Noah Schnapp is opening up about the emotional challenges he faced while growing up in the public eye during the success of Stranger Things.
In a new interview with Time alongside his costars Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, and Gaten Matarazzo, the 21-year-old actor reflected on the pressures of being a child actor and how intrusive questions shaped his early experiences with fame.
Schnapp recalled feeling overwhelmed during press tours when asked about both his character Will Byers’ and his own sexuality.
“When I was younger, I was obviously very scared of talking about it,” he told Time. “They would pry and ask me, ‘Is he g**? Are you g**?’ I was 12, 13. I didn’t know what to say.”
As fans speculated about Will’s feelings for his friend Mike, the questions intensified. Following the release of Stranger Things season 4 in summer 2022, Will was confirmed to be gay, prompting more discussions around Schnapp himself.
In January 2023, he publicly came out, writing, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.”
Speaking with Variety in August 2023, Schnapp said embracing Will’s identity helped him accept his own. “Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,” he shared. “I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.”
Schnapp also noted that the overwhelming support online helped ease his fears. “There was not one bad thing about him being gay,” he said. “I was like, 'If he has all this support, then why should I worry about anything?’”
Now, heading into the final season, he says his performance will reflect a deeper self-awareness. Stranger Things season 5 debuts November 26 on Netflix.
