‘Stranger Things’ Star Reveals Disturbing Interaction With Older Fan

Netflix’s Stranger Things has become a cultural phenomenon since it first hit the airwaves nearly a decade ago. Child actors like Millie Bobby Brown and Gaten Matarazzo have effectively grown up on screen in front of our own eyes and matured from adolescents into adults. 

Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season is set to drop next year, and many of the now-adult cast members have already taken on other roles. On May 28, Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson on the show, stopped by Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast and reflected on his time in the spotlight as a Stranger Things star. When asked if he’s had any weird or uncomfortable interactions with fans, Matarazzo recounted one instance that still sits with him. 

“I did one very recently—and this is not very funny, but the reactions around it were quite funny—where this woman in her 40s said straight up, ‘I’ve had a crush on you since you were 13.’ And I was like, ‘That’s upsetting,'” he stated plainly. “I’m sure she just meant, ‘Aw, this kid’s cute.’ But then she doubled down.”

“She was like, ‘I’m aware of the age difference.’ And then I was like, ‘Alright,'” he continued. “And her daughter was with her, and her daughter goes, ‘Mom, what the f–k?’ I swear to God.” The worst part was that Matarazzo’s own mom was standing right there and watched it all go down. “That was insane,” he reminisced. 

The interaction sticks out in his mind, but it wasn’t the first time a fan had a strange interaction with him. He’s taken photos with people in the past and revealed he’s “had a few butt grabs, for sure.” 

Before Stranger Things begins its final farewell, Matarazzo is going to a galaxy far, far away for his next project. The 21-year-old actor is the voice behind the main character of Disney+’s forthcoming miniseries Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, set to hit the platform Sept. 13.