Gaten Matarazzo is ‘deeply afraid’ of Stranger Things ending as the Netflix series offers ‘great job security for a while’
Gaten Matarazzo says the conclusion of Stranger Things after five seasons has prompted a variety of emotions, including excitement and fear.
The 20-year-old actor appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Monday, where he was asked if the show’s ending had a “bittersweet” tone.
“There’s a kind of excitement because you always want to wrap it up and see how these characters finally evolve one last time and how they’re going to complete their journey,” said the actor, who has played the role of Dustin Henderson since 2016 in the sci-fi series.
The New London, Connecticut native said “there’s a deep fear” about re-entering the unpredictable marketplace of acting work after seven years on the series.
“Not only has it been amazing, but it’s been pretty good job security for a while now,” he said. ‘Back to freelancing.’
The Latest: Gaten Matarazzo, 20, says the conclusion of Stranger Things after five seasons has prompted a variety of emotions, including excitement and fear. He appeared on Monday’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Matarazzo emphasized the impact the popular show has made in its run.
“It’s interesting to just be constantly reminded of how much people resonate with that,” he said.
Matarazzo, a regular on the show, which also stars Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and Charlie Heaton, said of the show, “I mean, it’s something that’s so important to all of us and for which it just mattered the growth that I had throughout my teenage years through my 20s.
“It’s been the defining aspect of the last 10 years of my life, practically the last decade.”
Matarazzo credited the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, for giving the cast flexibility in developing their characters.
“It’s really interesting because they have a lot of trust in all of us to make our own decisions and approach the scenes the way we’ve always instinctively wanted to,” he said.
Matarazzo said he’d like to see “a good launch pad for growth” for the characters, as he hopes they “move past the trauma they’ve endured over the last few years.”
Matarazzo has also worked on projects such as the Paramount+ film Honor Society in recent years and has provided vocals for animated films such as The Angry Birds Movie and My Father’s Dragon.
When the Duffer brothers announced the series’ conclusion last year, they said they “planned the complete story arc for Stranger Things from the beginning” and “predicted that the story would last four to five seasons.”
The actor appeared on Monday’s The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, where he was asked if the show’s ending had a “bittersweet” tone
The New London, Connecticut native said “there’s a deep fear” about re-entering the unpredictable marketplace of acting work after seven years on the series
He said: “Not only has it been amazing, but it’s been pretty good job security for a while now. Back to the freelancer
Matarazzo credited the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, for giving the cast flexibility in developing their characters
He said: “It’s really interesting because they have a lot of trust in all of us to make our own decisions and approach the scenes in a way that we’ve always instinctively wanted to.”
The actor has played the role of Dustin Henderson in the sci-fi series since 2016