Gaten Matarazzo is branching out! After breaking big in TV and on Broadway, the actor is set to star in his first feature film,, streaming Friday on Paramount+.Starring opposite Angourie Rice and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Matarazzo plays Michael, a high school student who finds himself targeted by a classmate (Rice) who is determined to sabotage his chances at a coveted college recommendation.
In a classic rom-com twist, of course -- romance ensues. «I have been trying to expand, more than anything,» Matarazzo tells ET's Will Marfuggi of his role selection. «Michael really does feel like the polar opposite of what I usually play.»Matarazzo achieved mainstream success in 2016 in his debut as lovable nerd Dustin Henderson in Netflix's.
Growing up on set and in the spotlight, the 19-year-old actor still managed to attend and graduate from his local public high school in 2020.
Going back to high school, even in the fictional sense, gave him an opportunity to relive some moments lost during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. «That was bananas for me, at the end of it,» he says of his graduating year. «But I'm just really glad that I was able to have as normal of a situation as I think I could’ve, while still going back and forth between the set of — which was primarily what was taking up most of my time — and my school was really good in making sure I was able to do their work while I was away.»«I was able to keep it as normal as possible,» he adds.