Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo Spills Season 5 Secrets and What’s Next After Hawkins

Fans can’t stop talking about Gaten Matarazzo after the actor opened up about saying goodbye to Dustin Henderson in Netflix’s Stranger Things season 5 and teased what comes next in his fast-rising career. Relief after a decade in Hawkins In a wide-ranging Q&A published moments after the series finale dropped, Matarazzo admitted he’s “still processing his farewell” but mostly feels “relief” now that the long-kept secrets of the fifth season are out in the open. Shooting wrapped in December 2024, yet NDA silence meant he couldn’t discuss Dustin’s grief-heavy arc until now. Dustin’s raw journey through loss Season 5 finds Dustin struggling with survivor’s guilt over Eddie Munson’s death; the tension explodes in a fight with Steve Harrington before culminating in a cathartic graduation speech that finally lets Dustin celebrate Eddie’s life. Matarazzo said the challenge was tapping into rage and melancholy “while still feeling like Dustin,” crediting co-star Joe Keery for grounding the emotionally charged scenes. Full-circle final day on set Fittingly, the last scene the cast filmed was inside the Wheelers’ basement—the same set where they shot their very first Dungeons & Dragons game in 2015. “We leave it right where we picked it up,” Matarazzo noted, adding that the production insisted on that symmetry to honor both the characters and the actors’ journey. After wrap, he even slipped into a public screening in disguise just to feel fans’ energy as they watched the finale for the first time. New projects already on the horizon Stranger Things may be over, but Matarazzo isn’t slowing down. Digital Spy revealed the first look at his next feature, a coming-of-age comedy centered on a small-town pizza parlor, marking his first lead role outside the Upside Down. Meanwhile, a viral BBC interview circulating on Threads shows him and Joe Keery vowing to “keep working together,” teasing future collaborations that will delight “Steddie” shippers. Advocacy and representation The 23-year-old also continues to educate audiences about cleidocranial dysplasia—the rare genetic condition that producers incorporated into Dustin’s storyline. He recently told LADbible that while the disorder “kick-started” his career, he’s ready for roles that let him “show different sides” of his talent. What’s next for the fan favorite? With Stranger Things streaming records poised to soar again and a slate of new film and TV opportunities lining up, Gaten Matarazzo is clearly leveling up. Whether he’s fronting a pizza-shop comedy, reuniting with Joe Keery, or championing disability awareness, the actor’s post-Hawkins chapter is just getting started—keeping fans glued to every update and search engines buzzing with his name.