As Stranger Things Season 5 nears, Joe Keery opens up on Steve and Dustin’s iconic duo

An era filled with monsters, Mind Flayers, and missing kids, Stranger Things has also gifted the world something rather surprising: that golden bond between a former high school heartthrob and a tech-savvy middle schooler. Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson’s unlikely chemistry was a Season 2 revelation and one of the show’s most unexpected pairings.

As Stranger Things Season 5 approaches its highly anticipated premiere date, fans are feeling the hype and the nostalgia for one of the most unexpected yet adored duos on the show. What began as an offbeat, mentor-mentee friendship between the two soon became an emotional centre for viewers at large amid the show’s supernatural mayhem.

Now, as the final season approaches, actor Joe Keery is looking back on the years-long journey and how the show has changed, both on screen and behind the scenes. During a press stop for his new Italian film, Keery opened up about working with Matarazzo for the past nine years, and about how both of their characters have developed, and how the relationship between Steve and Dustin has evolved, much like the actors themselves.

A chance team-up that became Stranger Things gold

When Steve and Dustin first forged a bond back in Stranger Things Season 2, it wasn’t even supposed to happen; they simply stumbled upon one another during two separate, teen hellish trials. While Steve nursed his wounds from a breakup with Nancy, Dustin was trying to keep alive a baby demogorgon named D’Artagnan. Their meeting seemed accidental, but their relationship was anything but that.

Throughout Season 2, Steve underwent a metamorphosis from an egotistical pretty boy to a resourceful mentor. And whether it was teaching Dustin about haircare or offering him socially catastrophic dating advice, Steve fulfilled a big-brotherly role Dustin never even knew he needed.

The season had concluded by showing Steve driving Dustin to Snow Ball, an image that solidified their fan favourite status. It started as comic relief and soon bloomed into one of the emotional centrepieces of the show.

What Joe Keery said about working with Gaten Matarazzo in Stranger Things

In a recent interview with ScreenRant while promoting his new film Finally Dawn, Keery reflected on the Steve-Dustin relationship and how it's grown across five seasons. He quoted:

"Yeah, it's hard sometimes for me to even remember, just because the dynamic has changed. He was a young actor, I don't know, 11 or 12 or something, when we started. And, yeah, we've all kind of gone on this ride together, and everybody's really seen them grow up. But it's been really cool for me to just watch all the younger cast members grow into themselves. Gaten, in particular, he's doing all this amazing stuff. He was in Dear Evan Hansen, he did a Sweeney Todd, has done a bunch of different films, it's just so cool to see. He's such a talented guy, but he also seems very mature and focused on really doing what makes him happy. So, that makes me feel really happy, and working with him has just been such a joy. I hope maybe, at some point in our distant future, we can do something else, one more time."

Their off-screen connection mirrors the effortless rhythm they’ve shared on-screen. As Keery pointed out, Gaten Matarazzo has grown immensely both as a person and as an actor, and it seems that journey has only deepened their chemistry.

What to expect from Steve and Dustin in Stranger Things Season 5

Plot details remain under lock and key, though the teaser trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 indicates that we’ve not seen the last of Steve and Dustin. One image even hints at Steve trying to console Dustin following the potentially tragic fate of Eddie Munson. Another has them teamed up in the battle to save Hawkins, this time involving the strategic burnings and a souped-up radio tower, perhaps even another of Dustin’s tech tricks.

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Their contrary aspects still make them click. Steve follows his gut and takes the defensive; Dustin’s all brains and quips. And yet, they carve a middle path- two unlikely heroes negotiating friendship, terror, and the freaky landscape of Hawkins.

With the last season on the horizon, one thing’s for sure: Stranger Things wouldn’t be Stranger Things without this iconic pairing. Whether they’re fighting Upside Down baddies or arguing over how much Farrah Fawcett hair spray is too much, Steve and Dustin have solidified their place in TV friendship lore.

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