Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo reflects on 40-year-old woman having a crush on him at 13
Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo has recalled an interaction he had with a 40-year-old fan who told him she'd 'had a crush' on him since he was 13.
The cast of Stranger Things were just kids when the first season of the show aired in 2016.
While Gaten - now 21 - was aged 13, Finn Wolfhard was also 13 while Millie Bobby Brown was just 12 years old.
So it makes sense that Gaten - who played Dustin in the Netflix show - would be pretty stunned at the woman's admission.
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Speaking about fan interactions that have been 'a little uncomfortable', Gaten recalled what happened during an episode of the Inside of You podcast.
“I did one 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,’” he explained.
“And I was like, ‘That’s upsetting.’ I’m sure she just meant, ‘Aw, this kid’s cute.’"
However, Gaten added: “She was like, ‘I’m aware of the age difference.’ And then I was like, ‘Alright.’ And her daughter was with her, and her daughter goes, ‘Mom, what the f**k?’"
Host Michael Rosenbaum asked Gaten if he had laughed at the interaction, but the actor explained he 'couldn't'.
“That was rough,” he admitted.
Speaking about the success of Stranger Things, Gaten explained the show will 'likely be the biggest thing I will ever do'.
He continued: “Of course I understand all the wonderful things it has done for me and my family.
"When it comes to financial security, that is just something that - growing up, it was a real struggle and then suddenly it is not. When you are that young, you can’t really reflect or understand how incredible that is for your family and you.
"But then there is a part of it where you are that young and you are suddenly the breadwinner for your family when you are 12. That is not something that is normal.”
When the Netflix sci-fi series took off and had monumental success, the parents of the different cast members came together to negotiate salaries.
“We are pretty grateful. What is also interesting is that all of our parents were talking about what would be best for all of us collectively going forward,” Gaten said.
“Because they were the ones who were negotiating before we turned 18.”
As well as Stranger Things, Gaten has also starred in several movies including The Angry Birds Movie 2 and My Father’s Dragon.
Topics: Film and TV, Stranger Things, Celebrity
Lucy Devine