'Stranger Things' star Charlie Heaton addresses cocaine possession reports
[Photo by: Netflix]
Stranger Things actor Charlie Heaton is opening up about the reported drug possession that stymied the Netflix star late last year, the presence of cocaine on his luggage preventing him from attending the show's Season 2 premiere.
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Heaton, a British citizen, was denied entry into the U.S. last October, as reported by USA Today. Although he wasn't arrested and no charges were filed, officers at Los Angeles International Airport detected a small amount of cocaine on the actor's belongings after a routine inspection by a customs canine. Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers on Stranger Things, was returned to London and missed out on the show's L.A. premiere event for the second season.
The actor now says the incident is “all sorted,” and he reveals to Flaunt magazine that the public scrutiny he received over the experience was “fucking awful,” as noted by the NME. Hearton admits that his newfound fame from Stranger Things served as an impediment in relation to the drug debacle:
“It was hard,” he says. “Everything happened so fast, and I hadn't come to terms with the fact that I was famous. When something steps in from the work you are doing and breaks into your personal life…you feel kind of vulnerable. All of a sudden it becomes a very big story and it gets really blown out of proportion.” After reporters showed up on his parents' doorstep in Yorkshire, England, the actor says he “just wanted to go back. I want to work and continue to work.”
At the time of the cocaine possession reports, Heaton released an official statement admitting that he was “sorry to all the fans and my Stranger Things family for missing the premiere. We are all so proud of this season and I would never want this story to negatively impact the show.”
The actor's expected to return as Jonathan Byers for the upcoming third season of Stranger Things.
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