Fans just crawled out of the Stranger Things Season 5 finale frenzy, where Hawkins went one last round. The streaming thumbs are still sore from binging and rewatching those cliffhanger highs and gut-punch lows. The show slapped fans with emotional landmines, whether it was during final battles or classic Hawkins banter.

But, it is not just the bleary-eyed fans reminiscing, though. The cast themselves are deep into that nostalgia trip, including Joe Keery.

During a conversation with Josh Horowitz on YouTube, Joe Keery was asked to identify the scene or creative moment he felt most proud of across the Stranger Things seasons. Rather than pointing to a major action sequence or a finale-level moment, the actor highlighted his scenes opposite Gaten Matarazzo. 

“I think I’m most proud of the stuff that I did with Gaten in season two, "Keery added. "It just felt like I really knew how to handle the ground ball that was hit to me and was working with this like an incredible kid".

That reflection aligns closely with Steve Harrington’s onscreen evolution, which crystallized through his earliest interactions with Dustin Henderson in Season 2. Key moments like Steve intervening when Dustin is mocked at school, their candid conversation by the railroad tracks, reframed Steve’s role in the series. These scenes redefined Steve from a sidelined antagonist into a reluctant protector and big-brother figure.

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And that emotional depth does not stop at acting. Even after Stranger Things ending, Joe Keery channels the same introspection into his music off screen. 

As if he had not already premiered in the Stranger Things canon, Joe Keery’s other career arc, his music under the name Djo, has been steamrolling charts too. After the finale dropped, his song 'End of Beginning' shot up to No. 2 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 chart, proving that the guy does not just act like a rockstar, he is one. And to top it off, he is also number 1 on the US iTunes songs chart for the first time in his career.

Several cast members have side hustles. Maya Hawke has her own music creditss and Finn Wolfhard’s rock projects have seen a traffic spike too. But Keery’s is uniquely gaining traction, as he also prepares for his role in the horror comedy Cold Storage. 

As Stranger Things closes its chapter, Keery’s reflections underscore how a single creative partnership helped define one of the show’s most enduring characters. 

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What moment best captured Steve and Dustin’s bond for you? Share with us below.