Noah Schnapp reveals how 'Stranger Things' season 5 stayed secret

Netflix went to extreme lengths to keep the ending of Stranger Things season 5 a secret — even from its own cast.

According to Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, the final episodes were hidden from him until very late in production.

Schnapp revealed that when the cast gathered for the table read, only the first six episodes were ready.

“Usually, they would have most of the season written except for the end that they’re writing as we’re going. I didn’t know seven and eight [ahead of time].”

As filming continued, Schnapp became increasingly curious — especially about Will’s long-anticipated coming-out moment. “I read one through six at the table read and thought, ‘OK, it’s not in here. So it’s going to be in seven or eight.’”

He admits he kept pushing the creators for answers, saying, “the rest of the year I just kept needling the Duffers like, ‘Did you write it? How did you write it?’”

The secrecy wasn’t accidental. Netflix and the Duffer Brothers wanted to protect the show’s final twists, keeping scripts locked down and sharing them only when absolutely necessary. Schnapp said episodes seven and eight were sent out much later, mid-summer.

When he finally read the penultimate episode alone, the wait paid off. “I read it alone and just cried and I was like, ‘It’s perfect.’”

Even the finale itself was kept under wraps until a full cast table read. Schnapp says the emotional ending left nothing unresolved. 

“They really left nothing more to be told. I can say that you will be satisfied.”