Noah Schnapp credits 'Stranger Things' for helping him

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers in Stranger Things, says his character helped him to embrace who he is.

In an interview with GQ, he shares, "Seeing how the world receives Will, and embraces him, has taught me through the years to feel OK in who I am, and how I express myself."

The Netflix series, for a while, teased Will's sexuality, which Noah reveals "will come up again in the final season as a major plot point," noting that he stops himself "short of revealing anything further."

He also raves about the show for helping him to embrace his identity as his character and his own identity converged while the series was being made, which spanned nearly a decade.

The star, who came out as gay in 2023, says the series "didn't just help find my own identity sexually. As a person, it taught me that it's OK to be me, as everything that I am. And I think that's what's so special about our show, and what's so special about Will." 

"It doesn't resonate with queer people, it resonates with all people who feel different," he concludes.

Stranger Things season 5 will drop on Netflix on Nov 26.