Gaten Matarazzo Gets Honest About "Bizarre" Reaction to Steve & Dustin's Relationship on 'Stranger Things'

"I cared about it so much, so it was the most flattering feeling in the world when people would come up on a day to day [basis] and tell me that it meant a lot to them, and that's not something I take for granted," he tells Brit + Co during an interview for the upcoming animated film Animal Farm, based on George Orwell's novel of the same name. "It's very rare that people get to work on something that that means a lot to a lot of people [and] it's very rare that you work on something where people do consistently tell you how much it means to them as much as they have with Stranger Things."

Apparently that includes people getting tattoos of his face, and having 40-year-old fans tell him "I've had a crush on you since you were 13" (via Variety). But despite the aforementioned "bizarre" elements of being a part of Stranger Things, it's clear the relationships between the cast are one of the most special elements.

"Working with Joe specifically is always a blast," Gaten continues. "I don't know why people latched onto that relationship more than others, but I'm glad they did because it meant I got to work with him more."

His costar Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) brought up The Breakfast Club earlier in our conversation, so I can't help but point out the fact that the unexpected nature of Dustin and Steve's friendship makes it stand out against the others. Gosh...now I need to go rewatch.