In the wake of this week’s GLAAD study finding that nearly half of all LGBTQ+ characters will disappear from TV next season, “Stranger Things” stars Maya Hawke and Amybeth McNulty spoke out on the importance of representation on the small screen.
“I’m so glad I’m not dead yet,” Hawke told TheWrap at the red carpet premiere for “Stranger Things 5,” referring to Hollywood’s tendency to kill off LGBTQ+ characters on television.
She continued: “I will say, even from the beginning, it always meant so much to me that Robin got to exist on this mainstream show that wasn’t — there’s a place for every kind of show — but it was so cool to me that this show wasn’t about that. So often it feels like gay characters only get to exist on shows that are about being gay. And this show is about so many things.
“To have a leading role in a show that everybody goes to watch — your homophobic uncle Rick can’t avoid ‘Stranger Things’ the way he could avoid something else,” Hawke added. “I’m so proud of that.”
Hawke, whose character Robin Buckley was introduced in the third season of “Stranger Things” and made history as the show’s first openly gay character, said she’s most proud of the impact her role has had on LGBTQ+ fans.
“My proudest moments at getting to play Robin have been people telling me that watching the show with their family helped them communicate with their family about their sexuality,” she said. “It just makes me feel so proud.”
Following GLAAD’s recent report that 41% of recurring LGBTQ+ characters won’t return next TV season, Maya Hawke reflects on the impact of her “Stranger Things” role — saying it means a lot that Robin “gets to exist in a mainstream show” rather than one centered solely on being… pic.twitter.com/nB2kUUyxLZ
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) November 7, 2025
McNulty, who was introduced in Season 4 as Robin’s crush Vickie, expressed a similar sentiment at the “Stranger Things 5” premiere. She told TheWrap that the representation on the show meant “everything” to her, especially given she’s a part of the LGBTQ+ community herself.
“I think as a queer human, you grow up and you want to see yourself identified in TV,” she said. “And you want to see characters casually on TV where it’s not a big deal and it is what it is.”
McNulty took a moment to applaud “Stranger Things”co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer for their approach in handling these storylines.
“I know it’s the ’80s, and I know it’s a tough conversation to have in and of itself, but I also really enjoy [The Duffer Brothers’] writing of it,” she added. “And the development of it. And the beauty in which they write. And the openness to speak to queer people and ask them what they think and how it should be done. It’s everything to me as an actor and as a queer person generally.”
Both Hawke and McNulty are set to star in “Stranger Things 5” when it returns later this month.
The first volume of “Stranger Things 5” premieres on Netflix Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. PT, with the second volume premiering on Christmas Day at the same time. The final episode of the series will premiere at 5 p.m. PT on New Year’s Eve.
