Stranger Things Star Says Will’s Sexuality Is “Up to the Audience”

Will Byers might not have had much screen time in the first season of Stranger Things, but he played a central part of the narrative, allowing subsequent seasons to explore more about his character. In the most recent season, Finn Wolfhard’s Mike claimed that Will “didn’t like girls” during a tense encounter, igniting speculation that this was confirmation that Will was gay, though Schnapp himself notes that he thinks the character’s sexuality is currently up to the audience to decide. The actor also pointed out that this line doesn’t necessarily mean the character is gay, but could also mean that he was asexual, as his time in the Upside Down stunted his maturity.

“There’s nothing set in stone. It’s kind of up to the audience, and I think the [creators Matt and Ross Duffer] did that on purpose,” Schnapp shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

During the interview, Schnapp also noted that, given the unknown nature of the series, the Duffers weren’t sure there would be more than one season, only for the show to become a major success and one of Netflix’s biggest hits. If reports about the Duffers’ notes for the first season are to be believed, they could provide more evidence about Will’s sexuality.

According to Screen Rant, the original character description reads, “WILL BYERS, twelve, is a sweet, sensitive kid with sexual identity issues. He only recently came to the realization that he does not fit into 1980s definition of ‘normal.’ His innocent choices, such as his colorful clothes, prove a constant source of bullying. Like Mike, Will escapes through fantasy gaming, where he can be himself, uninhibited. He has a close relationship with his mother, Joyce. His brother, Jonathan, helps raise him in lieu of their father, who abandoned them four years ago.”

While this doesn’t confirm the nature of his sexual identity issues, it would cast doubt on the idea that Will isn’t interested in any romantic connection merely because of his time in the Upside Down, but that time may have heightened underlying issues.

Stay tuned for details on Stranger Things.

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