Noah Schnapp has recalled being asked if he was gay by "prying" journalists when he was only 12 years old. The Stranger Things actor, who is now 21, reflected on the challenges of growing up in the spotlight in an interview with Time, recalling how he struggled during press tours as reporters kept asking about his and his character Will Byers' sexuality. "When I was younger, I was obviously very scared of talking about it," he told the publication. "They would pry and ask me, 'Is he gay? Are you gay?' I was 12, 13. I didn't know what to say." The questions about his sexuality became more frequent when it was revealed in 2022's season four that Will had feelings for his friend Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard. Schnapp later confirmed to Variety that Will was gay. In January 2023, months after the fourth season aired, Schnapp came out as gay, writing on social media at the time, "I guess I'm more similar to Will than I thought." The Peanuts Movie actor later told Variety that playing a gay character on-screen helped him accept his own sexuality. "Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself," Schnapp said. "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." Before filming the fifth and final season, Schnapp told the publication that his approach to playing Will "might be a little different". "Knowing all of that about myself and being able to invest that in my character, I'm honestly just excited," he added. Stranger Things season five will premiere on Netflix on 26 November.