Stranger Things cast didn't know season 5 ending when they started filming

When asked what it was like to read the scripts for season 5, he said: "I think it was just this weight that was officially lifted. I think we always forget how anxious the process of creating something from so long ago and not really being able to see that light at the end of the tunnel, per se, or see that end in sight.

"And after finally, recently having read everything that's going to be on the page, it really was like this overwhelming beam of light that surrounded the whole crew and cast. And I remember we finished reading it, and it was just like a pure reminder of family. That's like what the show is to all of us, and to be at wrap-up is intense, to say the least.

"It's bittersweet – lots of bitter right now, because a lot of us are going to miss it like crazy, but we're now really, really excited because we're hitting semi towards the homestretch of filming."

Matarazzo then revealed that he and the rest of the cast actually didn't get to read the script for the finale until recently, meaning they started filming the new episodes without knowing how the show would end.

He said: "We hadn't finished reading it throughout the process, and that was crazy too, because we're filming a season where we don't know what the outcome is going to be, and now that that has shifted, it feels like it's going to be a less stressful, more fun season to focus on, and we can just focus on each other and being there with each other and enjoying it and having fun.

Read more:

• Stranger Things creators' new supernatural mystery confirms starry cast
• Stranger Things season 5 role for Max teased by Sadie Sink: "They love having me run"

"Because that's what makes this show good, I think when we have fun on set, people have fun watching it."

Matarazzo also opened up on the possibility that he could return as Dustin beyond the final season, starring in one of the long-talked-about spin-offs – an idea he certainly didn't rule out.

He said: "I would love to see, potentially, if there's a continuation of Dustin after [season] 5, if any of us make it up to that point, I would love to see what would happen, what Dustin would be like as a 30-year-old.

"And I would love to see at tackling that, it could be a lot of fun."

Read more from Gaten Matarazzo in our Big RT Interview. LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Empire is available to stream on Disney Plus now.

Stranger Things season 5 is coming soon to Netflix. Seasons 1-4 are streaming now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.