Gaten Matarazzo Talks ‘Stranger Things’ on SNL and AI

Highlights

• AI Critique: Gaten Matarazzo supports Jane Wickline’s critique of artificial intelligence.
• Concerns: He expresses worries about the rapid advancement of AI technology.
• Character Dynamics: Matarazzo discusses the emotional depth of Dustin and Steve’s fight in Season 5.
• Streaming Info: Both volumes of Stranger Things Season 5 are currently streaming on Netflix.

Gaten Matarazzo doesn’t quite believe Saturday Night Live star Jane Wickline’s claims that the Stranger Things kids are “the greatest threat to humanity right now.”

During a Dec. 13 Weekend Update appearance, Wickline sang a song warning viewers that the Stranger Things child actors, now grown-up, would be using their influence to take over the world. But Matarazzo is happy to assure humanity that that is not the case.

“Even if we did have the capabilities of being the greatest threat to humanity, I don’t think any of us really have the gumption to go with it,” Matarazzo told Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards during a Say More interview. “I don’t know if I really have that in me.”

However, Wickline’s song was never really about the Stranger Things actors. Instead, it’s a tongue-in-cheek critique of artificial intelligence, with the comedian citing everything from AI’s impacts on job markets to its heavy water usage. And while Matarazzo may not agree with Wickline that the Stranger Things actors are willing to commit to world domination, the AI criticism is something he can fully get behind.

“It’s lame,” Matarazzo said of AI. “Making a show like Stranger Things, or making anything in general, especially when you look at film and TV, the whole point is that it’s subjective so people can have whatever opinion they have. But I don’t think that anything is art unless people make it, and I don’t really think there’s much to comment there unless people are pulling from their own experience or shared experience.”

AI has undeniably been one of the most polarizing hot-button topics in the entertainment industry over the past few years. During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which impacted production on Stranger Things Season 5, AI was a major topic of concern for both unions. In 2025, it continued to be a talking point, from the creation of AI “actress” Tilly Norwood to Disney’s $1 billion deal with OpenAI.

For Matarazzo, the acceleration of AI is a worrying one. “The scariest thing, I think, is that people are like, ‘OK, great, we draw a line here,’ but then two years from now… there’s a fear that it gets to a point where it is unrecognizable,” he said. “I think that’s kind of the goal there, that people who are enthusiasts of AI art are like, ‘isn’t it going to be great when you can’t tell the difference?’ I’m like, ‘That scares the shit out of me.'”

The full interview also dives into standout moments from Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2, including Dustin’s emotional fight with Steve (Joe Keery) in the Upside Down. The pair have been at odds for the entire season, as Dustin’s grief over Eddie’s (Joseph Quinn) death causes him to push his friends, especially Steve, away. That tension comes to a head in the Upside Down’s replica of Hawkins lab, when the pair’s argument about Eddie’s death ends in a fistfight that’s full of telling character moments about Steve and Dustin.

“What I really do love about that fight is that, if I remember properly, he never swings at me once. He never hits me once,” Matarazzo said. “Everything he does is to get me away from him. He does push me against a wall and push me away from him, because I’m actively trying to hurt him.”

Dustin finally punches Steve in the face, at which point the gloves come off. Steve wrestles Dustin into a headlock, and after the two wind up, spent, on the floor, he walks away.

“That’s where he draws the line and ends it right there. It’s very clear, like, there’s no fight there. If he wanted to, absolutely, he could knock me into the next room, and that’s just never his intention there,” Matarazzo said. “That’s why, even as much as I’ve hurt him throughout the year, he just always keeps his composure. And that’s really cool. He says some hurtful things, for sure, but everybody tends to, and I really like that that’s how it goes down.”

Watch the full Say More episode on Mashable’s YouTube page to hear more from Matarazzo about Dustin and Steve’s eventual reconciliation, as well as his reaction to fans’ worries that Dustin will die.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 are now streaming on Netflix. The series finale premieres Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix and in theaters.