Gabrielle Nevaeh’s journey to Stranger Things: The First Shadow feels like a real-time coming-of-age story. In our conversation, she opens up about growing up painfully shy in Florida, discovering acting at a performing arts school, and then making the leap to Los Angeles at just twelve years old with nothing but six suitcases and a dream. From navigating the whirlwind of Nickelodeon fame, to essentially attending “Nick High,” to juggling seven different shows while finishing high school, she shares how she slowly learned to trust her instincts, embrace her authentic self, and listen less to the external noise. That confidence is exactly what carried her into one of the wildest audition processes I’ve ever heard, including a full seven-hour callback in New York where she literally performed the entire play as a one-woman show.

Once she stepped into the world of Stranger Things, everything changed. Gabrielle talks about finding her voice onstage eight shows a week, building Patty Newby from the ground up, and experiencing that electric moment when the season five trailer drops in the theater and the audience erupts. We dive into the emotional weight of this role, the physical demands of doing an “action movie” every night, and why she actually loves a rowdy audience member who shouts back at the actors. She also reflects on how surreal it is to walk the line between longtime Nickelodeon kids who know her comedy work and the massive Stranger Things fans who now show up dressed like Patty or get props from the show tattooed on their bodies.

Gabrielle Nevaeh is an award-nominated actor known for standout work on Nickelodeon’s All That, That Girl Lay Lay, Danger Force, and as the voice of Clawdeen Wolf in Monster High. Her credits also include Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Curses, and hosting duties for major Nickelodeon events including the Kids’ Choice Awards. She earned a Young Artist Award and an Emmy nomination for her on-screen work before making her Broadway debut as Patty Newby in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, where she continues to shape the character in collaboration with the creative team.

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