SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the series finale of “Stranger Things,” now streaming on Netflix.
Gaten Matarazzo was hardly a teenager when Matt and Ross Duffer cast him as the insatiably lovable Dustin Henderson in the first season of “Stranger Things.” Now, nine-and-a-half years and five seasons later, the Netflix phenomenon has come to a close, with the series’ epic finale releasing in theaters and on the streamer on Dec. 31.
Matarazzo caught the film on the big screen on New Year’s Eve while visiting family in Jacksonville, Fla. over the holidays. “I went dressed fully as the Grinch so no one recognized me,” Matarazzo told Variety, “but the theater was small enough that I was like ‘Ah, whatever,’ and took the mask off.”
Wrapping up nearly a decade of storytelling, the finale concludes the arcs of the show’s expansive ensemble, giving everyone at least one heroic moment. Dustin — a fan-favorite from the very first episode because of his infectious optimism and unapologetic nerdiness — is no exception. The hero uses his best qualities to contribute to archvillain Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) defeat. However, the character’s most memorable scene comes in the episode’s final act, when Dustin delivers his graduation speech as Hawkins High School’s Class of 1989 valedictorian. Articulating the themes of the show, Dustin speaks with endearing authority about how friendships have been forged and strengthened through strife. He then shifts his tone, ending the speech by telling off Principal Higgins (Bill Winkler) and shedding his robes for a Hellfire Club T-shirt, riffing on Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) iconic Season 4 line, “This is our year!” to thunderous applause.
“A lot of shows don’t really give characters the opportunity to kind of just, for lack of a better word, talk shit and air everything out and speak unapologetically about the way they feel,” Matarazzo says of the experience. “I didn’t take for granted how special that opportunity was.”
Despite tense moments aplenty, the finale concludes Dustin’s story on an optimistic note, showing him going to college and still making time for adventures with his unlikely best friend from the past few seasons, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).
Variety spoke with Matarazzo about his experience closing the book on “Stranger Things” after nearly a decade of growing up with Dustin.
When did you find out that the “Stranger Things” finale would play in theaters?
Officially we found out when it was released to the public. I think we expected it, but there were times when they said they weren’t doing it, but it kept coming up throughout the show. Matt and Ross had been trying to get it done for a while and all of us kept going back to them asking for updates. We’d ask if there was anything we could say to make it happen and they’d say, “No.” They had to work it out on their end because it went against the model that Netflix created and it wasn’t something that had ever been done for TV before. They’d done it for movies, though, so that was probably the kicker. It ended up being put together really quickly once it was confirmed. We went from hearing that it’s not going to happen to, “Never mind, it’s a go” kind of out of nowhere.
Did you get a chance to see it in theaters with an audience?
Yeah, I went with my mom and my siblings when we were visiting her in Jacksonville for the holidays. We made sure that we reserved spots at a theater nearby. The theater itself was actually quite small, so it was really just like four or five other families. I went dressed fully as the Grinch so no one recognized me, but the theater was small enough that I was like “Ah, whatever” and took the mask off.
The finale looks great in the theater, especially those scenes in the Abyss. What was it like choreographing those battles with the giant Mind Flayer?
Oh man, those days were crazy. They can be the most stressful days because you’re not saying much for a long time. You’ll just be doing so much cardio and then you look up at a tennis ball and go “Ahhhh” and hope it looks good. Luckily, when we ended up watching it, it looks great. The final form of the Mind Flayer, that crazy big Lovecraftian thing, looks unreal.
I know that my theater was very nervous for the fate of all the characters. Did you know how Dustin’s story would end before reading the final script? Were you ever worried that he might not make it?
We were all curious going in, and I think everyone was open to the idea of our characters dying, but I just don’t think that was the show that they really had in mind. A lot of the obsession with who’s dying was more fan-pushed than anything. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the creative team ever really pushed that the main characters wouldn’t make it out alive. And I think that ultimately ended up being a really great way to define what the show was about. It’s about persevering through unimaginable odds. I think there’s something special there. The point is that the kids make it through, so I was never really scared. Also, if one of us was dying, I feel like they would have told us before the writing process even started. It’s not something they would have sprung on us in the table read. They would have told us individually if it was coming.
What was your reaction to finding out where Dustin ends up at the end of the series?
It’s such a relief. They’ve all been through so much, so to see him going forward and taking a breath and finally having a shred of normalcy — it’s all he really could have asked for. And that’s what’s so tragic about the end of Eleven’s story. Normalcy would never be guaranteed for the people that she loves if she was there. She didn’t see it as fair, and I think it was a beautiful choice to end her story the way that they did.
Do you have a personal belief in whether or not Eleven is alive?
I do, but I want to keep that private. I don’t know if others will, but I think that whatever works for you and makes the show wrap up better for you is correct. You have the right to debate it, but whatever you want it to be for you is great. I think they teeter that line very well, because I’ve already noticed a kind of 50/50 split amongst fans about whether they believe.
How was it preparing and delivering Dustin’s graduation speech where he gets to sum up the point of the show, but also stick it to the principal one last time?
Oh, it was fun. It was a really special opportunity to be given that monologue. It can be a bit stressful to say all those words, especially in front of such a large audience, but a lot of shows don’t really give characters the opportunity to kind of just, for lack of a better word, talk shit and air everything out and speak unapologetically about the way they feel. I didn’t take for granted how special that opportunity was. It also shows that Dustin is in a vastly better place from the start of the season.
Courtesy of Netflix
Dustin has a lot of really emotional scenes in Season 5. How did it feel to tap into the darker, sadder sides of this typically optimistic character?
It was weird. It was definitely on the scarier side. I love the show so much, and I was really excited to jump back into what I did in the previous four seasons, so the change was kind of a curve ball thrown out of nowhere and nerve-racking, but I understood it. I was a little anxious, but I felt very honored that Matt and Ross trusted me to approach Dustin differently and give me what I saw as a challenge. I’m always up for a tone shift, and it was a kind of performance that Matt and Ross had never seen me do. There are worlds where actors excel in different genres and styles, but when called upon to jump into something tonally different, it can feel clunky. I wanted to try giving everything I got to be as truthful as I could and service the story the way it deserves. So there was a little bit more pressure, but I was super up for the opportunity. I found it really cool, cathartic and sometimes very fun.
Because Dustin sort of inherits Eddie’s persona in Hawkins for Season 5, I’m curious if you ever reconnected with Joseph Quinn and discussed your characters going into the final season?
Not much. I think it was kind of the point that Dustin didn’t get to talk to him as much as he wanted. I had to be as truthful as I could and not ask him too much, because Dustin doesn’t have the opportunity to ask Eddie very much. He has to learn as he goes. The one thing I did ask is if there was any music he listened to to prep, because Eddie’s uncle gave Dustin Eddie’s tapes. It was a great playlist, and I listened to a good chunk of that. I don’t know if that’s something he likes to keep private or not, but it was a lot of good stuff. It actually ended up shifting my taste in music for the year quite a bit.
Dustin and Steve have become one of the show’s most iconic duos. Did you ever anticipate this for the characters in the early seasons? How has your relationship with Joe Keery developed over the years?
Joe is the absolute best. He’s the MVP of every room he walks into, and I don’t think he even knows it. He has a leadership quality that he doesn’t demand, but commands, seemingly without trying. He’s a strong actor, a very thoughtful actor, very grounded, a good friend and a tremendously funny guy. It was something that I was so excited to approach when Season 2 started when we had a few scenes together. Before that I didn’t think I’d ever get to work with him, so I was excited to take the opportunity while it was there. Thankfully, it just clicked.
I think it’s because these characters were at a crossroads, and we were trying to figure out what to do with them. No one really knew what was next for them. They attempted a bit of a tug-of-war, will-they-won’t-they thing with both Dustin and Lucas [Caleb McLaughlin] having crushes on Max [Sadie Sink], but it was so clear that Caleb and Sadie just had such incredible chemistry and those characters just worked so well together that they ditched the rivalry. That was the train-track scene, Dustin trying to figure out how he can approach telling Max that he likes her and then it’s so funny how literally they drop it instantly after that. Lucas and Max end up together because it just wasn’t clunky and keeping Dustin in that plot would have been weird and bloated. Similarly, Nancy and Jonathan were clearly the couple that were going to be working consistently as the season went on, so it was like “What the fuck do we do with Dustin and Steve right now?” Because they were both kind of dealing with similar predicaments in their love lives and they kind of had something to relate to there. Thankfully, there was a quality that worked between us and we locked into it.
Courtesy of Netflix
Season 5 also introduces a slew of younger characters. What was it like to no longer be the youngest actors on set, and to have these kids around and probably looking up to you?
They’re the best, talented group of kids. I was so excited for them and their opportunity. They held it down so well, and they brought such a cool energy to such a cool plot line. It’s one of those things that Matt, Ross and Carmen [Cuba], the casting director, seem to have a gauge for and understanding of, because when it comes to casting kids in TV, it’s not just what comes across off the page and whether something works, it’s gauging whether or not there’s going to be an ease in a work environment. It’s hard to put the expectations of a very big show running smoothly in the hands of children.
That’s kind of what was thrusted upon us when we were quite young, but I think they found out how to do it properly and get the right people. These kids are so talented and so kind and I think they had a good time doing it. It was so nice to get to know them and see them experience the show the way that we did, but through a lens of a little more experience. That was really special.
You’ve basically spent your entire adolescence playing Dustin. How has growing up with this character affected you over the years?
Weirdly, it’s basically shaped everything about me, but I don’t think there’s any other way it could have happened. I spent so much of my time invested in trying to figure out who he was and I think I inevitably learned a lot about myself alongside him. Caleb has always said something really special and really interesting, which is that he knew Lucas before he knew himself, and that’s such an interesting perspective. I never thought of it that way, but he’s right. So much of our time and energy is focused on figuring out somebody that we are not and, inevitably, you end up inadvertently learning about yourself through that. And that’s really cool, so I think that I’m a very different person because of Dustin. I think that I am shaped into a different type of guy because I spend so much of my time shaping who he was. I always consider what i would be like as a person without the show and I’m hyper-convinced that I would be a worse one. It helped me prioritize the people in my life, and I love them very, very much.
Do you have a favorite moment from the series as a whole, either on-screen or on set?
That’s such a good question, because now I can finally put it all into perspective and figure out what that really is for me, but it’s so tough. Seasons 4 and 5 feel like one chapter. It feels like one, very long season where they introduce Vecna and it’s like, “OK, great. This is the show now and it feels like one big chapter.” And I had so much fun doing all of what we called the “Scooby-Doo Group,” stuff with the Hawkins investigative crew in Season 4 in the Creel House, figuring out Henry’s backstory and trying to save Max. That was really cool, so I think that was my favorite.
Who on the cast have you grown closest with over the years and who have you learned the most from?
That’s so tough. I love everybody on the show so much. They are literally family, and I have such wonderful individual relationships with all of them. They’re so distinct from each other and that’s what’s so special. You know how some friend groups feel like you can’t imagine yourself hanging out with any of them individually? Like when work friends grab drinks, and it’s like, “I don’t think I can ever talk to any of these people by themselves.” I’m so happy that all of us have had the ability to maintain real friendships individually with each other throughout this process. I’m super grateful for that. I lived with Finn [Wolfhard] for about a year, and I think that cemented a cadence that you don’t really get with a person until you spend your mornings and nights with them consistently. It almost sounds like a couple, but we had this very shared experience with the show and getting to see him finish his movie, sell his movie, write his album and watch it all get released was really cool. And Caleb, I’ve never been able to have a heart to heart with anybody as much as I have with Caleb. There’s just a quality that he has. You just feel so safe with him and I just appreciate his candor and the level of respect he has for people. He shows what it means to be a really good friend and he’s taught me a lot.
Now that the show is over, what do you hope Dustin’s legacy is for fans of “Stranger Things”?
I’m thinking of a word that might seem inconsequential, but I don’t think that it is in the context of Dustin, and that’s “Enthusiasm.” I think something that’s so interesting about Dustin is that every time they’re in grave danger, he’s always kind of smiling. I think that it’s because he’s fully aware and acknowledges how fucking cool everything is. Like, they’re gonna die, they’re literally saving the world, but he’s still floored that he might be the first person to be in contact with exotic matter. He’s so excited and he’s so unapologetically nerdy and so invested in his interests and excited to learn. It’s very Mr. Clarke [Randy Havens]-esque. He’s so excited to learn about what he doesn’t know. A lot of people approach what they don’t know with angst or anxiety because the unknown is scary, but to Dustin, the unknown is the most exhilarating feeling in the world, because he has nothing but a drive to learn more about it. It’s really fun and it’s something that I strive to embody myself.
This interview has been edited and condensed.