Noah Schnapp says he'd still be closeted if Will wasn't gay in Stranger Things

7 August 2023, 17:26

Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

By Sam Prance

"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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Noah Schnapp has opened up about coming out and how playing Will Byers in Stranger Things helped him realise he is gay.

Earlier this year (Jan 5), Noah Schnapp publicly came out as gay. Taking to TikTok, the beloved actor shared a video with the caption: "I guess I'm more similar to Will than I thought." He also wrote: "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.'"

The video has since been been viewed over 90 million times with fans rushing to send their love and support. Discussing the reaction to his coming out video with Variety, Noah said: "When I opened my phone at the end of the car ride, it was, like, a thousand texts of hearts and congratulations and rainbow flags."

He continued: "I was crying. I was like, ‘I made it. I’m done. I don’t have to worry.’"

Noah Schnapp says he'd still be closeted if Will wasn't gay in Stranger Things. Picture: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images, Netflix

Noah then revealed how playing Will in Stranger Things, who is also gay, affected him. Throughout the first four seasons of Stranger Things, it's implied that Will is gay but it's not yet been explicitly confirmed in the show. (Since season 4 aired, Noah has confirmed that Will is gay, and in love with Mike Wheeler.)

As a result, fans have long speculated that Will may be part of the LGBTQ+ community. However, in turn, people have speculated about Noah's sexuality.

Discussing what it was like having people question his sexuality at such a young age, Noah said: "I think it made me hold it down deeper. Because it was kind of being poked and prodded out of me in such a public way."

However, Noah said that the reaction to Will being gay helped him. He said: "It kind of blew up in the press, and everyone was like, ‘Oh, Will’s gay! Hooray!’ I saw all these comments on Instagram and TikTok. There was not one bad thing about him being gay. I was like, if he has all this support, then why should I worry about anything?"

He added: "Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself. I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray, and to embrace and help me accept myself."

Noah ended by saying: "I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted."

Will Byers in Stranger Things 4. Picture: Netflix

Noah also explained that going to college in 2022 made him realise that he was gay and couldn't stay in the closet. He said: "All these new girls were starting to hit on me, and I was like, ‘I don’t like this. I don’t want this. I was like, ‘Holy shit. I know now.’"

Noah then told his twin sister but went back to college still in the closet. Noah said: "Being fully aware of it and just completely, blatantly hiding it, it was really hard. It just made everything miserable for those months."

He then began coming out to the rest of his family and his cast-mates. Revealing how his co-star and real life bestie Millie Bobby Brown reacted, Noah said: "She was like: 'Oh, Schnapper! You told me finally!'"

Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown attend The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Cocktail Reception. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TNT

Noah also revealed that he received a huge amount of DMs from people who were interested in dating him after he came out. He said: "All of a sudden, there was this influx of all these people in my DMs. And definitely some, like, big names that I didn’t know about. I just take it as a compliment and move on.”

As for how he's approaching dating, Noah said: "I’m just enjoying life, and if someone comes by, then sure — but I’m not actively trying to find a match."