Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp has revealed that his character in the hit Netflix show helped him with his own coming out.
Noah, best known for playing Will Byers in the award-winning sci-fi drama, shared with his fans that he is gay in a TikTok video posted in January.
In a new interview for Variety’s Power Of Young Hollywood issue, the 18-year-old explained that embracing his character’s sexuality – which had long been the subject of speculation among Stranger Things fans – helped him with his own self-acceptance.
“Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,” he explained.
“I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray, and to embrace and help me accept myself. I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.”
Noah began playing Will Byers when he was in his early teens, and has also voiced Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie and played the lead in the war drama Waiting For Anya.
In the caption of his coming out video, he told his followers: “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’.”
“I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought,” he joked.
Noah also told Variety that he posted the video during a long car journey, adding: “When I opened my phone at the end of the car ride, it was, like, a thousand texts of hearts and congratulations and rainbow flags.
“I was crying. I was like, ‘I made it. I’m done. I don’t have to worry’.”
Last year, it was announced that the upcoming fifth season of Stranger Things would be the last, although production is currently on ice due to the ongoing strikes in Hollywood.