Charlie Heaton: My fight to save career after ‘drugs bust’
STRANGER Things actor Charlie Heaton has described his ‘drug bust’ at US immigration last year as a ‘f***ing awful’ experience.
The 24-year-old Brit, denied entry at Los Angeles airport in October when sniffer dogs detected a ‘very small amount’ of cocaine on him, was opening up about the ordeal for the first time.
It meant he missed the American premiere of the Netflix drama’s second season — and saw his future in Hollywood up in the air.
The Yorkshire lad now admits: ‘It was f***ing awful. It was just awful.’
Heaton, who plays teen Jonathan Byers in the hit show, said he was just getting his head around the pressures of fame when he was forced to navigate the drugs controversy and battle to save his career.
He admitted: ‘It was hard. 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.’
Heaton is now hopeful that all is now resolved and he can return to work on season three.
At the time of the LAX incident, he said in a statement: ‘I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged with a crime.’
And, as he told Flaunt magazine: ‘I just wanted to go back… I want to work and continue to work — that’s all I’ve ever done.’
Author: Tom Stichbury
