It’s always a big deal when a major show ends, and next year, Netflix bids goodbye to Stranger Things after five seasons. For a lot of the cast, the show gave them breakout roles they’ve used to help build their career, and leaving it behind after so long elicits a variety of emotions.

Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, recently told the Hollywood Reporter he’s somewhere in the middle. By his own admission, he was initially ready to get the final season done, but now that the show’s nearing the finish line of production, his tune’s understandably changed. Now, he’s found himself reminiscing about how young he and his costars like Caleb McLaughlin and Millie Bobby Brown were when they started out. And like with seniors about to graduate high school, he’s felt a bit stuck in time: “distinct things” from all the way back in season one feel like they happened recently.

“At this point, I’ve almost been doing Stranger Things longer than I haven’t,” Matarazzo remarked. “It’s been a pretty jarring thing to realize how quickly it all flew by. […] Coming to terms with letting go is increasingly difficult, in a work and life sense. You can always expect that next season, work-wise and emotionally. So it’s going to be a different adjustment and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

As for what happens next in Stranger Things, Matarazzo had some interesting teases. Where previous seasons put Dustin with a different character, this is now happening for the entire main cast. He told THR all of them would be “paired differently” from their usual groups, which will lead to “a lot of fun opportunities” for everyone. Without giving anything away, he indicated Dustin would share screentime with characters he has and hasn’t before. “It’s a good balance of familiarity and keeping that family close,” he teased, “but also seeing how much we can elevate these characters with each other.”

You can read Matarazzo’s full interview with THR here. Netflix is aiming to release Stranger Things’ final season sometime in 2025.

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