Noah Schnapp of “Stranger Things” Fame Comes Out As Gay
On Thursday afternoon, 18-year-old Stranger Things star, Noah Schnapp, came out as gay through a TikTok post.
In the emotional TikTok video, the young actor was seen wearing a gray hoodie while lying on white pillows. Noah could be seen lip-syncing to “You know it never was that serious, it was never that serious, quite frankly we will never be that serious.” The eight-second video also had a note from Noah that said, “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!’”
In July, when part two of Stranger Things season 4 premiered, Noah confirmed that his character, Will Byers, is gay. And that Will has been in love with Mike Wheeler, his best friend, for the longest time.
“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,” said Noah in an interview with Variety.
“I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike. They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in Season 1, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline. I think for Season 4, 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.”
Noah also admitted that he was conscious about having conversations on this topic because he didn’t want to provide any spoilers and hints.
He complimented how the slow burn of Will coming to terms with his sexuality was done beautifully. He was not just suddenly gay, but there was a transition and self-realization that happened. This was critical for viewers to see, and the pacing of this transition made a more substantial impact on Will’s character, making him more relatable to the viewers.
Noah was also honest to admit that, back in Season 1, he didn’t know the direction his character would be headed. It was tricky, and he found himself struggling to figure out the character he was playing. But after speaking with the Duffers, he became more confident and excited to be Will in the show.
After Noah posted on TikTok, his video was flooded with words of support, love, and positivity.
One of the comments said, “So happy to know that a gay person is playing a canon gay character in one of the biggest TV shows in the world.”
Noah grew up with Stranger Things as he was just 11 years old when he took on the role of Will Byers in this Netflix sci-fi series. Stranger Things made its debut in 2017, and the upcoming season 5 has been announced as the finale of the Hawkins story.
