Noah Schnapp remembered being grilled by press about his sexuality early in the press run for “Stranger Things.”
While talking with Time Magazine, in an interview published Thursday, he and his other co-stars discussed the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix show. Schnapp discussed the perils of fame and said the press would “pry” by asking about his sexuality during press junkets.
“When I was younger, I was obviously very scared of talking about it,” Schapp recalled. “They would pry and ask me, ‘Is he gay? Are you gay?’ I was 12, 13. I didn’t know what to say.”
Many of the questions were rooted in the fact that as the show progressed it was was clear that Schnapp’s “Stranger Things” character, Will Byers, was gay. Season 4 confirmed this and his feelings for friend Mike Wheeler – played by Finn Wolfhard. Schnapp came out himself on social media a few months after “Stranger Things” Season 4 premiered.
“I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought,” he wrote.
Schnapp made other headlines earlier in “Stranger Things’” run when he got pushback for posts he made supporting Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. He later posted online that his “thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued.”
In his interview with Time, Schnapp said that it is “pros and cons” when it comes to being online and connected to the fanbase.
“I was one of the most in touch with my fan base,” Schnapp said. “I just welcomed them with open arms because that’s the way I am. It comes with pros and cons. I’m still a kid trying to figure it out. I’ll have a different answer for you in five years.”
The fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” debuts in three parts at the end of the year. The first four episodes drop on Thanksgiving, the following three on Christmas Day and the finale lands on Netflix on New Year’s Eve.
