Stranger Things, with its cast resembling a veritable high school drama, still took on a different dimension when it came to Gaten Matarazzo's experience living with costar Finn Wolfhard. "It was like a college experience," the actor, who plays Dustin Henderson, once told us on the Dinner's on Me With Jesse Tyler Ferguson podcast, discussing the final season of the hit Netflix show he landed at just 12 years old.
The two actors lived together for a year while filming the last season of the series, and Matarazzo recalled the chaos that ensued. "I would look around three months after we started living together and think, 'This place is disgusting. What are we doing?'" he said with a laugh.
When asked which of them was messier, Matarazzo quipped that they "kind of matched each other's energy." Initially, the clutter was confined to their respective bedrooms, but over time, it spilled into shared spaces. Laundry piled up, and dirty dishes stacked in the sink.
Despite their longtime friendship and working together as costars, they didn't hold each other to a high standard. However, a rude awakening came when friends wanted to visit and they realized their home wasn't presentable to guests. "Both of us would be like, 'No. Do not come 10 feet to our home,'" Matarazzo said with a chuckle.
As their lease came to an end, the two cleaned up their act. Matarazzo admitted he wasn't sure if they would get along well at first, but he said it was "so much fun" rooming with one of his best friends. It was a bittersweet way to spend the last season of this monumental show together.
The Stranger Things cast will bid farewell to Hawkins, Ind., after this fifth and final season. The first four episodes dropped on Netflix on November 26th, with three more episodes premiering on Christmas Day, December 25th. And then, the two-hour series finale premieres on December 31st. It will also be shown in 350 theaters in the US and Canada starting at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on December 31st through January 1st, 2026.
"Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say 'bitchin' — way to celebrate the end of this adventure," the Duffer Brothers previously said in a joint statement.
