"I’m Just Excited": Noah Schnapp on embracing his queer identity in final season of 'Stranger Things'

Noah Schnapp, best known for his role as Will Byers in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things, has opened up about the emotional toll of being questioned about his sexuality as a young teenager in the spotlight.

In a candid interview with Time magazine, Schnapp, now 21, recalled the discomfort and fear he felt during early press junkets for Stranger Things, when he was just 12 or 13 years old. “They would pry and ask me, ‘Is he gay? Are you gay?’ I didn’t know what to say,” he shared. At the time, Schnapp was still coming to terms with his own identity and found the invasive questioning overwhelming.

If I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted

The actor publicly came out as gay in January 2023, shortly after Season 4 of Stranger Things confirmed that his character Will was also gay. Schnapp has since spoken about how portraying Will helped him embrace his own identity. “Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,” he told Variety. “If I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted”. 

Schnapp also reflected on the overwhelmingly positive response from fans when Will’s sexuality was revealed. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, Will’s gay! Hooray!’ I saw all these comments on Instagram and TikTok,” he said. “There was not one bad thing about him being gay. I was like, if he has all this support, then why should I worry about anything?” 

As Stranger Things prepares to launch its fifth and final season on 26 November, Schnapp will appear as an openly gay actor for the first time. He expressed excitement about bringing his full self to the role, saying, “I think the way I act in Season 5 might be a little different. I will be fully aware of who I am. Knowing all that about myself and being able to invest that in my character, I’m honestly just excited”.