Gaten Matarazzo's pushing for "Stranger Things" to pick up the pace ... feeling the urgency to wrap the final season 'cause all the actors are growing up faster than the Demogorgon's appetite.
We caught up with the actor at LAX Wednesday ... and he's making it clear maintaining the illusion of still being a teen for the sci-fi Netflix series is getting trickier, especially since he's now 21 -- compared to 13 when he first started filming the show.
But Gaten tells us despite past delays like the writers' strike and the pandemic, they're now powering through to bring fans an epic 5th and final season -- and hopefully, so they can all move on and explore new opportunities.
But Gaten's having a blast with it all ... even joking to us he hopes his character Dustin Henderson gets killed off, but only at the end of the season, just so he can maximize his screen time.
Nonetheless, while it's taken some time to get things off the ground, Gaten acknowledges he feels incredibly lucky and the whole experience has been life-changing.
Plot details for the final season are still a mystery, leaving fans wondering if "Stranger Things" will pick up where season 4 left off or jump forward in time ... which could help match the cast's growth spurt.