Noah Schnapp has officially confirmed that his Stranger Things character Will Byers is “gay, and does love Mike”, his on-screen best friend.
Fans have long speculated about the character’s sexual orientation, and an emotional scene in the latest fourth season appeared to indirectly confirm that speculation, as Will wept silently after reassuring Mike about how much Eleven loves him – the implication being that he shares those same feelings.
“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? Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100 per cent clear he is gay and does love Mike,” Schnapp said in an interview with Variety.
Earlier in the conversation, he elaborated on Will’s romantic feelings for his best friend, Mike, in addition to how his character feels he “doesn’t belong”.
“I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike. They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in season 1, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline,” he explained.
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“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. Will has always felt like that. All his friends, they all have girlfriends and they all fit into their different clubs. Will has never really found anywhere to fit in.”
Schnapp continued: “I think that’s why so many people come up to me and tell me that they love Will and they resonate with him so much, because it’s such a real character.”
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