Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson in “Stranger Things,” came to USF on Tuesday for a lecture. GERMAN COMIC CON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; ORACLE GRAPHIC/THOMAS MARRS

After almost 10 years battling supernatural forces on “Stranger Things,” actor Gaten Matarazzo faced a different kind of crowd on Tuesday — a room filled with USF students eager to hear his story.

With the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” coming out this year, Matarazzo reflected on past seasons since he couldn’t share much about what’s next. 

Still, Matarazzo teased a brief sneak peek into the final season — joking that this will be the first season the cast will wear comfortable socks.

“They always do these really authentic scratchy little tube socks and like, no one’s looking down there,” he said. “Season five socks that I wore were cozy and I snuck a few home.”

Matarazzo talked for an hour at the Marshall Student Center Ballroom for this semester’s University Lecture Series. He received $55,000 to speak at USF, according to his contract with the university.

The event began at 8 p.m. and was free for students, who could bring one guest. 

Deanna Kowaleski, the assistant director for the Center for Student Involvement, said 800 people were in attendance — just 100 short of the Ballroom’s maximum capacity.

With his mom, Heather Matarazzo, in the front row, the actor brought attendees on a journey from his first rejections to landing a role in a Netflix production.

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The check-in line for the event formed at 5:30 p.m. and stretched from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza’s fountain to the MSC Atrium. ORACLE PHOTO/THOMAS MARRS

Matarazzo opened the lecture by reflecting on his family’s sacrifices — his dad juggled several jobs and his mom put her career on hold to help him chase his acting dreams.

His sister, Sabrina Matarazzo, was involved in school and community theater growing up in Tuckerton, New Jersey.

Matarazzo said he wanted to follow in her footsteps, which eventually brought the family to New York City for a weekend trip and a showcase.

A showcase is an event where kids looking to become actors perform a monologue or a song for an audience full of managers and agents, he said.

“I was more excited about the Empire State Building,” Matarazzo said. “I don’t really remember much of the showcase itself, but that’s where I would meet who would become my manager for a very long time.”

But Matarazzo said he faced challenges during his career due to cleidocranial dysplasia — a condition that affects bone and tooth development.

“A lot of [the challenges], for me, kind of came with the presenting dental differences that I had — which is a nice way of saying that I didn’t have any teeth,” he said.

Matarazzo said he didn’t start losing his teeth until he was 10, and remembers auditioning for commercials and seeing grimaces and looks exchanged as he walked in.

However, Matarazzo turned what was initially a setback into a strength, booking the role of Dustin Henderson in “Stranger Things” and recording its first season when he was 13.

“I started looking at parts that were a lot younger than me,” he said. “It’s easier to work with 10-year-olds than it is with six-year-olds, I’ve been told. That’s what happened with ‘Stranger Things.’”

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Matarazzo said he is as energetic as his “Stranger Things” character — but the original pitch during auditions was different from the final project.

“[Casting directors] said [Dustin Henderson] is severely bullied, glasses, bookworm, ‘don’t look at me, don’t touch me,’ kind of vibe,” he said.

Matarazzo said the initial idea for the character made him too similar to another character on the show, Will Byers, and he felt the two needed more distinct personalities. 

After this, Matarazzo said he started approaching every scene by being “loud, eccentric and extroverted.”

“I was like, I’ll just do more of a ‘I don’t care what you think about me’ vibe, for this guy,” he said. “It’s something I like to be in my real life.”

The final season of “Stranger Things” will be released in three parts — with four episodes on Nov. 26, three on Christmas Day and a final one on New Year’s Eve, according to Netflix.

Matarazzo said he has “no clue” what he is going to do after the end of the show — but is open to whatever crosses his path.

“I’m at an age in which a lot of people find themselves at that transition, whether it is after high school or finishing up college,” he said. “This kind of feels like graduating.” 

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Some students in the audience said having Matarazzo at USF was a rare and exciting opportunity to hear from one of their favorite actors in person.

Madyson Gibellino, a freshman medical laboratory science major, said her dad watched “Stranger Things” before her and recommended the show.

Gibellino said she became such a fan that she went to MEGACON Orlando last year just to meet Matarazzo. 

“I talked to him one-on-one and he’s literally his [“Stranger Things”] character,” she said. “He’s so funny and extroverted.”

Gibellino said she enjoyed how Matarazzo constantly thanked his mom during the USF lecture for her continued support  — all while she was in the audience.

“He wasn’t always successful, but he kept growing as an actor, and he mainly looked up to his mom,” she said. 

Kathryn Burkhart, a second-year artificial intelligence and business analytics student, said she attended the lecture to try to get some “insider information” on the new “Stranger Things” season. 

But Burkhart said she enjoyed learning Matarazzo’s story even without those insights.

“I think it was really interesting hearing about his challenges overcoming physical differences and putting his mark on Hollywood,” she said.

Burkhart said she doesn’t often attend USF events as a graduate student with a busy schedule, but “carved out” time for Matarazzo’s lecture.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go and see him and listen to him,” she said. “We need to take advantage of those events when they’re held at USF.”