Actor Noah Schnapp, known for his role as Will Byers in Netflix’s Stranger Things, has shared a photo with his new boyfriend on Instagram Stories. The 21-year-old posted the image on Wednesday, showing the couple from behind as they gazed at a city skyline from a rooftop. Overlaid text read, “One month of us,” accompanied by a red heart emoji.
Three Years After Coming Out
The announcement comes more than three years after Schnapp publicly came out as gay in January 2023. In a TikTok video at the time, he reflected, “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 clip featured him lip-syncing to audio saying, “You know it never was that serious… quite frankly we will never be that serious.” He added, “I guess I’m more similar to Will Byers than I thought!”
Will Byers’ Storyline Mirrors Personal Journey
In 2022, Schnapp confirmed that his Stranger Things character is gay and harbors feelings for best friend Mike Wheeler. He explained, “Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1… Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike. But before, it was a slow arc.” Schnapp praised the portrayal, noting it was “done so beautifully, because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay.”
During the fifth and final season, released late last year, Will officially comes out in a pivotal scene from the episode “The Bridge.” Some viewers criticized it as “woke,” but Schnapp defended it, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “The script had been ‘perfect’ and… ‘no part of that scene felt forced or produced.'” He credited his preparation and supportive cast, saying, “Part of that was how much I spent preparing, and part of that was my cast and how gracious they were.”
Recalling the table read, Schnapp shared, “It was a little bit of a weight off my chest.” To prepare, he “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.”
Support from Cast and Personal Reflections
Schnapp opened up about telling co-star Millie Bobby Brown. “I kept trying to do it in person with her, and it was too hard,” he said. “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!'”
His character’s arc played a key role in his own journey. “Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,” Schnapp stated. “I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray… I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.”
Looking Beyond Stranger Things
A main cast member since 2016, Schnapp reflected on the series finale: “I will never forget that last day… 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.”
Asked about reprising Will Byers, he replied, “I think my work is done with that character. The story for him has been told.” Looking ahead, Schnapp expressed interest in theater and films: “I’d love to do theater. I loved doing that as a kid… But no set path, I’m just excited for what’s next.” He added he’d welcome collaborating with creators the Duffer Brothers on future projects.
