Gaten Matarazzo compares 'Stranger Things' ending to 'Lord of the Rings'

Gaten Matarazzo has reflected on why the final D&D scene from Stranger Things felt so meaningful.

As fans will know, Gaten Matarazzo rose to global fame through his portrayal of Dustin Henderson on Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Stranger Things.

In a new chat with GQ Magazine, the actor opened up about one particularly emotional scene from the show's final season, a moment that sees Dustin sitting down to play Dungeons & Dragons with his friends, mirroring the iconic D&D campaign that opened the very first episode of the series.

Reflecting on the weight of filming such a full-circle moment, Matarazzo explained that he couldn’t help but think about how long-running franchises choose to say goodbye.

“I remember seeing the Harry Potter documentary and the last thing [that cast] shot was an insert, like them jumping through the Floo Network,” he recalled.

The 23-year-old admitted he initially feared Stranger Things might opt for a similar symbolic wrap-up. 

Nonetheless, he was ultimately relieved by the direction the show took.

“Watching that, I was like, ‘I hope we don’t have something like that,’” he said. 

“This felt more reminiscent of the wrapping up of Lord of the Rings, where there’s that wonderful shot of Elijah Wood looking through the book of his travels before the end of the film,” he concluded.