Gaten Matarazzo was horrified when a woman in her 40s told him she’d had a “crush” on him since he was 13.
Gaten Matarazzo has had inappropriate comments from fans
The 21-year-old actor has grown up in the public eye thanks to his role as Dustin Henderson in ‘Stranger Things’, who he has played since 2016, and he admitted he has had some “upsetting” and uncomfortable moments with fans.
Speaking on the ‘ Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum’ podcast, he said: “I did [an event] 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.’
“And I was like, ‘That’s upsetting.’ I’m sure she just meant, ‘Aw, this kid’s cute.’ But then she doubled down.
“She was like, ‘I’m aware of the age difference.’ And then I was like, ‘Alright.’ “
And Gaten wasn’t the only person stunned by the woman’s “insane” confession.
He added: “And her daughter was with her, and her daughter goes, ‘Mom, what the f***?’ I swear to God.”
The actor admitted he had also had fans behave inappropriately while he posed for photos with them.
He said: “I’ve had a few butt grabs for sure.”
Although he is only 21, Gaten believes he will always be associated with ‘Stranger Things’, no matter how far into the future he continues to work.
He said: “With this show, it is quite clear, and I am very well aware – and would like my professional team to understand that I am very OK with ‘Stranger Things’ being very likely the biggest thing I will ever do.
“And it will most likely be the thing I am remembered for even if I consistently work after this.
“And I am so cool with that as long as it facilitates happiness going forward, security and more work going forward.
“What more could I ask for? I don’t want to maintain a sense of relevance at this point when it isn’t even something I particularly enjoy that much.”
