Noah Schnapp, the 21-year-old Stranger Things actor known for playing Will Byers, has shared a photo of his new boyfriend on Instagram Stories. The image captures the pair from behind, gazing at a city skyline from a rooftop, with the caption ‘One month of us’ and a red heart emoji.
Relationship Announcement
Schnapp has not revealed his boyfriend’s identity. This update comes more than three years after he publicly came out as gay in January 2023.
Coming Out Story
In a TikTok video, Schnapp described telling friends and family after 18 years in the closet. He captioned it: ‘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.”‘ He mouthed lyrics: ‘You know it never was that serious, it was never that serious, quite frankly we will never be that serious,’ adding, ‘I guess I’m more similar to Will Byers than I thought!’
Schnapp shared how he came out to co-star Millie Bobby Brown. ‘I kept trying to do it in person with her, and it was too hard,’ he stated. ‘So then I just FaceTimed her one day in the middle of a Party City and I was like, “Millie, I’m gay.” And she was like, “Oh, Schnapper! You told me finally!”‘
Will Byers’ Arc and Influence
In 2022, Schnapp confirmed his character’s sexuality. ‘Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1: It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends?’ he explained. ‘Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike. But before, it was a slow arc.’
Schnapp credited the role with aiding his personal journey. ‘Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,’ he said. ‘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.’
Final Season Highlights
In the fifth and final season, released late last year, Will Byers comes out in the episode ‘The Bridge.’ Schnapp defended the scene against criticism labeling it ‘woke.’ ‘The script had been perfect,’ he stated. ‘No part of that scene felt forced or produced.’
He described preparation: ‘I reread a lot of coming-out texts that I had sent when I was going through it myself, and scrolled in my camera roll, looking through pictures at that time of my life when I was coming to terms with that.’ Reading it with castmates lifted ‘a little bit of a weight off my chest.’
Reflecting on Stranger Things’ End
Reflecting on the series finale, Schnapp said: ‘I will never forget that last day and how that last scene felt – it was just so surreal. The goodbye was hard. I grappled with this feeling like my life is over and I’m in a crisis, this is my whole identity and all I’ve ever known, and now it’s ending.’
He ruled out reprising the role: ‘I think my work is done with that character. The story for him has been told.’ Looking ahead, he expressed interest in theater and films: ‘I’d love to do theater. I loved doing that as a kid and want to explore that. And do other films. But no set path, I’m just excited for what’s next.’ He added openness to future projects with the Duffer Brothers.
