Stranger Things: Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown call out need to ‘label’ Will’s sexuality

Stranger Things stars Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown have poured cold water on fan speculation surrounding the sexuality of character Will Byers.

Since the third season of the Netflix show, fans have discussed their theory that Will might be gay and is struggling to come out, after developing feelings for his best friend Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).

The speculation has only intensified with the fourth season, released last week, following several scenes that hinted this may be the case.

While Wolfhard seemingly agreed that Will “loves” Mike in a recent interview, Schnapp, who plays Will, isn’t so sure.

Speaking about how series creators the Duffer brothers are dealing with the potential reveal, Schnapp told Variety: “I feel like they never really address it or blatantly say how Will is. 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.”

Brown, who plays Eleven, continued: “Can I just say, it’s 2022 and we don’t have to label things.

“I think what’s really nice about Will’s character is that he’s just a human being going through his own personal demons and issues. So many kids out there don’t know, and that’s OK. That’s OK to not know. And that’s OK not to label things.”

Scnapp then added: “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.”

In season four, Will is shown being upset with Mike for not staying in touch after he moved to California. He is also shown to recoil when a girl flits with him in class, where he is doing a project on Alan Turing,

Turing is the mathematician and computer scientist who helped to break a number of German ciphers during the war. He was later persecuted for being gay in 1952.

In other recent Stranger Things news, actor Charlie Heaton addressed fan complaints that his character Jonathan, along with Mike and Will, have been “sidelined” in the new season.

Meanwhile, Brown has been defended after a bizarre series of memes misattributing homophobic quotes to her resurfaced online.

Stranger Things season four is available to stream on Netflix now. Read The Independent’s review here.