- 2 days ago
Join Stranger Things’ star Gaten Matarazzo as he relives some of Dustin Henderson’s biggest moments ahead of Stranger Things Season 5: from Dustin’s bromance with Steve Harrington to singing with Suzie Bingham as part of the party flee the Mind Flayer. Watch as Gaten breaks down some of his favorite moments from Stranger Things.Credits:Director: Jeremy ClowneyDirector of Photography: Shirley ChanEditor: Robby MasseyTalent: Gaten MatarazzoSenior Producer: Michael BeckertTalent Booker: Lauren Mendoza, Jenna CaldwellCamera Operator: Mar AlfonsoGaffer: Niklas MollerSound Mixer: Sean PaulsenProduction Assistant: Karla TorresPost Production Supervisor: Jess DunnPost Production Coordinator: Stella ShortinoSupervising Editor: Rob LombardiAssistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hi, GQ. I'm Gaten Matarazzo. I play Dustin on Stranger Things, and I am here to break down his biggest moments.
00:20He's almost here. What is it? What if it's the Demogorgon?
00:24Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon. It's not the Demogorgon.
00:28An army of chocolate nuts charging to the chamber. Chocolate nuts. Told you.
00:32I knew Caleb before we had done the show, so the ice was already broken there, and we had been buddies before.
00:37But kids become friends very quickly. There's no real vetting process with, like, new friends when you're 12.
00:43It's so easy to just ask, can I be your friend? Then it usually kicks off from there. I wish it's something that adults did more.
00:50The first scene that you see of us in the basement, I might be wrong about it, but I think it was the first scene shot in production of the show.
00:56I think that was day one across the board. Wish I could remember more of it. I think it was so much of a blur, and it was such a long time ago.
01:03The one thing that sticks out to me more than anything is how much we kept breaking character, which for the first day of a show is probably not the best first impression to your creative team.
01:14But we had an absolute blast, and they tell me they had fun as well, but I think I remember them sweating a little bit at the idea that there might be a year of this.
01:23I didn't know how to play D&D. I now know how to play D&D, but I want to get my friends into it, and the only way you can is if you know a DM or if you are a DM.
01:32So I have to transition over to try to DM, so that I can introduce more people to it.
01:36Good night, ladies.
01:38It's your mom night for me.
01:39One of the things that I did know how to do quite well was ride a bike. It was already in my special skills on my resume.
01:45And I remember they had a day designated to teaching, not teaching us, but I think gauging how well we rode on our bikes.
01:55Because not only did they know we had to ride our bikes, but we also had to do it without helmets, because kids did not traditionally wear helmets in the 1980s.
02:01And what was supposed to be a day of training, this ended up being a day of us goofing off, riding our bikes on a big soundstage.
02:15The day the van flipped, we didn't actually get to see it. They wanted to flip a van practically, and we wanted to stay for it, but we had to go to school during our time off.
02:26The first time they tried it, they had this rigged piston system under the van, where the back one was supposed to fire harder than the front one, so that it would get airtime but flip, and I think it went horribly wrong.
02:37And so they had to do most of that in post, I think. But it looks really cool. I think still holds up.
02:45How much further?
02:52I don't know. It's only till direction, not distance. You really need to learn more about compasses.
02:59If anybody had asked me, how does a compass work? How does a compass know? I would have been like, magic? I guess. I don't know. I have no clue how a compass is supposed to work.
03:07Why is this all on me? Because you're the compass genius.
03:10It's fun playing someone smarter than me. It's a lot of pressure, because I want to look like I know what I'm talking about.
03:16I feel like I learn something new every time I see a monologue written out that I have to memorize.
03:21Maybe the gate moved. No, I don't think it's the gate. I think it's something else screwing with the compass.
03:27I think I remember reading at the table read and knowing that that was going to be a pretty big moment for him.
03:32I love that stuff. I love getting to do that, as Dustin specifically.
03:35Some of my favorite days is when I get to kind of just spew words, because it's what I do anyway.
03:41Do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone Pass?
03:44There's such a pace and a structure or a cadence to the way the show moves.
03:48We couldn't agree on what path to take, so we split up the party.
03:51And I think it's specifically because of its scene structure and because of its dialogue that you kind of pick up that are funny enough, that seem to stick pretty well.
03:59But when it comes to entire scenes, there's kind of a hyper structure that I think makes Stranger Things work really well.
04:04That being said, we've always had a lot of freedom in creating, I guess, our vibe or developing that over time with each other.
04:12Do you think she's acting weird?
04:18You're asking if the weirdo is acting weird.
04:22Justin's always been relatively supportive, if not neutral, to the idea of Eleven being a part of what the boys call the party.
04:31Where are you from, exactly?
04:34Bad place.
04:36Sweden.
04:37I have a lot of Swedish family.
04:38She hates it there.
04:39Cold.
04:40Sub-zero.
04:41Whereas Lucas, at the time, seems very hesitant.
04:44But did you ever stop to think that maybe she's the monster?
04:48Which is understandable, I think, in retrospect.
04:50But Dustin's kind of stepped back on the whole issue and has just been more impressed by her than anything else,
04:56because there's a new friend with superpowers around and that's really cool.
05:00That line in particular, I remember the table read. It got a bit of a chuckle for sure. It's objectively quite funny.
05:17What are you, little guy?
05:30When Dustin decides to keep his newfound friend, it's a telling moment that it's the first time he kind of stands up for himself and going against the party's wishes as to what they think is probably a safe bet. And he's probably in the wrong.
05:44It's very much like curiosity killed the cat. He seems like the one guy who's like, everyone's like, cats are dogs and he's like, lizards. And it's like, yeah, whatever.
05:57It's a fun moment and a cool little side plot.
06:08Wait a sec, how big?
06:10First it was like that.
06:12Now he's like this.
06:14I swear to God, man, this is some little lizard, okay?
06:16It's not a lizard.
06:17How do you know?
06:18How do I know if it's not a lizard?
06:19How do you know if it's not just a lizard?
06:21Because his face opened up and he ate my cat.
06:23I was so excited to hear that we had even had one scene together because I was always so excited when Joe was on set.
06:29He was such a cool older brother.
06:30Even from season one, it was such a fun day when Joe was on set because he was just so funny.
06:34He was so good with us when we were, we were young.
06:36He made it very comfy.
06:37I found out we were going to do that pretty soon before we started filming because we were already filming the fourth episode of the second season when we didn't really know what was coming after that.
06:46And they had a bit of a writing hiatus so that they could figure out what the next few episodes were going to look like before we finished.
06:51They got it pretty close, if I remember correctly, to when we needed to film.
06:55I could imagine that was very stressful.
06:57And I think that helped because we got to film that stuff before they finished writing the end of the season.
07:02And they liked it so much that they knew that they wanted to have it stick around because they could write it pretty much in real time.
07:07Just for that season, though.
07:08Not usually.
07:09They don't usually write the show in real time.
07:10Use the shampoo and the conditioner.
07:12And when your hair is damp, it's not wet.
07:14Okay, when it's damp.
07:15Damp.
07:16Do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray.
07:19Farrah Fawcett spray.
07:22I don't think either one of us would have understood the reference to Farrah Fawcett spray.
07:26I think that was written by true people who lived through the 80s.
07:33That's such a fun monologue.
07:34It's actually my favorite scene between us.
07:35It's one of my favorite scenes in the show.
07:37I think it's really symbolic that they're on the train tracks and like a really cool new journey together.
07:40And they're at a bit of a crossroads.
07:42It feels similarly to the train track scene in the previous season as well,
07:46when they're looking for the gate when they find that the compasses don't work.
07:49It's fun to see two characters who seemingly have nothing in common kind of realize that they're in a very similar situation.
07:56They're both kind of after their own forms of like unrequited love.
08:01And I think it's very funny to see somebody who's so known for being quite successful in the dating department
08:07give advice to somebody who has no idea what they're doing.
08:09And I think it's very endearing.
08:11And nice of Steve to not pick on him in that moment where he easily could have and you would have expected him to.
08:17I think that scene is part of the reason why we stick around beyond that point.
08:21Because there was a good amount of chemistry between the two characters and with Joe and I there.
08:26You got the job!
08:27You got the job!
08:28You got the job!
08:29You got the way!
08:30Oh!
08:31Boom!
08:32Boom!
08:33Boom!
08:34Boom!
08:35The handshake.
08:36You got to fly about 15 minutes before.
08:37Because it just says in the script they do a secret handshake.
08:40I was like, great.
08:41So we got to come up with that.
08:42We came up with a quick little backstory.
08:44Dustin gave Steve like a nerd rundown of all the things.
08:47If we were going to be able to converse well, that I would have definitely, we would have rented Star Wars.
08:53I envisioned Steve actually genuinely liking it quite a lot.
08:57More so than he would have expected.
08:58And that's why we have our little lightsaber moment.
09:01How many children are you friends with?
09:03We were stoked to find out that Maya was joining the cast.
09:06It's always really fun when you introduce new characters.
09:08They did it in the season prior when Sadie joined.
09:11We knew they had a good eye for how new people were going to contribute well to the gang as a whole.
09:16And Maya fit right in.
09:18Holy mother of God.
09:20The Death Star set specifically was so much fun to work in.
09:25It kind of starts this borderline Scooby Doo arc for the Scoop Troop.
09:30Which is Dustin, Steve, Robin and Erica.
09:33Which is a quartet I don't think anybody would have expected.
09:36Filming on that set was always a real blast.
09:39Come on! Go! Just get out of here!
09:41No! Come on now!
09:42No! Just go get them out, okay?
09:44What are you doing?
09:45No!
09:46I won't forget you!
09:48There's so many parts in the show where it feels like Dustin's like his parent.
09:52A lot of people did like the talk about Babysitter Steve or Dad Steve or Mom Steve.
09:56Which I think really was very funny.
09:58But especially the scene in the third season when Robin and Steve unfortunately are injected with truth serum.
10:05This season is crazy! I keep forgetting!
10:08And not only do they tell the truth without wanting to, but they also seem like they're having a ball while doing it.
10:14And I have to kind of deal with them while they are under the influence.
10:17And it is very much like Mom Dustin for a while.
10:22Steve.
10:23Are you drugged?
10:24How many times, Dad? I don't do drugs.
10:26Yeah, they definitely, I think, teach each other a lot throughout, which is really fun.
10:30Maya and Joe work really well together when Robin comes out to Steve in a time when that really isn't seen as a norm.
10:38And for Steve to respond so maturely and openly to it.
10:41Tammy Thompson, you know, she's cute and all, but I mean, she's a total dud.
10:48She's not.
10:49I think it's really great.
10:51They did buy out a section of a mall, just like a big food court section of what was still a functioning mall.
10:58We had to put curtains up.
10:59It was so fun. It felt like a playground.
11:01It felt like almost like a museum or even like an amusement park.
11:04And I think everything's still set up there.
11:06I think people, after they recognized what mall it was or heard rumors about it, went back to where we had filmed and saw that everything that we had built was still hanging out there.
11:16This is Susie. I copy.
11:21Susie.
11:22Dusty bun?
11:23Dusty bun.
11:24Dusty bun.
11:25Dustin doesn't have a girlfriend at this point. It's fun. Long distance relationship with Susie.
11:31Turn around. Look at what you see in her face.
11:41Matt and Ross, the creators, kept on saying they wanted to get me to sing in the show. I was like, that will ruin the show. You cannot do that. Please tell me you're not going to do that.
11:49And they just kept saying they would. I was like, there's no way they're going to find a way to do it. And there's such an aesthetic shift in that third season.
11:56And it culminates to something where it's like, it feels like a now or never moment for something like that, where this will not work at any other point in the show unless you do it right now.
12:05And they just pounced on it. And it was very fun to be a part of.
12:09Reach the stars.
12:12Lie up and dizzy.
12:15People will walk up to me on the street and just play the song at me. And I don't really know what to do. I just go like, that's me.
12:26Put it cultists chant.
12:30Hail Lord Vakna.
12:35Hail Lord Vakna.
12:39A lot of people, when they shift from seventh to eighth grade, either develop new hobbies or make new friends or try to start fresh in some way.
12:46And a lot of friend groups that were really close in elementary and middle school tend to split up at that point.
12:49And there's kind of a bit of a rift there at the beginning when Lucas develops a new hobby and makes some friends and starts to succeed.
12:57I don't get the big deal. Just talk to Eddie. Get him to move Hellfire to another night.
13:01Just talk to Eddie. You want something to freak?
13:04Joe Quinn, who plays Eddie, is a terrific actor and one I had been a fan of before he had joined the cast.
13:11So I was really, really excited to see that he was joining.
13:18Henderson told me you were a badass. Insisted on the matter.
13:22Wait, Henderson said that? Oh yeah. Shit.
13:25Kid worships you dude. Like, you have no idea.
13:28I've said this before and I feel like I'm being a dead horse here with other interviews, but it's something I do love to bring up.
13:35That even though Steve helped Dustin find a bit of confidence, Eddie was the first one to suggest that he didn't necessarily need to change anything about himself to have that confidence.
13:45He could have his weird niche interests. He could be an unapologetic nerd and kind of give the middle finger to anybody that really seemed to care.
13:55Nice. Thanks.
13:58Because Dustin's always had a vibe to me that he at least wants to show that he doesn't care what other people think about him.
14:05And he sees someone who really does embody that. And that's really exciting.
14:10I've had such a fun little trio, even though there's not a whole lot of screen time between the three of them together.
14:16I think they really wanted to dive into a potential rivalry there, a real tug of war between who's going to keep Dustin as a friend.
14:25How many times do I have to be right on the money before you guys just trust me?
14:30Jesus Christ, this kid's got to get his e-con checked.
14:32It's his tone, right?
14:33There was a nuance to Steve and Eddie kind of hitting it off as well over their love or their appreciation for Dustin.
14:42They both seem to have an intrigue and a respect towards him.
14:46That's more fun to me than a cliché like, no mind, no mind.
14:52Any sequence in the show that's very techy, those are always very choreographed and it takes a bit to get into the rhythm of them.
15:08They're a lot of fun, but the one thing that's the issue that comes about is if we are presented by being in front of interdimensional monsters,
15:17there aren't really interdimensional monsters there.
15:20And so we're more or less just screaming and reacting to either an X on a green screen or a tennis ball,
15:26or sometimes if we're lucky, like a mottled head on a stick of what we might be looking at.
15:39I think it's my year, Anderson.
15:42I think it's finally my year.
15:45That was a tough scene. There was the scene that I shot with Joe during his death.
15:51Spoilers for season four, by the way.
15:53Too late, I already said it.
15:54That was a tough one.
15:56One I wasn't really centered in, one I didn't really feel very confident in.
15:59We ended up redoing it, at least my coverage.
16:02But I should have been less selfish and stopped worrying about how much I didn't like what I was doing because that scene really is for Joe.
16:08And it works because it's Joe's scene.
16:11We filmed Eddie's death beforehand and we went in and shot pretty recently after the stuff in the gym where I have to unfortunately break the tragic news to his uncle.
16:22And that's a pretty weird environment to do it in because there was like 300 people doing background work.
16:26Pretty intense to try to do. It almost felt kind of like doing a play in front of an audience of a lot of people.
16:32But that audience is also acting in the scene with you, which is quite weird.
16:35It was the first time that I had met my scene partner, which is a lot of pressure.
16:38But maybe it kind of helped that it was a stranger because he is a stranger to Dustin.
16:42It raises the stakes so much when the crux of a show is saving someone not just loved by the characters, but also loved by the audience.
16:54And that's what we're presented with in the fourth season for a good chunk of it.
16:59You know that Max is in real danger from the very beginning and the stakes are incredibly high.
17:04And that, along with a very skillfully directed and edited season, I think culminates in a pretty epic finale there.
17:13It's the first time you look around and say, I think we lost.
17:16I don't think we did what we needed to do.
17:18I mean, the riffs opened up throughout Hawkins.
17:20Max is looking pretty rough.
17:23Your bones snapping and crap like that.
17:26Pretty brutal, pretty gruesome.
17:29I think Caleb and Sadie in that scene specifically up in the attic, it's some of my favorite work in the show.
17:33Gut-wrenching.
17:34I think Caleb is brilliant in that scene.
17:36The ending of that and the ending of us being really scared for our friend and it not really paying off is, I think, a pretty interesting way to start the next one.
17:43Lacks the usual optimism that I think the show is known for, is that we're going to persevere through this.
17:48It's the first time in which we look around and say, maybe we won't.
17:51And that's really scary.
17:52All right, thank you, GQ.
17:53I appreciate you listening to me talk about myself.
17:57I hope you watch Stranger Things season five, which is out now.
18:00Thanks guys.
18:01And something I love about Dustin that I would like to do more in myself is be unapologetic.
18:08Keep an eye out for trouble.
18:09You keep an eye out.
18:11It's my goddamn theory.
18:13You heard Nance.
18:14Who put her in charge?
18:15I did.
18:16He's a cocky little shit.
18:19I love playing him a bunch, but he's quite crass.
18:23I noimudic!
18:24Wow!
18:25I can do better even think of thessä of Dan.
18:26I can do better than I do.
18:27Well, it takes about...
18:28That doubts about us.
18:41I can do better than I'm on my own.
Be the first to comment