Podcrushed — Gaten Matarazzo

Hosts: Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari
Guest: Gaten Matarazzo
Release Date: November 26, 2025

Episode Theme:

Navigating Fame, Adolescence, and Identity—On and off the Stage

This episode features Gaten Matarazzo, best known as Dustin Henderson on Stranger Things and a seasoned Broadway performer. The conversation spans his rapid rise from New Jersey kid to global phenomenon, growing up in the spotlight, the highs and lows of child stardom, and the bittersweet feelings as Stranger Things comes to a close. Gaten brings humor, humility, and a rare self-awareness to the mic, making for a candid exploration of ambition, resilience, and coming of age with the world watching.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life: Hyper-Scheduled, Yet Joyful

• Gaten’s Routine as a Young Broadway Performer
  • Routinely commuted from New Jersey to Manhattan with barely any breaks.
  • “I was very hyper scheduled, so there wasn't really much free time. But the time that I did spend, the time that wasn't free was the most enjoyable for me, which was, I think, very great and kind of that's rare for that to be the case.” (04:46)
  • Would do homework on the bus to the city and nap on the way home.
• On Academic Struggles During Shows
  • School began to slip as show demands rose in middle school.
  • His parents staged an intervention: “You gotta basically get it together or else you're out of the show.” (07:55)
  • Realized then how deeply he loved performing and couldn’t imagine giving it up.

The Joy and Peril of Young Ambition

Panic Versus Rollercoaster Excitement

• “There's a nuance there...it's either a panic attack anxiety or it's like a rollercoaster anxiety. And that's what it was for me. It felt like skydiving...more of an adrenaline rush...but holy, holy crap, I can't wait.” (10:56)

Embracing Stage Mishaps

• On a Les Mis blunder:
  • Forgot to sing but did all the choreography. Was tempted to blame tech but confessed: “I was about to be like, yes, it did [cut out]. I wanted to so bad...I was perfect. It was their fault. They did this. And I remember the first time I was like, no, it didn't. Wow, that was all.” (13:51)
  • The music director’s response helped him view embarrassing moments positively.

Childhood Love for Musical Theater

• Les Mis was a formative obsession:
  • “That show had been my dream. That's the reason I started acting…” (09:44)

Coming of Age: Friendship, Romance, and Hollywood

Long-Term Relationship

• With girlfriend since age 15:
  • “So many of those like fun like cool like first like real girlfriend things of like those first dates and like first kisses and all that. It's like cool that like you can still reflect on somebody you're still so close with...” (16:05)

“Hollywood Kid” vs. East Coast Kid

• Gaten credits his grounded perspective to growing up in New Jersey and working in New York theater as opposed to moving early to LA.
• Suggests young aspiring actors “start with community theater and see if you like it first.” (19:58)
• “There will always be...so many micro little failures and rejections throughout the process of making this consistent. And...it's just a matter of getting used to that.” (19:58)

The Stranger Things Era

Casting, Audition Process, and Professionalism

• The Stranger Things audition was originally “pretty standard,” but final callbacks were full of professionals, not beginners.
  • “When it came down, like the final 10 kids that were there, they all had been consistently working for a long time...” (29:01)
  • Importance of evaluating parents as well as children: “A lot of times you're also casting their parents because they're going to be there, too.” (31:26)

Attachment to the Role

• The diversity of the cast and writers’ age (the Duffer brothers being only 28 at the time) “made it feel like a unique space.” (33:22)
• His initial reaction to the show: “It didn't stick out to me as anything particularly different from what I had been doing for the four or five years prior.” (34:38)
• Being out in LA for the screen test felt like entering a “mythical land.” (35:10)

Steve & Dustin: The Heart of the Show

On That Chemistry and Iconic Duo

• Their major pairing was a product of writers’ necessity—both characters lacked direction in Season 2, and pairing them just clicked.
• Favorite scene: “...one of us on the train tracks when we're creating like a meat trail, like a bucket of beef trail...so gross, but it was...some meat. It stank.” (37:52)
• On set with Joe Keery (Steve): “It was, like, the most exciting day when he was on set...he would make us laugh so hard that our parents were like, all right, all right, just leave him alone.” (42:09)
• Reflects on growing from looking up to Joe as a “cool older brother” to being true friends.

Surprising Show Moments

• On singing “Neverending Story”:
  • “They just kept saying, we're gonna get you to sing in the show. I was like...that would ruin the show. Don't do it. Please don't do that.” (39:54)
  • Realized at a table read that it was actually happening because Season 3 aesthetics were “fully off the rails, where they were like, three.” (40:28)

Goodbyes: Season Five and Growing Up

Endings and Unknown Futures

• On the emotional weight of Season Five:
  • “There's a bit of a shift in what he's seen and what he's experienced...Matt and Ross...wanted to dive in a little bit more to seeing a bit of a different part...dealing with the grieving process…” (43:31)
  • “After reading it, it feels correct...finishing our last table read of the last episode, we had been, like, anticipating it for quite some time.” (45:16)
  • Emotional birthday story with a home-made cake from castmates.

What’s Next?

• Looking forward to a future no longer dictated by Stranger Things schedule:
  • “Post holidays is going to be the first time in which the coming year or years after looks actually free...it's like...it looks up to me. And that's exciting. That is particularly very scary.” (49:39)
  • Penn assures Gaten about the daunting feeling of sudden freedom: “You're literally so young....you have a perspective even in six months that you just can't even have yet.” (50:52)

Anxiety, Maturity, and Perspective

• Gaten reflects on feeling older than his years:
  • “Based on what I've experienced, I'm at a phase that most, like, 33-year-olds are rather than 23-year-olds.” (53:34)
  • Remembers being “fine with retiring” at 12 after Les Mis ended—seeing it as permission to just be a kid for a while. (54:49)

Memorable Quotes

• "I loved it so much that I think it became somewhat counterintuitive to me being a kid because it was a very accelerated process…those are not childlike responsibilities that you have to worry about."
  — Gaten Matarazzo, 06:36

• "There's nobody in the world...that walks out and doesn't have a flutter or doesn't feel it in their gut...it's either a panic attack anxiety or...like a rollercoaster...and that's what it was for me."
  — Gaten Matarazzo, 10:56

• "I was about to be like, yes, it did [mic cut out]. I wanted to so bad...I was perfect. It was their fault...no, it didn't. Wow, that was all me."
  — Gaten Matarazzo, 13:51

• "So many micro little failures and rejections throughout the process of making this consistent. And there will always be. That's just a matter of getting used to that."
  — Gaten Matarazzo, 19:58

• "It's hard to remember that sometimes, though, because it's...it almost feels like there's been a jump start to all these weird life experiences up to this point."
  — Gaten Matarazzo, 53:32

• "I wholeheartedly believe and like to think...I'm consistently perceived on a larger scale than most...and I'm like, I really don't want people to think I'm not a nice person. And I think that that would remain the same. But maybe if I didn't do this, I...probably would be not as nice of a person."
  — Gaten Matarazzo, 57:01

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------| | 04:46 | Gaten’s hyper-scheduled youth | | 09:44 | Les Mis as dream and origin | | 12:42 | Embarrassing Les Mis story | | 16:05 | Long-term teenage romance | | 19:58 | Advice for aspiring actors | | 29:01 | Insider look at Stranger Things auditions | | 37:52 | Steve & Dustin duo origin | | 39:54 | The “Neverending Story” story | | 43:31 | Emotional weight of final season| | 49:39 | Facing a future post-Stranger Things | | 53:32 | Accelerated maturity & transition| | 57:01 | On kindness and being perceived |

Notable Moments

• Gaten telling a candid, hilarious story about totally blanking onstage at Les Mis, only to get celebrated for it backstage.
• Reflecting on growing up with his girlfriend from age 15 to 23: “There's still like a love around it.”
• Honest discussion about the hidden anxiety of being “perceived” because of fame, and his hope that he’d still be decent without it.
• Details about Stranger Things casting—how much is about the parents, not just the kids.
• Heartfelt recollection of the Dustin and Steve pairing evolving simply because “Dustin needs a ride and Steve has a car.”
• Adorable behind-the-scenes reflection on “Neverending Story” and the Season 3 “Scooby Doo” vibes.
• Talk about what it’s like emotionally to say goodbye to a character and an era that defined his youth.
• Penn’s perspective as another former child star, offering camaraderie and reassurance for the uncertain next chapter.

Advice for the Next Generation

• Try out acting via community theater before pursuing it professionally.
• “You always think it's like, okay, if I get that one big thing, that will facilitate a lot more work afterwards. And…you never do. It's just a part of it.” (19:58)
• Celebrate embarrassing moments—they become your best stories.

Final Reflection

What would you tell your 12-year-old self?
Gaten: “I think I will be better at answering it when I kind of go through that breather process after this year...I would tell him to think about therapy sooner. You don't have to wait until you feel like you need it to start it.” (62:29)

Tone & Atmosphere

Warm, honest, occasionally self-deprecating, and deeply introspective—Gaten and the hosts weave together seriousness with laughter and a shared recognition of the awkward, wonderful, often cringeworthy process of coming of age, whether onstage or in the eye of the pop culture hurricane.

For anyone who’s ever grown up feeling a little out of place, dreamed big, or wondered what it's like to leave childhood behind while the world’s watching, this episode is a must-listen.