Gaten Matarazzo, the “Stranger Things” actor, never imagined he would move to New York City. It was too chaotic. Too noisy. Too crowded.
“But after I started looking around areas outside Times Square, I started to see what a charm the rest of the city had,” said Mr. Matarazzo, 23, who grew up coming into the city for auditions from his parents’ home in Little Egg Harbor, N.J.
After a year in Chelsea and two in the West Village, he’s now looking forward to moving to Brooklyn with his two rescue tabby cats, Joan and Jett, he said.
Just as he’s preparing to open a new chapter in his personal life, he’s closing a nearly decade-long era in his professional one: The final season of Netflix’s megahit horror series “Stranger Things,” which Mr. Matarazzo has starred in as the lovable goofball Dustin Henderson, drops the first batch of episodes on Wednesday.
“It’s surreal to have such an experience like that, and to have it starting at 12 years old,” Mr. Matarazzo said. “I already miss it so much.”
He spent a recent Tuesday with The New York Times as he used an off day to visit some of his favorite Midtown Manhattan haunts, including the bar where goes for his beer cheese fix.
This interview has been condensed and lightly edited.
GOOD AFTERNOON I wish I could say I was an early riser, but, especially when I don’t have any work for the day, there are very likely double digits on the clock when I wake up. I’m kind of embarrassed about it. I can’t seem to close my eyes before midnight, and it’s not uncommon for it to get into the 1:30 or 2 range before I actually hunker down and get to sleep. If I have an early morning, that can be a bit of an issue.
CURL CARE I’m a morning shower person, usually, because I’m so worried about having unkempt hair. I usually wash it twice a week, but when I have long hair, I condition it daily. But I’ve been wearing my hair short because I haven’t needed to grow it long for the show. So because I’m not worried about bed head, I’ve been a nighttime showerer of late, and I am enjoying it.
I’LL TAKE IT BLACK I’ll make coffee at home, either hot black or ice black. I don’t usually spice it up, but every now and again, I’ll put a splash of milk in there. I drink way too much of it — usually two or three cups a day, and then one after lunch.
NEWS FLASH A huge chunk of my news and entertainment comes from YouTube. I know it’s a cringey way of accessing information, and it’s super algorithmy. I don’t want to just entrench into my own little bubble of information, so I try to stay conscious of that. The three biggest things on my “For You” page right now are current events, standup and hockey.
WHAT NOT TO WEAR Oh, man, I used to just put on a sweatshirt and give it a go. But now I’ve taken a bit more of an initiative in ensuring there’s at least there’s a color palette involved in what I wear. My girlfriend has a really good sense of style, so when I walk around with her, I’m like, I’ve got to step up my game a bit.
CITY VIEWS When I lived in the Village, I walked through Hudson River Park quite a bit. Mornings are so beautiful down there, and there’s such a great vibe. There are so many people enjoying the day, and even though I’m not running, when you’re walking next to people who are, it makes me feel good, like they’re living their best life.
TEAR-INDUCING TAKEOUT I hate to admit it, but I primarily eat out because I’m a terrible cook, and it’s so convenient, and the food here is so good. It’s a bad habit, and I know I spend way too much on it. I have to get better groceries. I mean, sometimes I’ll go to my fridge at like 2 in the morning and be like, “This is a problem.”
I can eat pasta for three meals a day, seven days a week for the rest of my life, if it wouldn’t kill me by 40. And I’ve been eating a lot of Indian food recently, which has been pretty great. Though I don’t handle spice very well, so I have a bit of a hard time, though I try to muscle through.
SOUL ON THE PAGE I don’t go to consistent therapy like I should, but I do write to myself and just kind of word vomit a bit, as a way of getting some things out onto a page that I don’t think I’d be able to articulate without seeing them scribbled out. I think it’s good for the hands and good for the soul.
BEER CHEESE HEAVEN Anytime people come up and visit me in the city, I have them meet me at Hold Fast, which is an amazing bar in Hell’s Kitchen. The kitchen’s open super late, and their cocktails are really great. They have a beer cheese appetizer that I get as an entree that I could just eat with a spoon. It’s so horribly bad for you — I can feel my arteries congealing as I finish it — and it’s absolutely delicious.
RANGERS RENDEZVOUS I’m a massive hockey fan, and I’ve had season tickets for the Rangers for a few years. If I’m in town when a game is happening, it’s very likely that I’m there. I’ll sneak in with a hat and sunglasses. A lot of times, my dad will come up for games. He was what brought me to the sport initially; it was the first time we really had a shared interest, and we’ve become really close because of it.
THEATER FIX I love going to a play. You want to see what goes in before Tony season starts. I also like hearing about stuff that’s in some smaller houses. There are places in Brooklyn too that I want to branch out to — St. Ann’s Warehouse, BAM. There are some great venues, and I don’t take advantage of them enough. That’s where you go see the stuff that’s going to be huge in three years.
WINDING DOWN I watch lots of stand-up. I like finding new comedians I enjoy, and one of the easiest ways to do that is through their YouTube pipelines. I’ll watch videos for an hour or two before I call it a night. And I listen to lots of hockey podcasts — the “BarDown” podcast is really good. And some music — the “Hamilton” cast recording, Radiohead, Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem.” I try not to overdo it, because I do get a little excited and down the rabbit hole.
BAD HABITS I usually close my bedroom door behind me around 12:30 a.m., and then I’ll probably finally fall asleep by 2. I know every doctor is like, “Put the phone down an hour before bed, please,” which I do not do. I wish I did, though.
Sarah Bahr writes about culture and style for The Times.
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