It was a watershed moment for the LGBTQIA+ community when ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp came out as gay. He has been a part of a mega-blockbuster Netflix show since 2016. He plays Will Byers in the show. After playing Byers for six years, in 2022, Schnapp confirmed that his character is gay.
However, in 2023, after much speculation, Noah Schnapp uploaded a TikTok video and officially came out as gay. But the decision for Noah to publicly announce his sexual orientation was not an easy one. Nevertheless, family and friends supported the actor in his decision to come out. In a recent interview, Noah, who is also an entrepreneur, reflected on how his character in ‘Stranger Things’ helped him navigate his sexual orientation.
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Will Byers’ Sexuality In ‘Stranger Things’ Accelerated Noah Schnapp’s Acceptance Of His Sexuality
‘Stranger Things’ is heading to its last chapter with the fifth and final season on its way. The series debuted in 2016 and became a huge hit. When the series debuted in 2016, it revolved around Noah Schnapp’s character, Will Byers.
In the first season, Winona Ryder, who plays Noah’s mother, hinted at Will’s sexuality, saying that the kids call him “queer.” However, in 2022, Noah Schnapp confirmed that Will is gay in the series.
‘Stranger Things’ creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer referenced the character as one of their friends in middle school. The friend also went through the same struggles as Will to accept his sexuality.
During an interview with Variety for the Power of Young Hollywood issue, he confessed that his character helped him navigate his sexual orientation.
In the interview, Noah Schnapp said, “Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself.”
He continued, “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.”
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The Actor Came To Millie Bobby Brown After His Family
In January 2023, Noah Schnapp came out as gay through a TikTok video. It was a laid-back video where Schnapp used the audio of someone saying, “You know what it never was? That serious.” He wrote a message above his head, which 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.’ “
Noah Schnapp first came out to his sister, then to his mother, father, and close friends. However, he made a list on the Notes app of the people he wanted to tell the news to. His ‘Stranger Things’ co-star, Millie Bobby Brown, was the first person he told after his family. During the Variety interview, Noah narrated the story.
He said, “I kept trying to do it in person with her, and it was too hard. So then 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 — here, he tries to approximate Brown’s English accent — ” ‘Oh, Schnapper! You told me finally!’ “
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