Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo reveals secret behind long-distance love

Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo recently shared unique details about his eight-year romance with American actress Elizabeth Yu. On Chelsea Handler’s podcast Dear Chelsea, the 23-year-old actor opened up about the secret behind their lasting relationship.

The 51-year-old Handler noted her surprise, saying, “I can’t believe you’ve survived this long with your relationship from that young age.”

“Survive is a funny word,” Matarazzo joked. Handler continued, “You’ve managed to stay together for eight years—I mean, that’s very unusual. Let’s discuss how that works for you.”

The Stranger Things star explained that their ability to manage distance and maintain strong communication while apart is crucial to their success. “A big key to it is thriving through distance. That’s kind of what we were thrust into early on. I was working on the show and she was also simultaneously pursuing and starting her own career in the same industry,” he said.

Matarazzo added that traveling to different cities and honing their communication skills ultimately strengthened their bond. “So much of our work has to do with us leaving the city, and being able to communicate through that—and do it very well—was kind of a tell-tale sign that this was working. It’s very rare, I think, that it can feel [that] good.”

While acknowledging that long-distance relationships can be difficult, the Honor Society actor added that he and Yu feel blessed. “A lot of times, long-distance relationships usually fizzle out because it’s so hard not being in the same city as your person. And what’s great is that our home base is the same. So anytime we travel for work, we know we’re coming back to each other here in the city.”

Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo began dating in 2018 when they were both fifteen years old.

Earlier this year, Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things, spoke openly about how his rare condition has impacted his life.

Born in New London, Connecticut, the 23-year-old was born with cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), a rare genetic disorder. According to Matarazzo in an interview with Health Insight: “My experience with cleidocranial dysplasia has been pretty good, honestly. I have a very mild case of it and it hasn’t really caused me to be bullied or anything.”