For almost a decade, audiences watched Gaten Matarazzo grow up on screen. When Stranger Things first premiered, he was a teenager stepping into a mysterious world called the Upside Down. Ten years later, he is a young adult closing the final chapter of one of the most successful shows of the streaming era.
Now that filming has wrapped and some time has passed, Matarazzo is no longer just “Dustin”. He is standing at the beginning of something new. And while many fans see the ending of Stranger Things as the end of an era, he describes it as the start of his second chapter.
End of an era
Trench-coat, Suit & Tie: Reiss. Shirt: David Donahue. Shoes: Cole Haan.
The transition out of the show has not felt dramatic. It has felt gradual.“It’s not something I’m quite used to yet”, Matarazzo said of life after the show. Even with distance, the adjustment is ongoing. “My heart is still very full from the experience”. When filming ended, the final day was not theatrical. “We all just packed up our stuff and headed home”, he said. “The morning after specifically was eerily quiet”.
After ten years on the same production, silence carries weight. For most of his teenage years, his life was structured around call sheets, table reads, and long stretches away from home. Growing up in that environment reshaped his idea of what normal adulthood looks like.
“I think it feels less normal now as I’ve entered my adulthood”, he said. As a child, adapting came easily. “Kids have an interesting way of normalizing their situations”.
Looking back, he sees how deeply the show shaped him. “The experience has set me up in my career and my life in more ways than I could ever articulate”. But he is careful not to romanticize it blindly. “That’s something I’m trying not to do as I enter this weird new chapter”.
(Left): Trench-coat: Fear of god. Shirt: David Donahue. Pants: Polo by Ralph Lauren. Tie: Boss. Shoes: Converse. (Right): Suit & tie: Reiss. Shoes: Cole Haan.
(Left): Tuxedo: Polo by Ralph Lauren. Shirt: David Donahue. Bow tie: Boss. Shoes: Cole Haan. (Tight): Trench-coat: Allsaints. Shirt: David Donahue. Pants: Polo by Ralph Lauren. tie: Boss. Shoes: Converse.
Growing beyond Dustin
In the early seasons, the line between actor and character was thin. “I think early in the process it was harder to find ways that I wasn’t like him”, he said. Over time, that changed. As the show expanded, both Dustin and Matarazzo evolved in different directions. Fans still tell him they see the character in his real personality.
“When I talk to people and meet fans of the show, they tend to tell me I’m just like him in real life”, he said. “I’m pretty confident that they have a better gauge of that than I do”.
Part of Dustin’s appeal was emotional range – the ability to move between humor and grief without losing sincerity. Matarazzo approaches that instinct simply. “I think everybody has a wide range of ways that they express themselves”, he said. When he needs help grounding a moment, he leans on collaboration. “I always just try to draw from my own experiences”.
Suit & Tie: Reiss. Shoes: Cole Haan.
The atmosphere on set supported that emotional honesty. “It was always one of the warmest places in the world”, he said. Working alongside close friends for nearly a decade created a rare kind of stability. Even now, after wrapping, the bond remains strong.
“It didn’t really take that long” for him to realize the show had become an international phenomenon, he said. What began as local excitement quickly grew into something global.
Despite the scale of success, he resists framing the decade around hardship. “I think focusing on things that were hard is kind of dumb”, he said. There were sacrifices – “It’s tough being away from family for a consistent amount of time” – but in hindsight, “it was an overwhelmingly positive experience”.
What comes next
Trench-coat: Fear of God. Shirt: David Donahue. Pants: Polo by Ralph Lauren. Shoes: Converse
If Stranger Things defined his adolescence, the next phase will be defined by choice. “I think I’m still trying to figure that out”. he said of what this second chapter looks like. The process has been slow. “It’s been a slow process, but I think I’m okay with that”. The uncertainty can feel uncomfortable, but “sometimes it scares me, but I think it’s a good shift”.
Broadway and theater remain strong curiosities. Expanding into writing or directing is something he approaches carefully. “Jumping into anything outside of acting up to this point has been more of a pipe dream”, he said. If he ever steps into that world fully, “it would very likely be in the theater”.
For 2026, he is not chasing spectacle. “I’d like to let things play out as they take shape and not rush into anything I’m not confident with”.
(Left): Jacket: Sandro. Suit & Tie: Reiss. (Right): Trench-coat: All Saints.
Beyond acting, Stranger Things gave him a platform to raise awareness for cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), a condition incorporated into Dustin’s character. At the time, the inclusion felt natural. “It almost seemed like a given”. he said. Only later did he understand the impact. “I never anticipated how much of an impact that would have”.
That visibility helped launch CCD Smiles, the nonprofit he co-founded. “I’m incredibly proud of Kelly and of the organization”, he said. The show’s reach accelerated meaningful progress. “Just being in the room for something like that is an honor”.
When asked what advice he would give young actors unsure of their direction, he answers honestly. “So much luck is involved,” he said. “So much of it is right place, right time”.
Still, he believes in pursuing what you love. “Just the pursuit of doing something you love is incredibly nourishing”. Stranger Things may be over, but Matarazzo does not frame it as an ending. It is a shift – from a decade defined by one character to a future defined by intention.
Coat: Fear of God. Suit & Tie: Reiss. Shirt: David Donahue. Shoes: Cole Haan
*** Creative Team ***
Talent: Gaten Matarazzo @gatenmatarazzo.
Photographer/Producer: Tom Marvel @tommarvelphotography.
Creative Director: CANNON @thecannonmediagroup @ateliermgmt.
Production: @winnie_noan.
Set Producer: @kathleentig.
Lighting Director: @1muratozdemir1.
Director of Video: @phadeevs.
Digital Tech: @milofynn.
Digital Artist: @cosmicpixels_nyc.
Set Designer: @stocktonhall @ateliermgmt.
Custom props by: Paul Romano at R&M Manufacturing Inc.
Photographer’s Assistants: @michelewihelminaphotography & @polymathicwallace.
Grip: @gspepe.
Groomer: @msruthiemakeup @asm_mgmt @piccassobrush_official.us @oribe.
1st Stylist’s Assistant: @lu3alo @sheismaia_agency.
Fashion Team: @s.tephaniewenger @madisonwengu.
Marketing Director: @biljana.cvijetinovic.
Shot at @un_nyc.
Gravity Backdrops by Mimi Stojanovic @gravitybackdrops.
Very Special Thanks to Stephen Fertelmes, Kyla Chalmers and Jack Deutsch @Jillfritzopr.
Special Thanks to Jason and everyone at Untitled NYC.
