Gaten Matarazzo on Prank Encounters, Stranger Things Season 4, and the Star Wars Sequels

Plus he reveals how nervous they are that someone might fly off the handle or freak out.

With Prank Encounters Season 2 now streaming on Netflix, I recently spoke with Gaten Matarazzo about hosting the elaborate prank series. If you haven’t seen the show, Prank Encounters takes two strangers that are each hired for a night’s work and places them both in an unexpected situation that has been staged by professional actors. In the first season, pranks included teddy bears coming to life, a top-secret government warehouse that released a hostile alien, ancient Egyptian curses, and a homicidal scarecrow. Season 2 features ghosts, dangerous spiders, a device that can read minds, a deadly fog from another dimension, and more.

During the wide-ranging interview, Matarazzo revealed how nervous they are that someone might fly off the handle or freak out, how they wanted to try and prank three people at the same time and why it didn’t happen, which episode someone should start with if you haven’t seen the series, and more. In addition, he talked about Stranger Things Season 4, when he starts filming again, and how all the scripts have been written. Finally, what I didn’t realize before the interview began was Matarazzo’s obsession with the Star Wars movies. We ended up talking a lot about the prequels and sequels which led to a fun conversation.

Check out what Gaten Matarazzo had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

Gaten Matarazzo:

What TV series would he like to guest star on?
What movie or movies has he seen the most?
How he watches Star Wars…a lot.
What does he think of Episodes 7 – 9 and the prequels?
Why do so many people like prank shows?
How nervous were they that someone in the episode might fly off the handle or freak out?
Have the writers come up with stuff that has been too complex to pull off?
How they want to try and prank three people at the same time at some point.
How did they deal with the COVID protocols?
If someone hasn’t watched an episode of Prank Encounters what episode should they start with?
Do people refuse to do karaoke with him people he can sing?
What was his reaction to the Stranger Things Season 4 scripts and how all the episodes have been written?
Where are they in the filming process?