from the same place. What Jesse [McKeown] captured really well is the sense of community. Canadians are the nicest people in the world, and they say that that culture is born in Newfoundland. I had supper at my driver’s house, met his family. Every time I went to a bar, I ended up getting into these huge conversations. They want to bring you in, they want to talk to you, they want to share stories, and they want to make sure you’re having a really welcomed experience. I think it comes from all these little fishing towns that have 20 people in them, so they have to be nice to each other. They need their neighbors to survive. If you run out of milk, you’ve got a two-hour drive. In terms of me getting into character, I would go to these bars and dress to blend in, but then obviously—
SHIPKA: It’s like, “Wait. I know you.”
HEATON: Yeah. But I would tell them what I was doing and who I was playing, and then everyone would share stories.
SHIPKA: When I started doing stuff after Mad Men, I had to create backstories for these characters that I’d never had to create for Sally because I got to live the backstory. It must be similar with Stranger Things, where you’re living with the character for so long that you’re not inventing stuff that’s happened to them, you’ve actually done the things. Do you have a process when it comes to jumping into something new? Was that a weird thing for you?
HEATON: Totally. Stranger Things felt like my school. I don’t feel that much like Jonathan, but [The Duffer Brothers] knew us so well, so they were good at writing that in. It was weird because I created Jonathan 10 years ago. I mean, I didn’t create him, he was already on the page, but I brought him to life. It was an amazing thing to be a part of, but it also took all my 20s. As a 30-year-old, now I feel like I’m approaching the work. I’m trying to find things that keep surprising me.
SHIPKA: What’s going on in your head when you’re thinking about what you want to do next?
HEATON: The biggest thing is just trying not to do the same. Obviously, what you’ve done for such a long time is how people see you, so there are the opportunities that naturally people will want you to do again. And these opportunities that I’ve decided to do feel really, really different. For Below, the character really did jump off the page. When I got that show, there was a bit of hesitation—it’s a Netflix show, it’s sci-fi. It feels somewhat Spielbergian, so it definitely feels like it could lean in a Stranger Things tone. But the character couldn’t be further from John. He’s explosive and he’s loud and abrasive. I had a lot of fun playing him.
SHIPKA: Yeah, you seem like you’re having fun. Even the stuff that was very intense, I was like, “Oh, Charlie’s probably having fun right now.” I wanted to ask you about Peaky Blinders. Can you talk about it at all?
HEATON: Yeah, it’s scary. I’ve been a fan of that show for so long. When that opportunity came around, I was like, “I have to do whatever I can do to try and get an audition for this.” And then I did, and then I was in New York and they wanted me to do a Zoom audition, and I was like, “I’m not doing this. I’m going to fly myself out to London. I’m going to give my best chance to get this role.”
SHIPKA: You flew to London to do your final audition.
HEATON: Yeah. I wrapped that this year. It was intense. Obviously, the cast legacy in that show is incredible, so out of absolute fear and respect I wanted to do the best I could do. I was so focused, I literally did nothing. I was a boring person for four months, just in a hotel room, lines, gym, didn’t see anyone. I’ve seen a little bit of it. It’s scary because it’s a new chapter and there’s no Cillian [Murphy]. You never know how that’s going to be perceived, but I’m excited.
SHIPKA: So cool.
HEATON: For a while, it didn’t feel real. I’d walk onto these sets I’ve watched for years and be like, “Ah,” then go, “Okay, stop.” You’ve got to be real.
SHIPKA: Lock in for Peaky.
HEATON: Yeah. That was a dream.
SHIPKA: Do you mind watching yourself?
HEATON: Does anybody?
SHIPKA: I don’t think that you should be horrified watching yourself. Some people are, but that’s not a requirement.
HEATON: I know people who are so self-deprecating about watching themselves. It’s a little uncomfortable and jarring, but I always found that there’s the thing you read, there’s the thing you make, and there’s the thing you watch—and they’re all very different. Getting to watch yourself is always an opportunity to be like, “Okay, interesting. Maybe that worked, maybe that didn’t.” What about you?
SHIPKA: The first time I watch something I’ve done, I’m hyper judgmental. It’s also really fun when you watch something and you’re proud of the entire thing. When Industry premiered and we were watching it on the big screen, that was so fun. It’s fun to watch with your friends too, and you can let go of, “Oh, did they use this take or that take?” Once it starts getting so analytical, I’m like, “This isn’t fun.”
HEATON: You’re not bringing people around to your house like, “Hey, watch my movies.”
SHIPKA: No, it’s sort of an extension of, I don’t like being sung “Happy Birthday.” That anxiety. Having a screening party thing for something? Man, that doesn’t sound like it’s for me.
HEATON: If you’re close with the directors—like Konrad [Kay] and Mickey [Down]— there’s a level of excitement in seeing their reaction and their baby, because at that point it’s their baby.
SHIPKA: I know. Even on set, it’s like, if they’re happy, I’m happy kind of thing. What do you want to do next?
HEATON: I’ve got something coming out in about week. I can’t talk about it, it’s a small thing.
SHIPKA: You can’t talk about it?
HEATON: No. It’s another one of those crazy manifestation things because for the last couple of years, it’s all I’ve been listening to.
SHIPKA: Uh-oh.
HEATON: But next is a bit of a pause. It’s that thing of trying to get back in touch with your life, stop living all these little pseudo lives and just slow down for a second. I’ve just bought a place in London.
SHIPKA: Exciting.
HEATON: Yeah. So I want to do a bit of housing, a bit of renovation, make a base, maybe a little bit of traveling at the end of the year.
SHIPKA: Eat, Pray, Love for Charlie.
HEATON: Yeah. I never want to be in a place where I’m feeling frustrated, where you don’t feel like you want to turn up on a film set. You give a lot of yourself to these projects and these worlds, and you displace yourself. I don’t want to be in a position where I’m resenting that. I just want to get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor, as they say.
SHIPKA: To have time off while the stuff comes out is nice.
HEATON: Yeah. I take that pause to actually figure out that question of what I’d like to do next.
SHIPKA: Would you ever do a comedy? I feel like you’re always being put through the ringer in shows.
HEATON: I don’t know. Am I funny?
SHIPKA: I find you very funny.
HEATON: That’s lovely.
SHIPKA: I feel very comfortable in comedy because I grew up doing improv, like a cool kid.
HEATON: I grew up just being very dark.
SHIPKA: I want to see you do something light, even for your sake.
SHIPKA: [Laughs] Thank you for taking the time to do this, Kiernan.
SHIPKA: No, thank you for being such a wonderful, great friend. It’s so weird to interview you because I feel like we hang out so much. I can’t say we’ve ever been on a Zoom, so this is huge for our friendship.
HEATON: What about you? Is this your home?
SHIPKA: This is my house. I’m always behind this massive bar that I really don’t ever touch, but it’s for entertaining. There’s a photo of Ike Barinholtz that he signed for me for on one of my birthdays.
HEATON: Amazing. Where are you next?
SHIPKA: I’m going to New Zealand for a movie.
HEATON: Wow. Send me some pictures.
SHIPKA: I will. I’ll be sending Auckland selfies and we’ll link up wherever we link up.
HEATON: Yeah. Well, have fun.
The post Charlie Heaton Tells Kiernan Shipka He’s Done Playing Mr. Nice Guy appeared first on Interview Magazine.