{"id":3538,"date":"2026-02-13T14:34:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T19:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/?p=3538"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:34:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T19:34:59","slug":"an-evening-with-gaten-matarazzo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/2026\/02\/13\/an-evening-with-gaten-matarazzo\/","title":{"rendered":"An Evening With Gaten Matarazzo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Farmingdale State College students got a special treat on December 9, 2025, when Stranger Things<\/em> star Gaten Matarazzo visited campus for a fireside chat. Matarazzo spoke openly about living with Cleidocranial Dysplasia and the foundation he started, CCD Smiles, which supports others with disabilities. He also reflected on his career as a whole, sharing insights into his journey from Broadway to television, to landing one of the biggest roles, Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things<\/em>. Before you read further, I want to give a shoutout to Dr. Ron Jackson, Dr. Frank Rampello, and Lukas Miedreich from the Office of Student Activities for making this event happen!<\/p>\n

\"Gaten1\"

Gaten and Sarah, the author<\/p><\/div>\n

Before the fireside chat began, I had the chance to speak with some students and staff about their thoughts on the Stranger Things<\/em> star visiting Farmingdale. Dr. Jennifer Roberts, a Biology professor at FSC, shared that she\u2019s been a fan of the show since it first started filming. She even mentioned that she used to live in the town near where the earlier seasons were shot in Georgia. \u201cBiology and Stranger Things<\/em> go hand in hand,\u201d she joked. \u201cMaybe one day we\u2019ll dissect a Demogorgon!\u201d<\/p>\n

True to his down-to-earth personality, Matarazzo joked about driving all the way from New Jersey just to be there and kept everyone laughing, including interviewer Dr. Shane Owens, who playfully debated with him over which towns really make up Central Jersey, and if being a Rangers fan made him a true New Jersey native.<\/p>\n

The conversation began with Matarazzo discussing the start of his career on Broadway, sharing how his early work has shaped his path in television. He made his debut at just nine years old, starring as Benji in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 2012, setting the stage for a career that would eventually land him in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When asked if he had always wanted to be an actor, Matarazzo joked, \u201cI had some good years of soccer in me. I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t take that route.\u201d He explained that acting started as a hobby and said he feels lucky to have found an outlet that he can now turn into a career.<\/p>\n

As the conversation continued, Matarazzo reflected on working with Hollywood legends such as Winona Ryder and Sean Astin, \u201cThey\u2019re incredible. A lot of the child labor laws and standards we hold today are because of people like them, who had to ask for them since they were young\u201d. What really stuck with me was when Matarazzo talked about the people in his life who advised him to prioritize his education. Looking back, he admitted they were right, and told us that we \u201cwere doing better than him.\u201d Hearing that from a Hollywood actor, someone who\u2019s achieved so much at such a young age, was surreal. It wasn\u2019t just humility; it was a reminder that success isn\u2019t only measured by fame or career milestones, and that making smart choices, like focusing on education, can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As the fireside chat wrapped up, Matarazzo reflected on moments in his life that required resilience, sharing that he approaches life\u2019s hiccups \u201cwith humor.\u201d The timing of the event was perfect, falling between the releases of Volume I and II of the final season of Stranger Things<\/em>. Matarazzo, fully aware of the audience\u2019s anticipation, kept teasing fans with lines like, \u201cI know something you don\u2019t know,\u201d and joking with those who hadn\u2019t watched the first volume yet: \u201cI get the shit kicked out of me in Episode One… I just felt like doing that, sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the fireside chat, students had the chance to enter a raffle for a quick photo op with Matarazzo, and I was lucky enough to win one! Though brief, the moment gave fans a personal chance to meet the star and snap a picture to remember the event.<\/p>\n

Before the event, I picked up a Dustin Henderson Squishmallow for Gaten. I\u2019m sure he probably already has one of himself, but my job released a line of Season 5 Squishmallows that matched the outfits the actors wore for the new season. I thought it would be the perfect gift, and I\u2019m so glad I brought it, because he absolutely loved it! At first, he thought I had only brought it for the photo op, so when I told him it was for him to keep, he was pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n

For those lucky enough to get tickets, my friends said Matarazzo was genuinely kind and approachable. Even in just a few moments, you could tell by the way he carries himself that he\u2019s down-to-earth, thoughtful, and really cares about connecting with people. His visit wasn\u2019t just a chance to meet a celebrity, it was a reminder that even Hollywood stars can be humble, funny, and authentic in the simplest ways.<\/p>\n

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Farmingdale State College students got a special treat on December 9, 2025, when Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo visited campus for a fireside chat. Matarazzo spoke openly about living with Cleidocranial Dysplasia and the foundation he started, CCD Smiles, which supports others with disabilities. He also reflected on his career as a whole, sharing insights […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":3539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3538"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3541,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3538\/revisions\/3541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}