Gaten Matarazzo swaps Stranger Things for Rent in West End

Keeping your balance on a revolving stage probably sounds easy when you compare it with battling demogorgons, but Gaten Matarazzo points out one big difference.

You don't get the luxury of "thirty takes" to get it right in front of a live audience.

The former Stranger Things star's currently playing Mark in a modern revival of rock musical Rent on London's West End.

He tells BBC Newsbeat that having a proper schedule and remembering to stay hydrated makes a "refreshing change" from filming the Netflix smash-hit that made him famous.

Matarazzo shot to fame in 2016 as endearing super-geek Dustin Henderson - a role he calls "the greatest honour of his life".

The saga finally concluded last December after five seasons, and there's been interest in what the show's cast will do next.

"It's something you do inevitably step away from," says Matarazzo

"We finished filming in 2024 - there's no more show to film."

"I still love what I do very much, I want to keep on doing it."

Casting big names from TV and film in theatre shows is a growing trend, and one that sometimes provokes accusations of cashing in .

But Matarazzo has plenty of stage experience, having performed on Broadway when he was a child.

He says the time commitment involved meant it was impossible to "blend both worlds".

"My favourite part of theatre specifically is the schedule," he says.

"Going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time.

"I've always thrived under a schedule and when I don't have one I feel insane."

In Rent, Matarazzo plays struggling film-maker Mark, who chronicles and narrates the lives of his friends.

It has been 30 years since the show first opened off-Broadway in New York, but the actor says there are "certain songs that weirdly resonate now".

"What You Own, which feels like a reflection on information overload, is incredibly relevant," he says.

"That's really fun to sing in context of today."

When it was first performed, Rent shone a light on young friends and artists living in late 1980s and early 1990s New York during the HIV/Aids crisis.

It was considered groundbreaking at the time for tackling social taboos and centering stories of LGBT people.

Writer Jonathan Larson died suddenly the night before its premiere.

Matarazzo's co-star, Travis Ross, who plays Roger, says the show's themes still "ring true" today.

The 25-year-old says having Rent tends to attract people who "care so deeply" about the show's message, resulting in a connection between actors and the audience.

He calls it a "really beautiful community-driven piece of art".

Both Ross and Matarazzo are keen to acknowledge their fellow cast members and point out Rent is "an ensemble" piece.

"In the same way we get our moments to tell the story there's also ten other people who get their moments to tell the story as well," says Ross.

Many of those in the audience will be there to watch Matarazzo, and he says he's determined to get the role right.

"I'm on stage for the majority of the show and singing the whole time," he says.

"It's not anything that's particularly high or out of my range, it's actually a part that I think fits nicely in my pocket.

"But it's just so much singing, and making sure I'm doing it correctly is essential," he says.

Matarazzo also plans to embrace his return to the stage.

"Once we're in the run it will be great," he says.

"I just always love the opportunity to start and finish a character arc and story in real time.

"You don't get an opportunity to do that when you're filming."

Speaking of which - if he ever got the call to go back to Hawkins and step into Dustin's shoes, would he take the chance?

"If that happens, that's great, and if not, that's completely fine.

"I've loved doing the show so much, it's literally the greatest honour of my life."

Rent is at The Tom Stoppard Theatre, London. Gaten Matarazzo is booked to perform until 10 January.

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