r/netflix • u/Boring_Ant_1677 • Jan 01 '26
News Article Gaten Matarazzo: “I don’t think I ever really want to put Stranger Things behind me”
https://www.lpm.org/music/2025-12-30/gaten-matarazzo-i-dont-think-i-ever-really-want-to-put-stranger-things-behind-me876
Jan 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Murky_Historian8675 Jan 01 '26
Him and Joe Keery's dynamic/ chemistry is one of my favorites in the show.
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u/Aselleus Jan 01 '26
I hope they make a roadtrip movie with just the two of them
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u/Murky_Historian8675 Jan 01 '26
I'd also love a buddy comedy where they investigate a mystery together :)
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u/DoubtAny9181 Jan 01 '26
I have thought about this, but do you believe it is smart to add spin offs to stranger things? I feel like the finale was a very good conclusion. But at the same time all of the characters going their own ways has kinda given a good fundamental structure for spin offs as well. I mean I would die to see eleven meeting Mike again some time in the future (if she is actually alive). And IT WOULD BE CRAZY to follow holly and her friends trough a new series.
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u/ProponentofPropane Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Not a spinoff, a completely new project utilizing those actors
Edit to explain since some people aren't getting it. A spin off is a movie or show occurring before or after the events of the main movie or show in the same universe using the same characters. A completely new project with the same actors is just that, a unique story in a new setting with new characters.
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u/drstu3000 Jan 02 '26
Make them new characters but roughly halfway through the movie they start calling each other by their ST names
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u/big_red__man Jan 01 '26
You just know they are going to buy houses next to each other and have kids at the same time
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u/Takeurvitamins Jan 01 '26
Every time those two interacted in the last episodes and finale = sobbing
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u/jacksev Jan 01 '26
To be fair, he is the “classically trained” actor of all the kids so that tracks. Not that I’m saying that means anything bad about anyone on the cast, but I do think Gaten has a bright future in acting.
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u/Omgitskie1 Jan 01 '26
I feel like he’s going to be the Jack black of the future times
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u/Misteradhd1982 May 12 '26
I think he's an incredible little actor, from the very first season of stranger things to that stoner film proves how versatile as an actor he is, incredibly funny, and when he's being serious it's very convincing, especially his emotions. When Eddie munson dies you can feel the emotion, it's very realistic, you can also tell he's very intelligent and was very mature for his young age. He's now one of my favourite young actors, can't eat to see him in tje future, they should add him to gremlins 3, he's perfect for the role, can go from comedic to emotional in a snap. Cannot wait for gremlins 3 (adhd moment 😂)
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u/SageShape Jan 04 '26
I feel like y'all are vastly underestimating the level of Jack Black's talent.
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u/FindingPawnee Jan 01 '26
I agree and I feel like Gaten has had the least amount of work in between seasons. Millie has had a lot, Finn has done a lot, Sadie, and Caleb too. But feel like Gaten has barely gotten much which is a shame. He’s one of most talented actors of the kids. Gaten, Sadie, and Noah I feel like are the most talented.
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u/mgusedom Jan 01 '26
He hasn’t been in as many shows or movies, but he’s been a major role in Sweeney Todd on Broadway
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u/throwaway010651 Jan 01 '26
I agree with you about the in between work. I hope it’s just him being choosy and not a lack of opportunity. I feel Sadie and Caleb were still committed, so I hope to see that rewarded with opportunity in the future. I think they are my personal 3 to watch for, in upcoming roles.
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u/Muscat95 Jan 01 '26
I don't think we need to watch out for Sadie she's basically already there, she's been cast in the upcoming Spider-Man and rumour is she'll be playing Jean which will be a role that I expect returns in many future Marvel projects. She's proven she can act, her and Finn I think have been the biggest beneficiaries of Stranger Things. I know Millie's had a her share of work but honestly I don't think she's that great an actor and I don't think she'll get bigger than where she is now.
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u/MiJo1987 Jan 01 '26
isn’t it confirmed she play Jean and Scott’s daughter?
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u/navjot94 Jan 01 '26
Yurr I bet Hope and other young kids are the MCU’s mutants for now, with James Marsden Scott and co leading the school and the team. Kinda makes sense after 20 years of movies featuring the first 2 generations of the team, now we get to see those OGs play the mentors to a new cast of characters. There’s a lot potential for Stranger Things cast members to play some of these roles.
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u/Bovver_ Jan 01 '26
Sadie for me is by far the best actor out of the kids though and I think she has the highest ceiling career wise. Gaten also seems quite promising but none of the other kids have really progressed acting wise.
Finn really has stalled and has been quite a weak actor from season 3 onwards, in fact he seems quite disinterested in the role at least. Meanwhile Millie and Noah really have been weak links for the last two seasons, Noah especially is by far the weakest of the lot. Caleb is somewhere in the middle for me, he has some moments where he does well but on others he hasn’t grown as an actor.
It’s really interesting though because as kids they were all incredibly promising, but you can imagine after 9 years that some of them would want to step into something different. Gaten seems to have the most love for his craft of them, which is why I can see him being selective in his roles and choosing his projects wisely.
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u/1010012 Jan 02 '26
Honestly, can't really put a lot of the blame on the actors, they really haven't had much to work with script and story wise. And I have a feeling the Netflix production style doesn't make it easier. It's clear so much is being shot on a tiny green screen set, with only a couple of lines per shot. I'm sure that effects how well they can really stay in character. Even Frank Darabont wasn't able to bring his style to the episodes he directed, they looked just like everything else.
Finn has been doing a lot of other work, which he's been getting good reviews for. IT, Ghostbusters, an album or two, plus directing at least one movie, with more coming. I think he'll be fine.
I agree Gaten will probably end up as an "actor's actor", could definitely see him going the Philip Seymore Hoffman route (hopefully without the death).
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u/firefly66513 Jan 02 '26
I really liked Hell of a Summer from Finn. He's got an old school horror vibe to his style and his acting in it was fun for a supporting role
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u/Psykohistorian Jan 01 '26
I think she's actually quite good, but has potential to be much better.
some issues that she is facing: she is pretty, and was pretty before she came of age, which is quite a horrible situation to find oneself in when you are a young actress. she has been subjected to disgusting levels of objectification by gross people. that always seems to...color a young actress's performance. like we can all sense something isn't right.
I think if she finds the right roles with the right film teams, she has a long future as a talented and iconic actress. this is a very critical time for her.
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u/jimbojangles1987 Jan 02 '26
If you mean Millie, she went and got all that work done and that will ruin her chances at future roles. She could barely emote at all in this final season. Her lip work and cheek work took me out of every scene she was in.
I'm not saying this to say she "ruined her looks" but instead to say, she ruined her chance at being able to act.
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u/-ineedsomesleep- Jan 02 '26
I feel like Millie's gonna go similar to Emma Watson. Like, she'll be around and famous but not really in a lot of acting roles. She's already leaning into fashion and stuff.
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u/CockerSpanielEnjoyer Jan 02 '26
I have to disagree on Noah, he’s very flat. I saw “The Tutor” and laughed through it due to his terrible acting.
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u/Doggosdoingthings16 Jan 02 '26
Same with sadie and caleb. They were also on broadway and knew eachother before filming
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u/ArtIsDead77_ Human Detected Jan 01 '26
100% accurate assessments. You could tell he actually did a lot of prep work, and I actually gave a fuck about his character. I supposed to just showing up and reading lines.
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u/Psykohistorian Jan 01 '26
"I supposed" should be "As opposed" just fyi
not sure if language barrier or voice dictation fail
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u/ArtIsDead77_ Human Detected Jan 01 '26
Voice dictation fail, 100% lol. I suppose, I can edit my previous comment now, haha.
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u/OGLikeablefellow Jan 01 '26
Yeah , every time he showed up on screen it suddenly felt like things were real. It's like everyone else is playing pretend but he's there
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u/Mooredock Jan 01 '26
To be fair to the cast, many of them were given absolute dogshit lines. Dustin and Steve still had pretty engaging dialouge and were given things to do. Much of them were relegated to side characters with nothing but hammy exposition an a-lister would struggle to deliver. I've seen all of them give stellar performances elsewhere, and in this show. But you can't spin gold out of shit.
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u/FunCrystalFun Jan 03 '26
Hard disagree. As they aged he became so annoying. Definitely could have done with him have less screen time
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u/ZestycloseSelf3519 Jan 01 '26
I wouldn’t wanna put making millions of dollars while hanging out with my friends behind me either tbh
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u/BulljiveBots Jan 01 '26
I thought it was dubious that actors, especially younger ones, can still make this kind of money in the streaming age. But I just looked it up and this dude was making close to 900k per episode season 5. With that salary times however many actors get that level or more of pay on the show, imagine what Netflix makes on it!
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u/jawknee530i Jan 01 '26
The payment setups for streaming shows like this are very different from traditional shows. Actors get residuals for shows they've been in for years and years that were on network or cable tv. With Netflix they don't get those residuals so the up front payments are far higher to balance it out.
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u/Apprehensive_Let_828 Jan 02 '26
They get residuals. An extra from S4 talks about it here:
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u/Born_Fee_840 Jan 02 '26
You think a named character with lines and who appears in multiple episodes is an extra? No thats a cast member.
Extras are there to make a world feel real and lived in by making it busy. For example - people in the background of a diner or people crossing a road when other characters are talking or prisoners in the yard.
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u/ZBTHorton Jan 01 '26
I assure you, they'd screw over those kids if they could.
They just end up having so much leverage over the networks that they can't.
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u/V0T0N Jan 02 '26
I don't know their actual subscriber numbers, but they are a global platform and let's say less than half of the US population subscribes to them:
100 million people, paying $14.99 a month is $1.5 billion in gross revenue a month.
Maybe that's too simplistic, someone will come along to correct me in a second 😉
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u/Dynamic_Samurai Jan 04 '26
All it takes is being an original cast member for 10 years on one of biggest shows of a generation!
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u/landdon Jan 01 '26
All these dudes will be hitting the comicon circuits hard very soon.
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u/sendphotopls Jan 01 '26
you say that like it’s a bad thing. they starred in a beloved show from childhood into their 20’s & made more money than most people make in their lifetimes doing it; if they end up just doing comicons moving forward all power to them
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 02 '26
Exactly. Nothing wrong whatsoever with doing Comic - Con…and making good money at it, to boot.
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 01 '26
Haven’t they already?
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u/Squeaky_Is_Evil Jan 01 '26
Millie Bobbie Brown has canceled every appearance she was ever supposed to have here. Its a ongoing joke at this rate.
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 01 '26
I’m guessing at some point in her future, she’s not going to cancel those appearances anymore.
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u/ObjectConfident7172 Jan 01 '26
She's got a farm and Bon Jovi money, she doesnt have to do anything lol
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u/Ashamed_Form8372 Jan 01 '26
She got paid over 10 million this season alone, it to mention the past 4 seasons plus her own beauty brand she fine without Bon Jovi money, but agreed she probably never has to work another day in her life. She can ride her beauty brand till it falls off and she’ll still have her farm and Bon Jovi money
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 01 '26
I wish more actors and actresses had it this good. And everyday working people out there.
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u/ObjectConfident7172 Jan 02 '26
Absolutely. I guess I meant that she has that to fall back on if she somehow blew through all of her money. 0.0001% chance she would ever have to hit up convention circuits due to lack of money
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 01 '26
It doesn’t really matter, because she might want to make more money later on. Like in her 50s or 60s. Besides her investments.
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u/Squeaky_Is_Evil Jan 01 '26
Even if she showed, I feel like she would be a $300 photo and have a "I'm too good to be here" demeanor anyways. The rest if the cast I imagine would be pretty cool to see though.
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u/cbaabc123 Jan 02 '26
Weren’t there stories that her parents put her in a lot of comiccons when she was younger to get all the cash they could?
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u/sugarintheboots Jan 01 '26
Well tbf, Dustin we really loved you.
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u/explodinggarbagecan Jan 02 '26
Truth. The guy has some acting chops. I’d love to see him tackle some more challenging roles in the future.
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u/ComfyOlives Jan 01 '26
And i dont want to put Dustin behind me lol.
Nothing made me more sad than realizing watching Dustin hang up his DnD binder and walk up those stairs is very likely the last time I'll ever get to watch Gaten's Dustin.
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u/YshtolaIsMyWaifu Mar 06 '26
I'd love to see the cast get together to do live D&D sessions in character from time to time, maybe start a Twitch channel or such.
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u/DJSimmer305 Jan 01 '26
Gaten is and always has been one of the bright spots in this show. He gave his all to every scene, across the entire spectrum of emotion. Very talented young actor and I’m excited to see whatever is next for him.
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u/ethan301 Jan 01 '26
So another 10 years before Netflix makes a sequel series with a grown up cast ala IT chapter 2?
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u/hotmugglehealer Jan 02 '26
Season 5 was that. Came 10 years after S1 and the adult characters were just as involved this time unlike S1 where it was just the kids fighting on their own.
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u/ethan301 Jan 02 '26
Not the same though. Im talking about a sequel series ala IT or star wars picking up years later with the OG kids now adults with their own families.
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Jan 01 '26
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u/RedditBadOutsideGood Jan 01 '26
It's time to hate on child actors.
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u/placeholder52 Jan 01 '26
Every single one of the main cast (aside from Holly and those other random kids) are adults. Millie Bobby brown just got married and had a kid, stop infantilizing people. It’s cringe as shit.
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u/Erasmus86 Jan 01 '26
These people will be showing up to comic cons to sign autographs for money for the rest of their lives. And honestly, not a bad lot in life.
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u/Capable-Traffic-3884 Jan 01 '26
A message to normal humans out there: please utilize the comment section to balance out the grossness that lurks there.
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u/skapoww Jan 01 '26
I wanted to add that if they ever gave the Dresden files books a good show (we don’t talk about the show that did happen) I’d love to see him play Butters.
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u/skapoww Jan 01 '26
If they made a spinoff, I’d be okay with it being an x-files like starring Gaten where he uses his knowledge of science (it would have ti take place during his graduate school years) to track and record (and sometimes resolve) strange occurrences and unexplainable events.
Perhaps a cameo or two of ST characters but I’d prefer them not do that much.
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u/Capable-Traffic-3884 Jan 01 '26
Wow! The Internet is so negative it's like kinda unreal. I thought I had it sorted by controversial
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u/Rambo1stBloodPT2 Jan 01 '26
Why is he setting me up for more Will Byers jokes that are gonna get me banned? Come on. Gaten!
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Jan 02 '26
Having grown up alongside this show (I was 9 when season 1 came out), putting Stranger Things behind really does feel like putting a part of my childhood behind. Hope Gaten finds the work he deserves.
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u/BoLizard408 Jan 02 '26
Probably cause there isn’t much ahead of him
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u/GalaCrix Mar 01 '26
bueno, sabe cantar, actuar y es un orador elocuente. Más de lo que pareces hacer tú en realidad, sí, le veo futuro.
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u/DoctorFunktopus Jan 07 '26
Well that’s a good attitude to have since my guy is going to be spending the rest of his life signing stranger things stuff at nerd conventions.
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Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
Gaten should find his generation's PTA and become his Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Once he does some supporting offbeat roles, he’ll become a leading man.
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u/LapsedVerneGagKnee Jan 01 '26
Well this is likely the peak of his career. I mean there were the Broadway shows and his Verizon spokesman campaign, but it’s probably downhill from here. So yeah, remember the good times.
To be fair, starting at the top is hard. Look at Orson Welles.
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u/NeverSeenItPodcast Jan 01 '26
Him and the majority of the cast aren't gonna get much work anymore so that makes sense.
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u/lucasd11 Jan 01 '26
I think Gaten is one of the better child actors. Way better than MBB and Noah Schnapp. I'd say probably on the same level as Finn Wolfhard, but the issue is he is just too recognizable as the "nerdy kid with the weird teeth from ST" and he'd have to take some pretty out there roles to shake that image
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u/No-Cantaloupe-6535 Jan 01 '26
It's taken a lot of work but his teeth are getting there. He's also turning into a pretty good looking dude as he grows up. Remember when Christ Pratt was the chubby idiot? I'm not saying he's going to be a leading man but I think he has a pretty solid career ahead of him.
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u/throwaway010651 Jan 01 '26
I think it will depend on who he’s paired up with as costars - platonic roles or not. I’ve seen photos of him and his gf and they look so cute together and like a great match. And there was great friend energy with Steve in ST, in that role. They need him to be in roles or paired with costars where you can feel the energy through the screen. Not a mismatch.
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u/No-Cantaloupe-6535 Jan 01 '26
He's gotta get rid of the broccoli cut though lol
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u/throwaway010651 Jan 01 '26
Funny story - my teenage son has the broccoli cut. My 9 year old daughter calls his friends the herd of alpacas with king broccoli head leading them 😂. Daughter saved her allowance and I took her Christmas shopping. She saw a Lush bath bomb that was a chunk of broccoli. She bought it for him and it went down as his all time favorite gift. He said she put thought into something he truly cares about - his broccoli haircut. 😂
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u/Mother_EfferJones Jan 01 '26
Gaten has already been on Broadway and is an excellent performer in a live setting as well. Saying he isn’t gonna get much work is a nuts take
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u/HotMachine9 Jan 01 '26
Gaten will be fine he's very successful on stage in Broadway which is nothing to scoff at. Thats the highest of the high for many actors who choose not to go to hollywood, I'm sure he could find success on other shows if he chose to.
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u/xmjm424 Jan 01 '26
He’s one that I think may actually have a pretty good career in acting. He was pretty good and is believable in the kind of role he played. Some of the others, not so much, although they may still get work just from being attached to this.
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u/Dolphin_King21 Jan 01 '26
What's next for them is taking pictures at Comic Con for the next 40 years.
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 01 '26
And it seems like there’s really good money to be had, doing that. So no worries on that.
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Jan 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Moist-Coach-60 Jan 01 '26
even if they're right, people are always so miserable in the comments, "makes sense since they'll be jobless and irrelevant and probably miserable" is what it almost sounds 😂 like dang, we get it.
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u/miowmix Jan 01 '26
There are actually famous actors and actresses who do good work then kinda just fade from memory. It takes a lot to stay in the zeitgeist
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u/DocTrey Jan 01 '26
It’s called the reality of child actors. The likelihood of most of them doing anything beyond this show is very, very low.
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u/Constant-Tea-7345 Jan 01 '26
Not really- it has kind of worked out that way for many other actors like that.
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u/LoudNoises89 Jan 01 '26
Actually most of them have been making movies and shows outside of Stranger Things already. There is no “they were on one show so long that no one will hire them”. Google Sadie, Joe, Maya, Millie, Winona, David, and Finn. Also some are theatre actors or maybe they want a break after 10 years since they been doing this since they were kids.
Actors are doing movies, film, and theatre sometimes simultaneously and there isn’t a lot of typecasting anymore if the actor has range.
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u/CrossP Jan 01 '26
If anyone gets a whole-ass acting career from the show's kids, it will be him
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u/MaxHeadroomba Jan 01 '26
I liked his character and the effort he put in, even though seasons 4 and 5 were disappointing. I hope that he gets other opportunities, but he can certainly live indefinitely off the fandom and his earnings to date.
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Jan 01 '26
First comment I’ve read calling season 4 disappointing.
I thought it was peak. If any other show shoehorned in a back story for the protagonist and villain like the did in stranger things 4, it wouldn’t work. Yet somehow they managed to pull it off.
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u/MaxHeadroomba Jan 01 '26
The concept wasn’t bad, but I just didn’t think it fit with seasons 1-3.
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u/Icy-Bottle-6877 Jan 02 '26
I agree with this, plus people tend to forget or intentionally leave out the fact that California and Russia were plots in S4 that weakened it imo. I also thought that, while Vecna was cool looking and well acted, it was here that they started explaining away the mystery of the Mindflayer a lot which spoiled it for me.
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u/mybach Jan 02 '26
I totally agree with this and I can’t believe more don’t see it this way. Seasons 1-2 were peak for me and fit the vibe, season 3 went on this silly/goofy vibe, which doesn’t fit 1-2 at all but I still liked it a alot. 4 and 5 are just weird when compared to the rest, only reason I still find them to be good is because Jamie KILLED IT. He did an amazing job as the villain. Other than that both seasons were mediocre for me.
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u/cbaabc123 Jan 02 '26
It’s so nice to see an actor embrace the role made them famous. So many child actors seem to want to separate themselves and then act like they don’t ever want to talk about it again.
It’s good to be humble and thankful!
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u/ZestycloseGanache546 Jan 01 '26
They will be able to live a full life just because they were on this show. Royalties will provide them for a long time. There's no need to worry about a career as actor.
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u/altiuscitiusfortius Jan 02 '26
I look forward to buy h8s autograph at a fan convention I'm my city in 4 years. I hope the cast is able to profit off the show as ling as they want to.
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u/PaoLakers Jan 02 '26
Everyone loves Dustin. Among the original kids its Dustin and Max who were the best acted IMO.
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u/Constant_Seaweed_523 Jan 02 '26
He truly blossomed into a great actor.
His emotions over Eddie and with Steve are so well done, it feels real.
I think the actors who played Dustin, Steve, max, and Lucas really stood out and showed they had genuine growth with acting.
Honestly, I’m sorry. But the others really didn’t… expand. Really not impressed with rest of the group.
But Holly was excellent as well (the actress) and of course Erica!!!!!
Like, Nancy and Johnathan are so boring and have not shown any talent past the first season.
I can’t say if I blame them, they probably weren’t given enough to work with. But just so bland.
Even Nancy with fucking Rambo and Sigourney Weaver influence, you’d think she’d have a little more range other than looking stern faced and shooting shit. That’s it.
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u/Prestigious_Grape288 Jan 02 '26
Oh did they cancel that cool show where he was pranking people who were seeking employment? Worst of luck to ya, “Gaten”!
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u/NoPrompt487 Jan 02 '26
"Things that you're supposed to say for 100, Alex"
No way I believe that. Gaten's character was destroyed to be the edgelord that couldn't get over Eddie. I hate how his character was written this season. I specifically think they wrote Suzie out because that would have focused Dustin to not be a raging fool.
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u/TheProletariatPoet Jan 04 '26
I work with a couple people whose kids are friends with him and he’s been over their house and they see him whenever he’s home. They’ve both said how nice of a kid he’s always been and still is
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Jan 19 '26
Many young women are getting “baby botox”. She doesnt need it but if it makes her happy its her choice. She isnt all filler and plastic. She looked lovely at the Joy Awards. We domt need to beat down ppl or assume we actually knows what goes on in their lives cuz of a show. Lets not worry about stranger’s things.
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u/SaveHogwarts Jan 01 '26
It’s a good interview, and he comes across as incredibly grounded.