Finn Wolfhard Is 'Really Proud' Of 'Stranger Things' Co-Star Noah Schnapp For Coming Out As Gay

"Stranger Things" star Finn Wolfhard recently revealed that he felt very proud of his co-star, Noah Schnapp, after the actor came out as gay. Wolfhard began starring in the Netflix series, "Stranger Things" at 13 as Mike Wheeler, while Schnapp got his role at 11 as Will Byers.

January saw Schnapp inform the public that he is gay while describing how his family reacted to his coming out. The actor's character Byers has also been assumed to be gay by fans; however, it was not explicitly revealed until the end of the fourth season. Fans have since criticized the series for not disclosing it sooner.

Read on to learn more.

Talking to GQ in a recent interview, Wolfhard said that he was proud of Schnapp for coming out as gay. The "Stranger Things" star came out as gay to many TikTok followers in early January via a video on the platform.

Speaking about the moment Schnapp came out, Wolfhard said, "When I saw it, I just had a big smile on my face. I was just really proud of him." During the interview, the actor also talked about his relationship with Schnapp and his other "Stranger Things" co-stars.

The "When You Finish Saving the World" star also said that the cast of "Stranger Things" mostly acted like family and did not necessarily talk to each other every day. Wolfhard added that "everyone's on their own quests in real life" and trying to figure out the next chapters in their acting careers.

"We're not on everyday-text vibes in any way, and not because… it's like. Do you text your cousins every day? Probably not. They're our family. We'll talk on each other's birthdays. We'll talk once in a while," Wolfhard said. "But in the same way that family works, if I ever needed anything, they're there."

In early January, Schnapp came out as gay to his fans in the most unconventional way. The actor took to TikTok to write about what it felt like coming out as gay to his friends and family. In doing so, he came out to the public.

The on-screen caption of the post read, "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.'" The actual video showed Schnapp lip-syncing to a TikTok saying, "It was never that serious."

The "Stranger Things" actor compared himself to his character in the Netflix series, Byers. Earlier on, Byers was revealed to be gay and harboring feelings for Wolfhard's character, Wheeler. Schnapp captioned the post, "I guess I'm more similar to Will than I thought."

In July 2022, Schnapp spoke to Variety and shed light on the sexual orientation of his character Byers in "Stranger Things." He stated that although it was hinted at in the show's first season, the showrunners made it very clear towards the end of the latest season that he was gay and in love with Wheeler, Wolfhard's character.

"Obviously, 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?'" the actor explained. "Now that he's gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it's 100% clear that he is gay, and he does love Mike."

The "Stranger Things" star also said that a significant part of his character in the series required a lot of time to unpack, mainly because of how complicated the space was in real life, especially for people who wanted to avoid labeling. "But before, it was a slow arc," Schnapp said. "I think it is done so beautifully because it's so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay."

The "Abe" actor also talked about taking up Byers' role, especially as a young actor. Schnapp revealed that while it was challenging, he also saw it as a fun experience. "I think it's all just part of the challenge of acting," he disclosed.

"Like, yes, it has been a challenge, but I think it's just been fun to be able to step into his shoes. Because I really have to take into account, like, this isn't just a single layer thing of he's struggling with coming out," the actor continued.

Schnapp noted that Byers suffered a lot of trauma in the series, starting from a lack of acknowledgment from his friends to being afraid to come out and risk nonacceptance from them. "There's all these things running in his mind. So I kind of just have to make sure that I'm conveying the depth of all his traumas."