Drew Barrymore and Charlie Heaton praise Newfoundland and Labrador

British actor Charlie Heaton, known for playing Jonathan Byers throughout all five seasons of Stranger Things, traded his camera for a fishing rod in Netflix’s six-part supernatural miniseries Below. Filmed in communities including Brigus South, St. John’s and Pouch Cove, the series follows a close-knit fishing community threatened by a mysterious sea creature. Heaton plays Wade, the son of Josh Hartnett’s character.

Since its Oct. 8 premiere, Below has drawn 17 million views. Netflix says it is the most-watched debut ever for a Canadian title. It remains the No. 1 show in more than 50 countries, and is helping bring more homegrown content to the platform. Heaton, like his American co-star Hartnett, has been praising Newfoundland and Labrador.

On The Drew Barrymore Show, Heaton called the coastal province beautiful and mentioned Come From Away, the hit Broadway musical inspired by the Newfoundland community that welcomed thousands of stranded airline passengers after 9/11. “We all know Canadians are the nicest people in the world, and they say that that niceness was born in Newfoundland,” he said. Heaton said he had never felt so welcomed by a community. Locals were eager to share their culture and invite the cast into their homes for supper. “I was really touched by that place,” he said.

Barrymore said she and her daughter had been watching the series together. She described Newfoundland as a world unto itself and said she had always fantasized about visiting. “If you ever get a chance to go, it’s beautiful,” Heaton told her. By coincidence, Barrymore then gave away a free trip to Newfoundland, including a stay at the JAG Hotel in St. John’s, to an audience member.

Barrymore and the show’s sidekick Ross Mathews both appeared to pronounce Newfoundland as “new-fin-lind,” with a hard D at the end; locals typically say something closer to “newf-in-land.” Whatever the pronunciation, viewers are welcoming the attention Below is bringing to their home province and praising the cast’s accents. “Wade is the epitome of a Newfie. Solid acting, solid accent,” one user commented on Netflix Canada’s Instagram post. Another wrote: “Coming from someone who grew up in the neighbouring community where this was filmed, I was so happy and excited to hear the cast speaking our lingo.”

Locals also shared their excitement on the talk show’s YouTube page. “Born and raised in Newfoundland, not so secretly loving all the love for my home,” one user wrote. Another commented: “I am a Newfoundlander, and it makes me happy how Below is getting folks talking about my beautiful province on these talk shows.”

All six episodes of Below are streaming on Netflix Canada.