This is the fifth and final season Stranger Things approaches, many noticed Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) new look in the trailer and photos released before the launch.
Small details of his appearance – such as his longer curly hair and the rings he now wears, as shown when the four main friends huddle and cheer each other on – are reminiscent of the late Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), leader of the Hellfire Club and close friend of Dustin, who died in season four. On the red carpet at the premiere of the first volume of Matarazzo noted the shift and how he approached his character this season while speaking with Deadline.
“It's challenging. It's a challenge that I was happy to take on. It's not what I'm used to,” he said. “I'm used to coming in and doing normal things in an explosive way, with a lot of nonchalant behavior – [that’s] that's what I'm used to doing in most of the work I've done on the show.”
Eddie's death was a big blow to Dustin, known for his wide smile, frankness and open theorizing (which is often accurate). Matarazzo was mindful of the grieving process as he stepped into his role as the party's bard for the last time.
“It was interesting to see a new shift and I think it was inevitable,” he added. “I don't think anyone could experience a loss that hard and that brutally at that age and not be severely affected by it. So to see him go through his grieving process was interesting and difficult.”
From left to right: Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in the fifth season of Stranger Things.
Courtesy of Netflix
The actor also expressed his joy at working with Joe Keery on his comeback Dustin and Steve are dynamic onto the screen, knowing that viewers were hooked on a particular shot from the trailer of two friends hugging.
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