Get to Know Matthew Erick White with These 10 Fun Facts Amid His Broadway Debut as Hopper in ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ (Exclusive)

Matthew Erick White is making his Broadway debut as part of the year two cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow and we caught up with the rising star to learn more about him!

In the hit play, Matthew takes on the role of a young Hopper, portrayed in the Netflix series by David Harbour. Stranger Things: The First Shadow acts as a prequel to the Netflix series and a backstory for the show’s main antagonist Henry Creel, who later becomes Vecna.

The acclaimed production won four Tony Awards for scenic, sound and lighting designer, and a special honor for its illusions and technical effects. You have until January 2027 to catch the play on Broadway!

TV fans might know Matthew from his appearances on shows like NCIS: Origins, Criminal Minds: Evolution, Station 19, and The Young and the Restless.

Check out 10 Fun Facts from Matthew below!

1. Before Broadway, my entire theater résumé consisted of playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz in sixth grade.
Most of my career has been in film and television. Broadway has given me the opportunity to grow, learning new things every single night, which has been equally exciting and terrifying.

2. Dick Van Dyke is one of my all time heroes.
While most kids my age were growing up watching SpongeBob, I was watching reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show and practicing my pratfalls. Which, now that I think about it, makes the whole sixth grade Scarecrow thing make a lot more sense.

3. Back to the Future is my favorite movie of all time.
If, in the future, you discover that my first son is named Martin, just know it’s so I can call him Marty.

4. I grew up in the South, which means I love country music, for better or worse.
I will defend country music far longer than is probably reasonable. Give me a sad man, a truck, and three chords. I’m pretty much sold.

5. I love rock climbing.
Put me in a normal gym and I have to convince myself to exercise. Put a giant wall in front of me and suddenly I’m willing to risk my life for a piece of plastic shaped like a rock.

6. My mom is a kickass woman.
She works for PARC Center for Disabilities, an organization dedicated to helping children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She also beat cancer. She’s one of the toughest, most compassionate people I know and a pretty impossible act to follow.

7. I am deeply susceptible to anything that feels even remotely like Christmas.
Christmas music, lights, decorations,  holiday movies, I don’t need much convincing. If it’s cold outside and someone hands me a peppermint hot chocolate, my productivity for the day is over.

8. I have a borderline unreasonable love for the American West.
Cowboy bars, mountains, campfires, old Westerns, the whole thing. If somewhere has wood paneling, a neon beer sign, and a little too much character, I immediately want to hang out there.

9. I have ulcerative colitis, which, unfortunately, is also something my backstage castmates know too much about.
Let’s just say doing eight shows a week with UC requires preparation, determination, and knowing the location of every bathroom in the building.

10. I am the luckiest son of a bitch alive.
I genuinely think that all the time. I get to make a living doing what I dreamed about as a kid, surrounded by people I love, and somehow this ridiculous life keeps surprising me. I try really hard not to forget how lucky I am.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is currently playing at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway. Get tickets now!

The post Get to Know Matthew Erick White with These 10 Fun Facts Amid His Broadway Debut as Hopper in ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ (Exclusive) appeared first on Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment.