Hit Netflix series Stranger Things finally confirmed Will Byers’ sexuality in season five’s new Christmas drop released on Boxing day.
Season five, volume two of the sci-fi drama aired over the festive period, bringing long-running fan speculation to an end as Noah Schnapp‘s character came out to his closest friends.
The show first premiered on Netflix in 2016, and from the very beginning it was clear that Will, played by Noah, 21, was different from the rest of his friendship group.
In the first series, his mother Joyce, portrayed by Winona Ryder, even recalled how Will’s father had referred to him as ‘queer’.
Set in the 1980s, Will famously disappeared from his small-town friendship group, who loved playing Dungeons & Dragons and cycling around Hawkins, before becoming trapped in the terrifying Upside Down.
While his friends grew older, found girlfriends and moved on, Will remained something of an outsider following his traumatic abduction.
Hit Netflix series Stranger Things finally confirmed Will Byers’ sexuality in season five’s new Christmas drop, released on Boxing day
Season five, volume two of the sci-fi drama aired over the festive period, bringing long-running fan speculation to an end as Noah Schnapp’s character came out to his closest friends (L-R Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp)
Speculation surrounding his sexuality intensified in later seasons, particularly after Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard, lashed out at Will for not liking girls.
Fans believed their suspicions were quietly confirmed in season four, when Will broke down in tears while struggling to express his feelings for Mike during one scene.
However, it wasn’t until season five’s episode ‘The Bridge’ that Will finally put it into words, admitting to his friends that he ‘doesn’t like girls’.
The moment, which is one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the entire series, made even more poignant by Noah’s own connection to the storyline, having publicly come out as gay in 2023.
Speaking to Variety, Noah opened up about filming the hard hitting scene and revealed how closely he worked with creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as director Shawn Levy.
When asked when he learned that Will would finally come out, Noah explained: ‘You know that it’s coming. This season, we read the first six episodes together, and I was like “OK, it didn’t happen yet, so it’s going to be in Episode 7 or 8,” which hadn’t been written yet.
He added: ‘So then from January of filming on through the year, I kept texting the Duffers, “Is it done? Did you write it? Is it in 7 or 8? How are you gonna write it?” Eventually, they said they had it, and I read it by the end of the year in August or September.
Noah admitted the script left him overwhelmed with emotion: ‘And I was just in tears. It was perfect.’
Set in the 1980s, Will famously disappeared from his small-town friendship group, who loved playing Dungeons & Dragons and cycling around Hawkins, before becoming trapped in the terrifying Upside Down
Speculation surrounding his sexuality intensified in later seasons, particularly after Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard (seen), lashed out at Will for not liking girls
However, it wasn’t until season five’s episode ‘The Bridge’ that Will finally put it into words, admitting to his friends that he doesn’t like girls
The actor went on to reveal that he had initially worried he might need to help shape the scene himself, but ultimately had no notes for the writers.
He also shared just how demanding filming the scene was, revealing it took a full 12-hour day, and even then, they weren’t finished.
Noah explained that he returned a week later to reshoot parts of the monologue, spending another 12 hours perfecting the emotional moment.
Despite the intensity, he said he deliberately avoided over-rehearsing how the scene should feel.
Instead, he went through his lines morning and night for months, allowing himself to explore the emotions naturally when the cameras finally rolled.
The actor also praised his cast mates for their support throughout the gruelling shoot.
Rather than heading to video village or stepping away between takes, Noah revealed the rest of the cast stayed in position all day, even when they weren’t on camera.
He described the gesture as ‘really special’ and said he would never forget how respectful and supportive they were.
Speaking to Variety, Noah opened up about filming the hard hitting scene and revealed how closely he worked with creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as director Shawn Levy (Matt and Ross Duffer pictured 2017)
When asked when he learned that Will would finally come out, Noah explained: ‘You know that it’s coming. This season, we read the first six episodes together, and I was like “OK, it didn’t happen yet, so it’s going to be in Episode 7 or 8,” which hadn’t been written yet’ (pictured with co-star Winona Ryder)
He added: ‘So then from January of filming on through the year, I kept texting the Duffers, “Is it done? Did you write it? Is it in 7 or 8? How are you gonna write it?” Eventually, they said they had it, and I read it by the end of the year in August or September’ (pictured with co-star Maya Hawke)
Reflecting on the final cut, Noah admitted he was surprised by how the scene was edited.
He explained that actors often don’t realise the power of editing until they see the finished product, but felt the balance struck in Will’s coming out scene was perfect.
The episode shows moments of raw emotion alongside lighter flashes of nostalgia, allowing Will to smile as he reminisces with his friends, rather than simply sobbing throughout.
Noah said he was grateful producers chose that approach, as it gave the scene a lighter feel.
Elsewhere in the interview, Noah discussed the decision to have his character Will say ‘I don’t like girls’ instead of explicitly saying ‘I’m gay’.
He explained that the wording felt more authentic to the 1980s setting, and to Will’s emotional state at the time.
Noah added that when he came out himself in 2023, he didn’t initially use the word gay because it felt scary to say out loud.
He said he could only imagine how much more pressure and fear there would have been in the 1980s, when far more was at stake.
According to Noah, Will is only just coming to terms with his sexuality in front of his friends and is understandably scared, but ultimately reassured by the knowledge that there is nothing wrong with who he is.
Stranger Things’ season five, both volumes one and two, are now streaming on Netflix.
The two-hour series finale — fittingly called ‘The Rightside Up’ — will premiere in select theatres and on Netflix on December 31.
