Noah Schnapp plays Will Byers in Stranger Things. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty)
Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp has addressed speculation that his character Will Byers is LGBT+.
Season three of the hit Netflix show introduced Robin (Maya Hawke), its first character confirmed to be queer, but other details in Stranger Things 3 had fans hypothesising that Will could be gay or asexual.
In the third episode Mike says to Will: “It’s not our fault you don’t like girls.” The line is said during an argument, as they squabble over Mike wanting to be spend less time playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends and more time with Eleven.
One person wrote on Twitter: “Will Byers really captures the gay teen experience, I was exactly as shut off and dejected in school when my friends started talking incessantly about boys and I didn’t even have the added trauma of having been taken to the brink of death by monsters.”
the way the writers AND the actors of stranger things bent over backwards to try and make “it’s not my fault u don’t like girls” mean anything other than 🚨WILL BYERS EXTREMELY GAY🚨
— tired boy™ (@sylvarants) February 25, 2020
will byers really captures the gay teen experience, I was exactly as shut off and dejected in school when my friends started talking incessantly about boys and I didn’t even have the added trauma of having been taken to the brink of death by monsters
— rosie 🖖🏻 (@GRANDHlGHWITCH) July 4, 2019
However, Mike’s statement combined with a moment in the first episode when Will tells his mother Joyce that he’s “not gonna fall in love”, had others suspecting he might be asexual.
(banging pots and pans) WILL BYERS IS ACE WILL BYERS IS ACE WILL BYERS IS ACE WILL BYERS IS ACE WILL BYERS I
— bee has a crush on zab (@admsprrsh) July 29, 2019
Am I the only one that got really excited when I thought Will Byers was going to be Ace/ Aro. Part of me really hopes they keep it that way because it was kinda nice to see.
— Claire met Smosh (@SaucylilOcelot) October 31, 2019
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Noah Schnapp who plays Will in Stranger Things, addressed the rumours.
He said: “There’s nothing set in stone. It’s kind of up to the audience, and I think the Duffers [the brothers who created the show] did that on purpose.
“Some people perceive it as Will could be gay, asexual or whatever.
“Or, like how I see it, he was stuck in the Upside Down, and he was away for so long that all of his friends started growing up while he was in this other world.
“When he came back, everyone was all grown up, and he was still a little kid who still wanted to do little kid things like play D&D.
“He wasn’t ready to face this maturity and get into relationships. So, I think that’s what Will is going through right now.”
As for the fourth season, Schnapp added: “I read the first four scripts, and they are amazing. I can’t wait to see where they go with the rest of the season.”