Noah Schnapp Confirms What Was Already '100 Percent Clear': Will Byers Is Gay
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Will Byers would like everyone dragging him out of the closet to please stop now, thank you very much. He can do it himself! The Stranger Things character is officially a member of the LGBTQ community, or so says the actor who plays him, Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp. (Unfortunately, he is also in love with Mike Wheeler, an unabashedly terrible choice for first crush.)
“It’s 100 percent clear that he is gay and he does love Mike,” Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp told Variety, adding, “I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike. [Showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer] been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in season 1, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline. I think for season 4, it was just me playing this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong.”
Although numerous Will stans will be thrilled to have their long-term suspicions stamped as canon, others might find the revelation less cathartic. For one thing, the pivotal season 4 scene in which Will’s sexuality was more or less confirmed? Numerous viewers deemed it queerbaiting. That aside, his affections are pointed toward Mike, who’s treated Will like gum under his shoe for two seasons now.
Schnapp addressed that controversy during his Variety interview. “I think it’s kind of Mike dealing with his own stuff,” he said. “In season 2, they were best friends and they were so close, and then obviously Mike has all his eyes on Eleven. Will is dealing with a little bit of jealousy there. He just wants his best friend back and wants it to be like what it was in season 1, when they were playing D&D in his basement.” Don’t we all wish we were young and innocent, playing D&D in the basement?
The young actor also revealed that the touching scene between Will and his older brother Jonathan was added in later during production. “So this scene was actually not originally written in the script,” Schnapp explained. “It was only until after I did the scene of me in the van, where they saw me crying and the protectiveness that you see with Jonathan looking in the rearview mirror. They were like, we need a scene with that.”
As for whether Will’s coming-out will take place again, on the screen this time, Schnapp assumes so. “There’s so many different things [the Duffers] have to address,” he said. “Obviously, we hope for a coming out scene, and I also want to see them address this connection to the Mind Flayer and how that fits into the world. And I’ve always been wondering, why was Will the first victim and the first one captured?” Just please, we’re begging: Don’t let Stranger Things bury its gays.
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