Considering that you star in one of the biggest TV shows ever created, you’d think that the showrunners would at least answer your messages sooner or later. ‘Stranger Things‘ stars Noah Schnapp and Jamie Campbell Bower recently made a few tongue-in-cheek revelations about the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the show during Netflix’s Stranger Things Emmys FYSEE event.
The actors jokingly called out creators Matt and Ross Duffer for committing the ultimate communication sin: leaving their cast on read. While the text-message ghosting hints at some chaotic energy behind closed doors, it teases a fascinating glimpse into the high-stakes environment shaping the series’ highly anticipated final chapter.
Noah Schnapp Says The Duffers Ghosted Him
According to Noah Schnapp, who played Will Byers on Netflix’s most popular show, he had become extremely concerned about how this character was going to develop as the series approached its final season.
He revealed that as he realized this was going to be Will’s last season, he started texting the showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer, constantly with different ideas and pitches about Will’s character development.
At one point, however, Noah jokingly complained that the brothers eventually stopped responding because he kept flooding them with texts. “I mean, the Duffers can speak to how many texts I’ve sent them that went unanswered, of ideas and pitches for this and that, and videos of, ‘Should it go this way or this way?’”
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Fans React As Duffer Brothers Tease A 20-Year Wait To Reveal Eleven’s Fate
Of course, Matt and Ross did not admit to those accusations, claiming that they did not ignore those texts. Immediately, Schnapp replied, “I can pull up the receipts,” which made everyone at the panel start laughing.
Schnapp confessed that the character of Will Byers was extremely important to him and that he wanted Will to have a good relationship with other characters, especially Mike, and have all of his emotional issues resolved before the series ends.
Though it sounds like the showrunner did not pay heed to Schnapp’s overwhelming interest in his character’s future, the reality was different.
While the story about unanswered texts became a viral headline online, the panel later on in the conversation made it clear that the exchange was affectionate rather than hostile.
For instance, the show’s executive producer, Shawn Levy, later clarified that Matt and Ross do read texts sent by the actors, no matter how delayed their responses might be.
However, Noah Schnapp was not the only actor who became deeply involved in shaping the direction of the final season. Jamie Campbell Bower later revealed that he had a surprisingly similar experience while working closely with the Duffer Brothers on Vecna’s storyline.
Campbell And Schnapp Highlighted Show’s Collaborative Effort
Jamie Campbell Bower shared that he had a similar experience with the Duffer Brothers while preparing for Vecna’s return in Season 5.
According to Bower, he used to send long messages trying to understand how Vecna works emotionally in order to play the character properly and prepare for his big entrance in Season 5.
Still, he joked that he couldn’t get answers to his questions, as Matt and Ross rarely responded to his text messages.
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Again, like Noah, [I] sent a load of text messages that didn’t get answered,” he said, adding, “But the boys are very sweet because they just let me kind of ramble and then we’d come back to it later.”
At some point in the conversation, Schnapp revealed that the brothers added the emotional scene between Mike and Will in the finale episode, as he suggested that fans would not be happy if this story went on without resolving Will’s central internal conflict.
According to Schnapp, the creators listened carefully to those concerns and eventually adjusted parts of the script.
Bower and Schnapp’s comments reinforced the same idea, suggesting that while the Duffer Brothers may not have answered every message immediately, they still encouraged actors to contribute creatively to the development of their characters.
The panel ultimately painted a picture of a cast deeply invested in protecting the emotional legacy of ‘Stranger Things.’
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