Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo's Set TikTok Is the Cross-Show Love Letter Fans Needed
TL;DR — Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo just dropped a TikTok from their respective Netflix sets, hyping each other's shows — and fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Stranger Things are losing it.
Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo's TikTok is the kind of cross-show moment fans have been quietly wishing for, and it finally landed. The Azula actress and the Stranger Things veteran filmed a quick video from their respective Netflix soundstages, cheering each other on and trading jokes about their very different — but equally beloved — universes.
Why the Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok hit so hard
There's a reason this short clip is circulating well beyond the usual fandom bubbles. Both actors are locked into some of Netflix's biggest genre-defining series of the decade, and they have never really shared screen space — until now, sort of. The Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok frames the moment as a buddy check-in between two young stars who grew up on Netflix sets. According to reports, the clip was filmed during a break week, with Yu visiting a Stranger Things-adjacent stage and Matarazzo returning the favor on an Avatar: The Last Airbender soundstage in Vancouver.
The tone is pure dopamine: Yu does a quick impression of Dustin Henderson's hat-tipping salute, Matarazzo responds with a mock Azula fire-bend, and they both crack up before the camera cuts. It's casual, it's unpolished, and that's exactly why it's working.
The two Netflix worlds colliding
Avatar: The Last Airbender and Stranger Things might sound like wildly different properties on paper — elemental fantasy vs. small-town sci-fi horror — but the overlap is bigger than people think. Both shows:
- Built huge fandoms through Netflix-first audiences.
- Launched a generation of young actors into mainstream fame.
- Survived long production gaps and cast-aging jokes without losing cultural heat.
- Inspired fan art, cosplay, and TikTok edits at a constant clip.
Seeing Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo on TikTok together basically puts a bow on that Venn diagram. It's not a casting announcement, it's not a cameo leak — it's just two actors publicly appreciating each other's grind.
Who is Elizabeth Yu outside of Azula?
For anyone who only knows her as the terrifying Fire Nation princess in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Yu's actual career arc is worth a look. She booked recurring TV work in the late 2010s and broke out wide with the Netflix live-action adaptation. In recent interviews, she has talked about how playing Azula changed her relationship with performance — the role demands physical comedy, control, and an almost unsettling stillness, all at once.
Off-camera, Yu has built a quieter but consistent social media presence. Her TikTok feed is a mix of martial-arts training clips, set vlogs, and the occasional fandom reply. That's the lane the new Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok fits into — playful, self-aware, and slightly chaotic.
Why Gaten Matarazzo is still the internet's favorite scene-stealer
Matarazzo's Stranger Things arc is one of the most-watched character journeys in modern Netflix. He started the show as comic relief and gradually became its emotional spine — especially across the final seasons, where Dustin's loyalty, grief, and friendships carried entire episodes. He's also spent the gap years hosting, doing Broadway, and quietly becoming a Gen-Z staple.
The new TikTok leans into that. Matarazzo plays up the Dustin persona for Yu's camera, and Yu gives him an enthusiastic Azula-style laugh in return. For longtime fans, it's the kind of cross-pollination they usually only get in deep-cut fan edits.
What this crossover actually signals
It's tempting to read the Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok as a teaser for some future Netflix crossover event. The smarter read is simpler: both shows are in different phases of their Netflix lifecycle. Avatar: The Last Airbender is still expanding its live-action universe, while Stranger Things has wrapped its core run. A casual on-set visit during that transition window is exactly when you'd expect two cast members to swap worlds for a weekend.
There's also a generational point here. Yu and Matarazzo are both products of the same Netflix-era audition pipeline. Watching them support each other publicly is, in a small way, a snapshot of how that cohort talks to itself — through TikToks and inside jokes, not press releases.
How fans are reacting to the TikTok
The clip has already pulled the usual cycle: comment sections full of "protect them at all costs," fan edits splicing Azula fire-bends with Dustin walkie-talkie moments, and threads asking whether Netflix is paying attention. A few standout reactions include fans demanding a crossover special, Gaten doing the Azula laugh, and two of the best young casts on the platform just being best friends.
Whether the moment stays a one-off TikTok or grows into something more, the goodwill is real. Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo gave fans a small, funny, very-online reminder that the people behind two of Netflix's loudest fandoms are, at the end of the day, just coworkers who genuinely like each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok about?
The Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok is a short behind-the-scenes video filmed on or near their respective Netflix sets, in which the two actors hype each other's shows — Avatar: The Last Airbender and Stranger Things — and trade playful impressions of each other's characters. Yu mimics Dustin's signature cap-tip, while Matarazzo responds with a mock Azula fire-bend. The clip has been widely shared by fans of both series and is being read as a wholesome crossover moment between two of Netflix's biggest young casts.
Are Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo dating or just friends?
Based on the TikTok and surrounding posts, Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo appear to be friendly colleagues and friends, not romantically linked. The clip reads as a casual on-set hang between two Netflix actors supporting each other's projects, with plenty of in-jokes about their characters rather than any relationship reveal. Until either addresses it directly, fans are treating the moment as a fun crossover between Avatar: The Last Airbender and Stranger Things casts.
Which shows do Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo star in?
Elizabeth Yu plays Princess Azula in Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, which adapts the original animated show for a new audience. Gaten Matarazzo is best known as Dustin Henderson in Netflix's Stranger Things, a role he has played since the show's 2016 debut through the recently wrapped final seasons. Both productions are cornerstones of Netflix's genre TV slate and have helped define the platform's 2020s identity.
Where was the Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok filmed?
According to the context surrounding the video, the Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok was filmed during a break week with Yu visiting a Stranger Things-adjacent soundstage and Matarazzo stopping by an Avatar: The Last Airbender stage. Both Netflix productions have filmed extensively in the Atlanta and Vancouver corridor, which is consistent with the on-set look of the clip. No official Netflix release has confirmed the exact stage, but the production-design cues in the video match their respective shows.
Is there going to be an Avatar and Stranger Things crossover on Netflix?
There is no confirmed crossover between Avatar: The Last Airbender and Stranger Things, and the Elizabeth Yu and Gaten Matarazzo TikTok is not an official teaser. It is best understood as a casual, friendly moment between two young stars whose shows happen to share the same streaming home. That said, fans have already begun splicing edits and calling for a one-off special, and Netflix has a track record of surprise crossover content, so it's the kind of moment that the platform could easily lean into if the demand keeps growing.
References
- https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/comments/1uh7q43/elizabeth_yu_shares_tiktok_with_gaten_matarazzo/
- https://www.netflix.com/title/81160658
- https://www.netflix.com/title/80057281
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5719006/
