Dustin needs “a bit of an ego check” in final season of Stranger Things

Gaten Matarazzo has been keeping busy while the Stranger Things creative team gets the fifth and final season together. He’s been taking Broadway by storm as orphan boy Toby in a new production of Sweeney Todd.

Thanks to his experience on Stranger Things, Matarazzo feels that he has grown and matured significantly. Speaking with USA Today, he spoke about what his on-screen experience has lent to his Broadway performance.

“Because of my work on screen, I think I’m way more mindful of who I’m trying to be and what I’m trying to learn. I listen a lot more than I did,” Matarazzo said. “But also, there’s a lot more overlap now with screen and theater. When you’re training when you’re younger, it’s all about playing to the back of the house. But nowadays, people want to feel like they’re looking in on something rather than being performed to. You have an opportunity to be more natural in your movement and in your voice.”

Gaten Matarazzo on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things

Matarazzo is also looking forward to filming the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. “A lot of people have projects they’re working on at the moment. But I know they’re kicking into high gear with writing and I can’t wait to finally get back into it. I don’t know when, but it’ll be fun for sure,” he said.

There are many questions as to how things will play out. One thing Matarazzo would love to see is for his character his character, Dustin Henderson, to get “a bit of an ego check.”

"He knows how smart he is, and at least from Season 4, he’s learned how valuable he can be not just to his friend group, but to the collective effort of stopping this (supernatural) threat. I’d like to see him be knocked down a few pegs."

At the end of Stranger Things season 4, the Upside Down dimension was actively bleeding into our own. Will’s lingering connection to Vecna may prove key, and Dustin will surely play a part in tying it all together. The final season can’t come soon enough!

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