When Stranger Things first hit Netflix all the way back in 2016, the young cast of child actors immediately skyrocketed to fame.
In fact, shortly before she turned 18 earlier that same year, people were horrified to learn that “NSFW” countdowns to her becoming a legal adult were emerging online, and the photos that she posted on Instagram to mark her big day were flooded with sexually explicit comments and lewd emojis.
Speaking on Tuesday’s episode of Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Gaten was asked if he had any “funny stories about meeting fans,” to which the now-21-year-old actor replied: “Funny’s a way to say it, there are some that are a little uncomfortable.”
“I did one very, very recently… This is not very funny, but the reactions around it were quite funny where this, like, woman in her 40s, she said straight up: ‘I’ve had a crush on you since you were 13,’” Gaten recalled.
“And I was like: ‘That’s upsetting,’ and I was like, I’m sure she just meant: ‘Awh, this kid’s cute,’ but then she doubled down,” he continued. “Like: ‘I’m aware of the age difference,’ then I was like: ‘…Alright.’”
Needless to say, Gaten’s comments have struck a chord with people, who reflected on what he had said on a Reddit forum.
Meanwhile, Gaten admitted elsewhere in the podcast that he has completely accepted the fact that Stranger Things will probably be the biggest project he ever works on, and what he will always be remembered for.