Gaten Matarazzo just closed one of television’s most celebrated chapters.
After nearly a decade bringing Dustin Henderson to life in “Stranger Things,” the 23-year-old actor delivered what many consider the emotional backbone of season five.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Matarazzo opened up about filming those heart-wrenching final scenes, sobbing through his last day on set, and why he believes Eleven’s ambiguous fate was handled “as perfectly as I could have imagined.”
His insights reveal just how deeply personal this farewell became for everyone involved.
Behind Dustin’s Powerful Valedictorian Speech
Matarazzo was honored yet nervous when he discovered he’d deliver one of the show’s defining final monologues. Dustin’s graduation speech pays tribute to fallen friend Eddie Munson while urging classmates to reject conformity and embrace change.
Screw everyone and everything trying to hold you back and tear us apart, because this, this is our year!
But there’s something deeper embedded in those words. Matarazzo revealed that the speech’s opening line—”I just wanted a normal childhood”—carried special meaning for creators Matt and Ross Duffer.
That’s such an interesting thing for Matt and Ross to wiggle in there, because they were so good about making it as normal of a situation as it could be.
According to Matarazzo, the Duffers worried they might have robbed their young cast of typical childhood experiences. He was quick to reassure them they had nothing to fear in that department.
What “Hellfire Lives” Really Means
Dustin’s iconic T-shirt slogan represents more than just honoring Eddie’s memory. For Matarazzo, it symbolizes something profoundly important: healthy grief processing.
I think it’s a really cool way to acknowledge that Dustin has learned to deal with his grief healthily, and that’s such a valuable lesson that he, I know, will take with him throughout his adulthood.
Matarazzo believes people who experience loss young develop tools to help others navigate similar pain. Dustin becomes exactly that kind of person—something Matarazzo admits he wishes he’d had as a teenager.
The Final Scene Nobody Could Get Through Without Crying
Filming wrapped with an emotional gut-punch: the party’s final scene together, discussing Mike’s theory about Eleven’s fate. It was intentionally scheduled as their last day shooting together.
Matarazzo describes the scene as “weirdly meta” and beautifully self-referential. Rather than seeing characters, viewers glimpse the actual actors saying goodbye.
It feels like the first time that people can see us for being Finn, Caleb, Noah, Sadie, and I, and not just as our characters.
When cameras rolled on Sadie Sink’s coverage, Matarazzo completely fell apart. He wasn’t even on camera yet.
I just started blubbering. And the thing is that it was loud. She was in the middle of her scene, and I was trying to say the lines that I had, and I sounded like I was choking on a biscuit.
Sink laughed at him through her scene—laughter that may have made the final cut. But Matarazzo’s emotional release created another problem: when his coverage arrived, he had nothing left in the tank.
Steve and Dustin’s Heart-Wrenching Moment
One scene destined to become series legend shows Dustin sobbing in Steve Harrington’s arms, begging his best friend to stay alive. It’s being hailed as a season highlight precisely because it grounds fantastical stakes in raw human emotion.
Matarazzo admits Dustin carries complex guilt throughout season five—not just grief over Eddie, but complicated relief that it wasn’t Steve who died. That shame colors their relationship beautifully.
What Really Happened to Eleven?
Eleven’s fate remains deliberately ambiguous. After destroying Vecna and sealing the Upside Down, she appears to sacrifice herself—though whether she truly died is left open to interpretation.
Matarazzo was initially skeptical about how audiences would receive such ambiguity. His concerns evaporated after seeing the execution.
I was so curious as to whether people were going to be frustrated by that. And after seeing it, they kind of handled that as perfectly as I could have imagined them doing so.
When asked his personal take on Eleven’s survival, Matarazzo declined to answer. He doesn’t want cast opinions influencing viewer interpretation—he’d rather contribute to that conversation privately.
Theories About Will’s Connection and Future Threats
Many fans expected Will Byers to die alongside Vecna due to his Hive Mind connection. Matarazzo appreciates that didn’t happen but wonders if other characters might retain similar connections.
He points out that party members were connected to the Hive Mind during their captivity. While the Mind Flayer appeared to leave their bodies, Will maintained his connection even after apparent separation.
The saving grace? With the Upside Down destroyed, there’s no physical bridge for the Mind Flayer to return.
Relationship Casualties: What Happened With Suzie?
Sharp-eyed viewers noticed Dustin’s girlfriend Suzie is absent from season five. Matarazzo never discussed it directly with the Duffers but has his own theory.
During Dustin’s year-long unhealthy grieving process, he likely cut out his long-distance relationship. Matarazzo suspects he didn’t handle it kindly—or perhaps Suzie simply refused to tolerate his behavior.
I like to think she probably broke up with him. Maybe she was just like, ‘I’m not dealing with this.’ And that would be very tremendously fair of her.
Ever the optimist, Matarazzo believes Dustin’s confidence will serve him well in college dating scenarios.
Hilarious Behind-The-Scenes Moments
Not everything was tears and goodbyes. Matarazzo’s favorite memory from filming Lucas saving Dustin from the Mind Flayer involved intimately wrapping around Caleb McLaughlin during setup.
We’re wrapped around each other very intimately. It’s a very funny picture that we heavily laughed at, doing a bit about us being wrapped in each other’s arms—fully smut-novel-at-an-airport-style wrapped in each other’s arms on the cover of a book.
Matarazzo also praised McLaughlin’s stunt work, calling him “tremendously good” at physical sequences.
Would He Return for Spinoffs?
When asked about potential spinoff appearances, Matarazzo’s answer was thoughtful and protective of the story’s integrity.
I would play Dustin for the rest of my life if I could. I don’t know if the show would be serviced by us doing that, at least not for a very, very long time.
He confirmed the main cast won’t appear in the Duffers’ planned spinoff series—a decision he believes necessary to honor this story’s true ending.
Perhaps in 20 years circumstances might change. But for now, Matarazzo wants audiences to embrace finality rather than cling to continuation.
What Playing Dustin Taught Him About Acting
Few actors enjoy the luxury of developing one character across an entire decade. Matarazzo recognizes how rare and valuable that opportunity was.
We had a decade to explore, and find new context, and unfold, and unpack, and show everybody who this person was front to back. And there isn’t an opportunity to do that really ever in this job.
Most film roles give actors perhaps 20 pages to establish backstory before diving into plot. “Stranger Things” gave him years to build layers, discover nuances, and reveal dimensions impossible in typical projects.
What’s Next for Matarazzo
Matarazzo has a comedy premiering at SXSW this spring—the first feature from comedic duo BriTANicK (Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney). He’s particularly excited to support their directorial debut.
Theater work is also calling. While nothing’s confirmed, Matarazzo revealed early development conversations about returning to stage performance soon.
After nearly a decade in Hawkins, Indiana, Gaten Matarazzo is ready for his next chapter—even if part of him will always be that curly-haired kid fighting monsters with his best friends.