Gaten Matarazzo on ‘SNL’s ‘Stranger Things’, Dustin and Steve’s big fight, and why AI is ‘crippled’

Gaten Matarazzo is in disbelief Saturday Night Live Star Jane Wickline claims that Stranger Things children are “the biggest threat to humanity right now.”

During the appearance of the review of the weekend of Dec. 13, Wickline sang a song warning viewers that Stranger Things The child actors, now adults, will use their influence to take over the world. But Matarazzo is happy to assure people that this is not the case.

“Even if we had the potential to be a huge threat to humanity, I don’t think any of us are willing to go along with it,” Matarazzo told Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards during the meeting. It means a lot interview. “I don’t know if I really have that in me.”

However, Wickline’s song did not indeed about Stranger Things the players. Instead, it’s a tongue-in-cheek critique of artificial intelligence, with the comedian citing everything from AI’s effects on job markets to its heavy use of water. And while Matarazzo may disagree with Wickline that Stranger Things characters are willing to commit to world domination, the criticism of AI is something he can’t get enough of.

“It’s lame,” Matarazzo said of AI. “To make such a show Stranger Thingsor doing anything in general, especially when you watch movies and TV, the whole point is that it depends so that people have whatever opinion they have. But I don’t think there’s art unless people do it, and I don’t think there’s much I can comment on there other than people putting out their knowledge or shared knowledge. “

AI has arguably been one of the most divisive hot button topics in the entertainment industry over the past few years. During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which affected production 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 agreement with OpenAI.

For Matarazzo, the acceleration of AI is a concern. “The scariest thing I think is that people are like, ‘Okay, well, we’re drawing the line here,’ but two years from now… there’s a fear that it’s going to get to where it’s not visible,” he said. “I think that’s kind of the goal there, that people who are interested in the art of AI are like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell the difference?’ I’m like, ‘That scares me.’

The full interview also goes into the highlights from Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 2, including Dustin’s emotional battle with Steve (Joe Keery) on the Upside Down. The two have been at loggerheads all season, as Dustin’s grief over Eddie’s (Joseph Quinn) death pushed him away from his friends, especially Steve. That tension boils over in a scene reminiscent of Hawkins’ lab’s Upside Down, where the two’s argument over Eddie’s death culminates in a fistfight filled with moments of Steven and Dustin talking.

“What I love most about that fight is, if I remember correctly, he never turned on me once. He never hit me,” Matarazzo said. “Everything he does is to get me away from him. He pushes me against the wall to get me away from him, because I’m 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 finishing both, spilling the floor, he leaves.

“That’s where he draws the line and keeps it right there. It’s very clear, like, no fighting there. If he wants to, of course, he can knock me in the next room, and that’s not his intention there,” Matarazzo said. “That’s why, even if I’ve hurt him all year, he always holds his own. And that’s really good. He says hurtful things, sure, but everybody’s used to it, and I really like the way it goes down.”

View in full It means a lot on Mashable’s YouTube page to hear more from Matarazzo about Dustin and Steve’s reconciliation, and how he responds to fans’ concerns that Dustin will die.

Volume 1 and 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix. The series premieres December 31 at 8 pm ET on Netflix and in theaters.