‘Stranger Things’ Star Confirms Will Is Gay and Loves Mike

Stranger Things‘ Will Byers is gay.

In a new interview with Variety, Noah Schnapp revealed that one of the most popular Stranger Things fan theories circulating the Internet is true. His character does, in fact, have romantic feelings for Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).

Schnapp:

“I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike.They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in Season 1, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline. I think for Season 4, it was just me playing this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong. Will has always felt like that. 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.”

Will’s potential homosexuality and feelings for Mike have been the subject of fan speculation for quite some time, though Schnapp’s remarks are a departure from his previous comments. The actor previously refused to give fans a definitive answer, saying that Will’s sexuality was up for interpretation.

“I think that’s the beauty of it, that it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation, if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends, or if he is really gay,” he said. “I find that people do reach to put a label on him and just want to know, so badly, like, ‘Oh, and this is it.’ He’s just confused and growing up. And that’s what it is to be a kid.”

All episodes of Stranger Things 4 are now streaming on Netflix.