Gaten Matarazzo wanted ‘Stranger Things’ fans to feel conflicted about Dustin in season 5 | Find a Way

Gaten Matarazzo wanted 'Stranger Things' fans to feel conflicted about Dustin in Season 5

"No matter how much one is grieving, it doesn't excuse your behavior towards other people."
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Gaten Matarazzo in "Stranger Things." Credit: Netflix
Matthews Martins

Perhaps facing reality head on is the most honest way to try to escape it.

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  1. Just talk with your AI chatbot and it will help you deal with the imaginary grief of these imaginary corporate characters affecting your imaginary digital lives. Go on!

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  2. ngl the scene where he went off on Steve about not wanting to lose another person kinda got under my skin got to me that was pretty intense scene - def a rollercoaster .. Season 5 should of just been a theatrical release instead of streaming.

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  3. these are non-existent, fictional characters in a fantasy of hollywood corporate, correct?

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    1. … yes? Much like every fictional character ever created in movie, book, and song for thousands of years…? What… what is your point?

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  4. Real life stuff, loving all of it.

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  5. I’m conflicted about all of them; in Season 5 they’re all the same type of angsty and the conflicts feel forced. I love Darabont for season 1 of TWD, but everyone was annoying in ST5

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  6. Gaten's performance in Vol 2. was absolutely amazing!! Loved the Dustin and Steve scenes.

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  7. Gaten made me cry this vol. Him and Steve are truly the best thing that happened to the show

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    1. Sure but he was soo annoying the first half

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  8. Gaten is so well spoken and has always been so mature. It's just impressive to see him speak.

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  9. gaten understanding dustin, his motives, his thought process, his grief, what his grief makes him do, what he really wants vs what the doesnt want to happen is soooo lovely. i love seeing an actor completely and fully understand their character

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  10. Gaten's performance has always felt so real. Bro made me feel what he was putting down in those scenes.

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  11. Gaten is such an underrated actor.

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  12. I LOVE listening to Gaten talk about his character

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  13. Yes! Yes! Yes! Many are disappointed with Vol 2 because there were too many theories, etc. If you could just watch it without spoilers or speculation, I'm absolutely certain that many more people would have loved Vol 2. I certainly did.

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    1. Being an active participant in a fandom -- and the depth of engagement that comes along with that activity -- can really be a double-edged sword. While it is often a lot of fun in the moment, when it comes to serialized material, I honestly think that it more often leads to disappointment with the unfolding narrative than it does to increased enjoyment of it. Once you go down the rabbit hole of intensely speculating about the future material, your chances of being satisfied with that material once it is finally released often goes into a rather dramatic decline.

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    2. Not even the theories nobody wanted a love triangle of Nancy Steve and Jonathan elevens story not advancing at all the core kids being sidelined and holly having more screen time than all of them it just sucks cause the final season should be the best of all the season but it was wasted

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  14. Gaten has consistently been a magnetic presence when it comes to portraying Dustin. Even when Dustin is dealing with grief his performance has never missed the mark.

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  15. In a lot of these interviews the actors talk about their characters in the first person. It shows you just how much a part of them their characters are.

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  16. Men that scene with Dustin and Steve was 😢😢 I loved it

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  17. Ugh Gaten is just so well spoken! Props to the interviewer for asking such good questions!

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  18. Okay to be fair, the guidance counselor thing was kinda sus. It was reasonable to believe she had contact with every victim, and a clock necklace isn’t a common piece of jewelry. And then after finding out Henry Creel had a powerful relationship with Bob Newbys adopted sister Patty… like it could have made sense

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  19. Gaten should get an emmy

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    1. That scene with Steve on the ladder in vol. 2 should get him, at least, an emmy nomination.

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    2. I read this as "Gaten should get an enemy" and I was like "Oh. Ok. Add some spice to his life, I guess."

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  20. Gaten blew me away this season, much like Sadie did in season 4. And that Dustin and Steve scene was very well acted!

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  21. Gaten might be my MVP of this new season, special shout-out to Nell, Sadie and Caleb too!

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  22. He is such a talented and smart person.

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  23. It's already finished and it's rubbish!

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  24. That's so wild! I can't even imagine being conflicted about Dustin. He's always been the heart of the group.

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  25. If they make Dustin less likeable, it's gonna mess with my whole Stranger Things vibe. He's the comic relief, the glue. A conflicted Dustin? Nah, I don't know how I feel about that...

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  26. Honestly, if they make Dustin a little more morally gray or conflicted, it'll be super interesting. Gaten's a great actor, so I'm here for it, but also, my heart can’t take it!

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  27. i love how Gaten just wants to mess with the audience’s emotions. I guess if anyone could pull it off, it’s Dustin, though. He’s been through so much already

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  28. Wait, so we're gonna get a darker side to Dustin? That could be really cool, but also like… no one wants to see him turn on his friends!

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  29. It makes sense that they’d want to shake things up for the final season. But also, Dustin’s one of the most genuine characters, so I’m curious to see what they’ll do.

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  30. I'm lowkey nervous. I love Dustin so much that if they make him hard to root for, it’ll be so confusing!

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  31. I feel like Gaten saying that means they’ll make Dustin make some tough choices, but I hope he doesn’t go full villain or anything.

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  32. The Stranger Things crew has been on point with their character arcs, so I trust they’ll make this work. But conflicted Dustin? That's gonna be a ride.

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  33. I could see Dustin becoming more conflicted if he’s forced to make tough choices, but I’m hoping he stays the lovable dork we know and love.

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  34. Oh great, now they’re gonna make Dustin a 'problematic' character just to try and be edgy. Like, why can't they leave the good guys alone?

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  35. Can we stop with the moral ambiguity already? Some of us just want a straightforward, non-toxic character. Dustin’s always been a breath of fresh air—don’t ruin that.

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  36. It’s like they’re trying to make Dustin out to be this tragic hero for some reason. Can’t they just let him be the smart, lovable kid without making everything about his flaws?

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    1. I'm not currently watching, but Dustin already had this heroic attitude after meeting Steve. He's inspired by Steve, and that's how this courageous Dustin emerges.

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  37. What’s next? Is Dustin gonna turn into a capitalist villain who betrays the group for personal gain? Wouldn't put it past the writers trying to get woke points.

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  38. Ugh, are they really doing this to Dustin? Making him 'conflicted' just feels like a cheap way to add drama. Some characters just don’t need this level of depth.

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    1. When it gets to these points, that's when you see that the directors are either lost or just want to keep making money.

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  39. The actor himself has defined the character:

    "He's going through a lot. He's also being a dick."
    - Gaten Matarazzo

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