Millie Bobby Brown and the Stranger Things Cast Respond to Fan Theories on Will’s Sexuality
The cast of Stranger Things has addressed speculation on character Will Byers’ sexuality following theories that he is in love with his best friend Mike Wheeler.
“I feel like they never really address it or blatantly say how Will is,” actor Noah Schnapp said of his character in a recent interview with Variety. “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.”
While Will’s sexuality has never been explicity mentioned in the show’s fourth season, the character does celebrate gay mathematician Alan Turing as his hero during a school project in one episode.
Will is also envious of Mike’s relationship with Millie Bobby Brown’s character Eleven throughout the season, and at one point shares his fears of opening up.
“Sometimes, I think it’s just scary, to open up like that — to say how you really feel, especially to people you care about the most,” Will says in the fourth episode of the latest season . “Because what if — what if they don’t like the truth?”
Speaking to Variety, Brown similarly said that Will’s sexuality does not have to be overtly stated on the series for it to be meaningful.
“Can I just say, it’s 2022 and we don’t have to label things,” she said. “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.”
Schnapp went on to note that young adults and teenagers are often still figuring things out, adding, “He’s just confused and growing up. And that’s what it is to be a kid.”
“Will is kind of like a zebra in a field of horses,” Schnapp added. “He kind of stands out. It’s just nice to see that and have that shown on ‘Stranger Things’ for fans to connect to and be able to relate to. Because so many of our viewers are young kids who are at that stage in their life.”
David Harbour, however, seems to think it’s pretty clear that Will has feelings for someone in his friend group.
View this post on Instagram
“If you’ve been watching the show, you should know that Will is not interested in El. He’s interested in someone else in the group.” Harbour said in a May 23 promo for Netflix Mexico, later adding, “Will wants to be in the basement with Mike playing D&D for the rest of his life.”
Watch the Season 4 trailer above, via YouTube.
