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Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo is opening up about life behind the scenes of the hit Netflix series as it heads into its final season—sharing both the chaos of living with Finn Wolfhard during filming and the rocky start he had before landing the role of Dustin Henderson.
While appearing on the Dinner's on Me podcast, Matarazzo revealed that he and Wolfhard lived together for nearly a year while shooting season five, a setup he described as similar to "a college experience." Despite how close the two had been since their early days on the show, he admitted their shared home quickly fell apart. As he put it, "This place is disgusting." The pair, he explained, "matched each other's energy," letting dishes, laundry and general clutter pile up as filming continued. Eventually, the mess reached a point where inviting friends over was out of the question, with both of them agreeing, "No. Do not come 10 feet to our home."
Even with the chaotic environment, the actors managed to strengthen their friendship rather than strain it. Matarazzo noted that living with a close friend can easily change a dynamic, but by the end of their time together, they "got better" at keeping things under control.
During the same interview, the actor also looked back on his first audition for Stranger Things, long before the global success of the series. He remembered the experience vividly, admitting, "I butchered my first audition." Calling it "the worst audition I've ever had in my life," he recalled blanking on lines and relying heavily on the script in front of him. The awkward pauses left him feeling embarrassed as he left the room. Still, to his surprise, he received a callback. As casting later told him, "It just clicked."
Matarazzo said he felt more prepared the second time around and was "ecstatic" when he eventually landed the role—a moment he shared with his mother, who, according to him, erupted into screams that he tried muting over the phone.
As the fifth and final season rolls out, with episodes dropping through December, the cast remains close.
