- Noah Schnapp gave his emotional reaction to one of Will's most pivotal scenes in Stranger Things season 5, volume 2.
- Noah described the scene as “therapeutic and cathartic” and loved having the moment alongside his cast members.
- While reading the scene solo, Noah revealed that he cried and thanked the Duffer Brothers for including it in the show.
After five seasons and nearly a decade of waiting, Stranger Things is finally coming to an end with the arrival of the final episode of season 5 on December 31. But until then, members of the cast have been giving their reactions to vol. 2—AKA episodes five through seven this season—before the series' dramatic conclusion.
Before we get into it, please note that this post is filled with plot spoilers juicier than Vecna's vines. Read ahead at your own risk!
Will Byers had one hell of a Stranger Things season. In addition to realizing that he has powers that mirrors Vecna's–and maybe even rivals Eleven's—he finds an ally in Robin, who gives him the strength to ask questions about his own sexuality without fear of judgment. But ahead of the final battle, Will realizes that he and the rest of his friends in Hawkins don't stand a chance unless lets go of his biggest secret...so he comes out to his friends and family in a touching scene at the end of season 5, episode 7.
“I haven’t told any of you this because I don’t want you to see me differently. But the truth is, I am different,” he tells his family, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, Max and the rest of the gang in the scene. “I don’t like girls. I mean, I do. Just not like you guys do. I had this crush on someone, even though I know they’re not like me.”
Noah Schnapp, who plays Will and is also gay, opened up to Netflix's Tudum and revealed that he was initially “really nervous to see how [the Duffer Brothers] would write it, because it was obviously so important for me.” (For some added context, Noah came out via TikTok in 2023.)
“I remember when they sent out the script for Episode 7 for that scene. I read it alone in my room, and I was crying, and it really resonated with me,” Noah added. “I texted them, and I was like, ‘This is great. This is awesome.’ I didn’t know if they were ever gonna write that story for Will. They could have just left it up in the air, so getting to finally see it happen was amazing.”
Noah further noted that he thought a Will coming out scene would only include his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and maybe his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), which made the entire cast's inclusion in the scene even more “special.”
“I remember when I finished that scene, I ran into Charlie Heaton’s arms and was just crying,” he recalled. “And with the cast, I never really got to sit them down and have that conversation about my own coming out, so getting to do it was totally therapeutic and cathartic for me.”
The scene itself took multiple days of shooting over 12-hour periods to get it right, but the cast had the most “gracious” attitude about it. “I’ll never forget how supportive they were on that day and how respectful and giving they were to me, because they had to sit there through an entire night just hearing me ramble,” he told Variety. “They all sat there in their spots through the whole day. It was really special.”
Overall, Noah describes the moment as “perfect”—“I really had no notes about it.” ❤️
