“Stranger Things”' Gaten Matarazzo Says 'Woman in Her 40s' Confessed to Having a 'Crush' on Him as a Teen: 'Upsetting'
"She doubled down. Like, 'I'm aware of the age difference,' and then I was like, 'Alright,'" Matarazzo recalled
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Gaten Matarazzo attends The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 2022 New Members Reception at The National Gallery on October 8, 2022 in London, England.Stranger Things skyrocketed Gaten Matarazzo into stardom. However, fame has also come with some unwanted attention.
On Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Matarazzo, 21, recounted a recent creepy fan interaction he had with a “woman in her 40s,” who said, “I’ve had a crush on you since you were 13.”
“I was like, ‘That’s upsetting!’” the Honor Society actor said. “[I thought] like, ‘I’m sure she just meant, ‘Aw, this kid’s cute,’ but then she doubled down. Like, ‘I’m aware of the age difference,’ and then I was like, ‘Alright.’”
Matarazzo noted that the woman’s daughter witnessed the uncomfortable ordeal, even interjecting to say to her mother, “Mom, what the f---?”
Curtis Baker/Netflix; Tina Rowden/Netflix
(L-R) Gaten Matarazzo on season 1 and season 4 of 'Stranger Things'.“I swear to God, this girl must have been like 13,” he recalled. When Rosenbaum, 51, asked how he reacted to the exchange, Matarazzo said he “couldn’t” laugh. Instead, he looked over at his mother, who was sitting next to him.
Rosenbaum and Matarazzo also discussed fans touching them inappropriately in public, with the latter adding that he’s “had a few butt grabs for sure.”
Related: Gaten Matarazzo Opens Up About Filming 'Bittersweet' Final Season of 'Stranger Things'
Ahead of Stranger Things’ final season, which began production this January, Matarazzo reflected on the smash hit series coming to an end.
“With this show, it is quite clear and I am very well aware — and would like my professional team — to understand that I am very OK with Stranger Things being very likely the biggest thing I will ever do,” Matarazzo also told Rosenbaum. “And I am so cool with that as long as it facilitates happiness going forward, security and more work going forward.”
Matarazzo also explained that he doesn’t care to maintain “a sense of relevance” because he doesn’t “particularly enjoy” constantly being in the spotlight.
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Tina Rowden/Netflix
(L-R) Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair in 'Stranger Things'The child star has been in the limelight for most of his life, beginning his career at age 8 on the Broadway production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. In 2014, when Matarazzo was 11, he was cast as Gavroche in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables.
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Matarazzo returned to the stage between seasons 4 and 5 of Stranger Things, joining the Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen as Jared Kleinman, the titular character’s confidant and the show’s comic relief. His costars on the Netflix sci-fi drama Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink surprised him after attending his first performance on July 19, 2022.
"Stranger Things fans turned up for Gaten's first performance," an insider at the show told PEOPLE. "He got huge entrance applause. And there were tons of fans outside at the stage door. It was mobbed!"
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