'Stranger Things' star Gaten Matarazzo recalls meeting fan in her 40s who had a 'crush' on him since he was 13
Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo looked back on a disturbing encounter with a 40-year-old fan who told him that she had a "crush" on him in his younger years in front of her own daughter.
Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson in the sci-fi horror series, shared the experience after he was asked by Inside of You podcast host Michael Rosenbaum if he had any funny fan interactions over the years.
"I did [an event] 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,'" Matarazzo said.
The actor was initially taken aback by her words and called it "upsetting."
"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 said.
He continued, "And her daughter was with her, and her daughter goes, 'Mom, what the f*ck?' I swear to God."
Matarazzo could only describe the moment as "insane," but said that there were also times when fans invaded his personal space, saying, "I’ve had a few butt grabs for sure."
Despite such encounters, the now 21-year-old star remains thankful for the popularity that Stranger Things gave him.
"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 okay with Stranger Things being very likely the biggest thing I will ever do, and it will most likely be the thing I am remembered for even if I consistently work after this." Matarazzo highlighted.
"I am so cool with that as long as it facilitates happiness going forward, security and more work going forward. What more could I ask for? I don’t want to maintain a sense of relevance at this point when it isn’t even something I particularly enjoy that much," he added.
Stranger Things is currently set to release its fifth season sometime in 2025.
The series first premiered on Netflix in 2016 and quickly rose to fame because of its story, which centers around a human experimentation facility opening a gateway between an alternate dimension called the Upside Down and the normal world. This then starts to affect the unwitting residents of Hawkins in calamitous ways.