Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard Reacts to Noah Schnapp Coming Out

Byler forever! Finn Wolfhard heard about his Stranger Things costar Noah Schnapp coming out as gay — and he couldn’t happier for him. 

“When I saw it, I just had a big smile on my face,” Wolfhard, 20, told GQ in an interview published on Wednesday, February 1. “I was just really proud of him.”  

Both the Ghostbusters: Afterlife star and Schnapp, 18, have starred as Mike Wheeler and Will Byers, respectively, on the hit Netflix series since it premiered in July 2016. While the twosome are best pals on screen — with fans speculating that Will may have romantic feelings for his BFF — Wolfhard explained that the cast’s real-life dynamic is a little more familial. 

“We’re not on everyday text vibes in any way, and not because … Do you text your cousins every day? Probably not. They’re our family,” the It actor told the outlet. “We’ll talk on each other’s birthdays. We’ll talk once in a while. But in the same way that family works, if I ever needed anything, they’re there.”

The sci-fi adventure is currently gearing up for season 5, which will be the final installment before the show comes to an epic conclusion. While the actors wait for the scripts to be written and shooting to begin, Wolfhard told GQ that everyone is “on their own quests in real life,” much like their character counterparts. 

For Schnapp, that means attending the University of Pennsylvania and publicly defining his sexuality. Earlier this month, the New York native took to social media to reveal that he was a member of the LGBTQ+ community via a TIkTok video. 

In the clip, Schnapp posted footage of himself lip-synching to a woman saying, “You know what it never was? That serious,” with a text overlay reading, “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.’”

In a caption, the Bridge of Spies star added, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought,” referring to his Stranger Things character. 

While speculation that Will is queer began in season 1, the Abe actor confirmed the teen is gay and in love with Wolfhard’s Mike — who is currently dating Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) — after the season 4 premiere in May 2022.

“It’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike,” he told Variety in July 2022. “All his friends, they all have girlfriends and they all fit into their different clubs. Will has never really found anywhere to fit in. 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.”

Schnapp added that he made an intentional choice to have Will slowly come to terms with his sexuality over the course of the story.  “Now it’s 100 percent clear that he is gay and he does love Mike,” he explained. “But before, it was a slow arc. I think it is done so beautifully because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay.”