‘Stranger Things’ star reveals secret behind his 8-year romance with girlfriend

Gaten Matarazzo has shared the secret behind his longtime romance with girlfriend Elizabeth Yu. During an appearance on the April 30 episode of the Dear Chelsea podcast, the Stranger Things star reflected on growing up alongside Yu after the pair began dating as teenagers in 2018.

“I can’t believe you’ve survived this long with your relationship from that young age,” Handler joked, prompting Matarazzo to laugh and reply, “Survive is a funny word.”

The actor explained that one of the biggest reasons their relationship has lasted is their ability to communicate effectively, especially while balancing demanding acting careers that often keep them apart.

He shared that strong communication and learning to navigate long distance have helped keep their relationship strong for eight years.

“A big key to it is thriving through distance,” he said. “That’s kind of what we were thrust into early on. I was working on the show and was also simultaneously pursuing and starting her own career in the same industry.”

“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 pretty well,” Matarazzo said. “It’s very rare, I think, that it can feel good.”

Gaten Matarazzo and Elizabeth Yu began dating shortly after the premiere of Stranger Things season 2. Since then, both actors have continued building successful careers in Hollywood.