Gaten Matarazzo Opens Up About Filming 'Bittersweet' Final Season of 'Stranger Things'

The end is near for Stranger Things — and Gaten Matarazzo sees the Netflix series' conclusion in a few different ways.

When Jimmy Fallon suggested filming the final season must be "bittersweet" during an episode of The Tonight Show, Matarazzo replied, "Of course it is."

The 20-year-old actor is looking forward to the final story arc, which the Duffer Brothers have been planning since the show's conception. "There's an excitement there," he said, "because you always want to wrap it up and you want to see how these characters are going to finally develop one last time, and how they're going to finish their journeys."

There's something more nerve-racking than even the fate of the beloved Stranger Things kids in season 5 though — Matarazzo's next job. "But also, there's a deep fear that's been like — not only has it been amazing, but it's been, like, pretty great job security," he joked, adding that he'll soon be "back to freelance."

Matarazzo also shared what he's hoping to see for his character, Dustin, as the fifth and final season scripts are finalized.

"I think it's in the best hands it can be," Matarazzo said of the story's end. "Matt and Ross [Duffer] know these characters better than I think we might. It's really interesting 'cause they trust us all very much to make our own decisions and go about the scenes they way we've always instinctually wanted to."

Because of his trust in the Duffers' vision, Matarazzo said he hasn't "really given myself an opportunity to think about what they might want to do — and now's the best time to start."

More than anything, though, Matarazzo hopes the citizens of Hawkins ultimately find peace: "I'd love to see a good launchpad for growth, and I'd love to see these characters thrive and move on from the trauma they've endured over the past few years."

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The first four seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream now on Netflix.