Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp open about coming out: "I was asked if I was gay when I was 13." Season 5 starts in November
In an interview with Time magazine, actor Noah Schnapp, best known for his role as Will Byers on Stranger Things, revisited the period when he became a much-watched face in his teenage years. At the time, he was only 12 or 13 years old - and, in his words, faced questions that were inappropriate for a child of that age. Among them, questions about his sexuality.
Schnapp entered the world of major productions very early on when he was cast as Will Byers, one of the central characters in a popular science fiction series. The character of Will openly admitted his homosexuality in 2022, prompting speculation about the actor's personal life. In 2023, the then-eighteen-year-old Schnapp publicly admitted to his own homosexuality.
"When I was younger, of course, I was very afraid to talk about it," he said in an interview. "I was curiously asked, 'Is he gay? Are you gay?' I was 12, 13 years old. I didn't know what to say."
The role that helped him understand himself
Schnapp also described how working on Will gradually influenced his self-acceptance. In a previous interview with Variety in 2023, he said that it was the character that helped him accept his own identity.
"Once I fully accepted that Will was gay, it just went exponentially fast to accepting that in myself," he said at the time. "I think if I had never played the character, I probably would have kept myself closeted to this day."
Will's journey of discovering his own sexuality was intentionally portrayed in a sensitive and gradual way, he said - the way many queer people experience it in real life. "It was always kind of there, but the question was whether it was more of a slower coming of age. But now it's clear that Will is gay and he loves Mike," she says.
Schnapp also shared that he often sees how strongly Will's character resonates with viewers. "I had a man in his 40s come up to me and tell me that he really found himself in Will. That touched me deeply," he says.
What to expect from the latest season of Stranger Things
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will be split into three parts and will offer a total of eight episodes. The first part will be released on November 26, the second on December 25 and the finale on December 31. According to Schnapp, Will's feelings for Mike - a theme that has been developing in the plot for a long time - may come to full fruition in the series finale.
For fans and queer audiences alike, this line may be one of the highlights of the entire series. After all, Will's journey is not only a coming-of-age story, but also one of self-acceptance - and that remains one of Stranger Things' most important messages.
