Gaten Matarazzo is sharing his take on the Stranger Things finale, and more specifically, whether or not he believes Eleven is truly dead.
During the Netflix’s show series ended, one of the big climactic moments at the end sees Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), sacrificing herself. But then the show offers a different interpretation that has Eleven actually faking her death with the help of her sister Kali and then running off to Iceland alone.
The ending leaves it open to interpretation, with the characters saying they choose to “believe” Eleven is truly still out there somewhere, while audiences can decide for themselves.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter while promoting his new film Pizza Movie, Gaten said he “definitely” believes that Dustin thinks she’s dead, though he would probably never tell Mike that.
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“I definitely believe Dustin thinks she’s dead. He’s such a pragmatic, scientific dude who looks at all the evidence in front of him, and I don’t think he would truly believe it the way an optimist like [Finn Wolfhard’s] Mike would,” Gaten says. “But for his friend, he will probably always say that he believes she’s alive.”
As for Gaten himself, he thinks she probably is dead, too, but also understands that Matt and Ross Duffer might someday pick up the story thread.
“I think she would be [dead], but I also see a world where Matt and Ross would flip it around at some point. I think that’s kind of their intention. So ‘I don’t know’ is what I will say right now,” Gaten notes.
Pizza Movie is now streaming on Hulu.
Find out what the rest of the Stranger Things cast is up to now that the show is over!