Noah Schnapp talks about his character Will Byers coming out in Stranger Things Season 5 and why the scene brought him to tears.
Ever since the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” aired on Netflix, mystery fans around the world have been watching in fascination. Each episode brings a new revelation, which is then hotly discussed. Now Noah Schnapp, one of the stars of the series, gave an interview about his character Will Byers and talked about details that have been speculated about for a long time. Warning, this article contains spoilers for the seventh episode of the fifth season.
Speculation about Will Byers
Stranger Things fans have been speculating about Will Byers in many ways since the mystery series debuted on Netflix in 2016. The boy played by Noah Schnapp has been different from his friends since the beginning. He is also kidnapped in season one and rescued by his friends over the course of the episodes. The fact that his own father called him queer sparked a lot of discussion in the fan camp about the boy’s sexuality.
Over the course of the third season, the audience watches the group grow up and how the boys enter into their first relationships with girls. However, Will Byers isolates himself and Mike even accuses him of not liking girls. This only fueled rumors about the character’s sexual identity even more.
These seem to be confirmed when Will Byers confesses his feelings to Mike in season four. However, the complete confirmation and final coming out of Will Byers can only now be seen in the seventh episode of the fifth season. The outsider admits to his friends: “I don’t like girls.” So here is the final confirmation of many fans’ speculations after years.
Coming out has a personal touch for Noah Schnapp
For the actor Noah Schnapp, who portrays Will Byers, this scene has a particularly personal touch. The 21-year-old made his own sexuality public by coming out in 2023. He gave an interview to Variety about the scene.
When asked when he found out his character would come out, he says he saw it coming during production. He anticipated the scene for episode seven or eight and remained in close contact with the series’ showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer. When the time came, he just said, “I just burst into tears, it was perfect.” Afterwards it was no longer necessary to change the scene with your own input.
When it came time to shoot the scene, he said he only paid attention to himself and tuned out everything, including his co-stars. The filming was so emotional for him that he didn’t even notice the reactions of those around him on set. When the actor was able to see the final scene, he was more than happy with his work and that of the team. “It felt real,” he told Variety. Filming the scene took two twelve hours on two different shooting days.
Final is coming up
So light has come into one of the biggest speculations surrounding the characters of “Stranger Things”. Now the big finale is just around the corner: The final eighth episode of the fifth season can be seen on Netflix from January 1, 2025.