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The release of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is just around the corner, and Joe Keery (Free Guy, Fargo) was asked to reflect on his on-screen relationship with Gaten Matarazzo (Honor Society, My Father’s Dragon) in an interview with ScreenRant. In Stranger Things, Keery and Matarazzo play Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson, respectively, and the pair is widely known for both its unlikelihood and charm in the show.
ScreenRant writes that Steve is known for his fearless personality, but the side of him that wants to protect the younger characters makes his mentor-mentee relationship with Dustin, who is intelligent and quick to learn, all the more interesting to watch. The pair forged an unlikely bond back in the second season of the show, and as seen in the teaser released on July 16, they will return for the final battle. For those who have not seen the teaser, here it is below:
In the teaser, Steve comforts Dustin, showing that their bond never fizzled out between seasons. However, when ScreenRant asked Keery about the evolution of their relationship, he noted that things may be different now.
“Yeah, it’s hard sometimes for me to even remember, just because the dynamic has changed,” Keery told ScreenRant. “He [Matarazzo] was a young actor, I don’t know, 11 or 12 or something, when we started. And, yeah, we’ve all kind of gone on this ride together, and everybody’s really seen them grow up. But it’s been really cool for me to just watch all the younger cast members grow into themselves.”
Stranger Things is known for its lengthy nine-year run, so it’s no surprise that Keery got to see Matarazzo grow and change along with Dustin. How Steve and Dustin’s relationship may look different, however, still remains unknown, not until the release of the final season.
The fifth season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts on Netflix, with volume one being released on November 26, volume two on December 25, and the finale on December 31.
