Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp has said in an interview with Variety that, had he not portrayed Will Byers in the Netflix hit show, he would probably “still be closeted.”
“Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself. I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray, and to embrace and help me accept myself. I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.”
Noah, 18, came out on TikTok, with a video that received over 14 million likes. The text on the screen read, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we know,” as he lipsynced to a sound that says, “You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious. Quite frankly, will never be that serious.” The caption made comparisons with Will, reading, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.”
On telling his co-star Mille Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, he said, I just FaceTimed her one day in the middle of a Party City and I was like, ‘Millie, I’m gay.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, Schnapper! You told me finally!’”
Will’s sexuality has been questioned since the show premiered in 2016 when Noah was just 11, with indications that the character is gay and has a crush on his best friend Mike Wheeler, played by Finn Wolfhard throughout. But it wasn’t until last year after the release of volume one of the fourth season that Noah confirmed his character’s sexuality to Variety, along with it being basically confirmed onscreen.
He explained, “Yeah, I think it is. Obviously, it was hinted at in season one: It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends? Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike.
“I think for season four, it was just me playing this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong. Will has always felt like that. All his friends, they all have girlfriends and they all fit into their different clubs. Will has never really found anywhere to fit in. I think that’s why so many people come up to me and tell me that they love Will and they resonate with him so much, because it’s such a real character.”
(featured image: Netflix)
