Hawkins has always been a town where secrets hide behind arcade machines and endless snowstorms of Dungeons & Dragons dice. Stranger Things fans have spent years decoding codes, shipping ships, and reimagining friendships that hover between awkward glances and explosive chaos.

Yet, in this maze of theories and obsessive timelines, one name keeps surfacing like a meme you cannot unsee. Enter Gaten Matarazzo, whose candid reflections finally confront the fandom’s most outrageous imaginings.

While Hawkins thrives on mysteries and nostalgia, the fandom thrives on turning every bromance into a plot twist no writer dared pen. Could fanfic really outshine canon?

When it came to the most eyebrow-raising theories in Hawkins, Gaten Matarazzo did not hold back.

“Man, there are some wild Stonathan [Steve and Jonathan] theories, which aren’t really theories as much as they are just fanfic. People really want to see Joe Keery and Charlie Heaton make out. Whatever does it for you. Two very handsome men,” Matarazzo shared in an interview with Elite Daily.

He also pointed to the Byler ship, showing fans crave more than a kiss. Stranger Things fandom mixes humor and imagination, turning Hawkins into a playground where Steve, Jonathan, Will, and Mike fuel wild what-ifs and obsessive storytelling.

Matarazzo navigated the wildest fan theories while portraying Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things season 5, a version shaped by Eddie Munson’s death, as he told Elite Daily. He struggled with the tension between Dustin and Steve Harrington, finding it challenging to remain detached while performing difficult scenes.

Off-screen, his friendship with Joe Keery had matured into a "good friend” dynamic, reflecting Hawkins’ teen relationships and showing Matarazzo’s careful balance between performance and reality.

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While Hawkins brewed chaotic theories and grief, Matarazzo leaped from teen angst to barnyard politics, showing that surviving monster drama had prepared him for pigs scheming in a high-stakes allegorical world.

Gaten Matarazzo extends his craft into voice acting with the animated Animal Farm adaptation, directed by Andy Serkis. Voicing Lucky, a naive piglet, he navigates the chaos of a politically charged barnyard alongside Seth Rogen as Napoleon, Kieran Culkin as Squealer, and Serkis as Mr. Jones.

This ensemble transforms Orwell’s allegory into a CG and performance-capture spectacle, blending youthful perspective with themes of hierarchy and betrayal, while giving Matarazzo a dramatic platform far from Hawkins’ small-town antics.

Premiering at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025, Animal Farm will hit US theaters on May 1, 2026, via Angel. The film combines cutting-edge animation with emotional depth, allowing Matarazzo to inhabit a complex character while sharing the screen with Glenn Close, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, and Iman Vellani.

From Hawkins’ nostalgic corridors to a barn of scheming animals, Matarazzo embraces a new chapter of storytelling that balances political allegory, performance craft, and youthful innocence.

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What are your thoughts on the wildest Stranger Things fan theories and Gaten Matarazzo navigating Hawkins’ chaos both on-screen and off? Let us know in the comments below.