Noah Schnapp says, his 'Stranger Things' character helped him come out as gay

Los Angeles, Aug 8 (IANS) Noah Schnapp is grateful that his 'Stranger Things' character has helped him come out as gay, as the actor much like his character in the series was unsure of how to tackle the subject.

In an interview with Variety, Schnapp opened up about how having his 'Stranger Things' character Will Byers embrace his sexuality in the series also allowed him to do the same. The 18-year-old actor said he kept putting off posting a video announcement he had shot on his phone.

His closest friends kept texting him: “When are you going to post it? I want to see the world’s reaction!” Schnapp kept replying: “No, I’m not ready. I’m not ready. I’m not ready.”

But on January 5, after his family dropped off his twin sister, Chloe, at college in Boston, he felt ready. As they started the hours-long drive back to their home in Westchester, N.Y., he posted the eight-second video to more than 31 million followers on TikTok. "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know'."

"Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself," said Schnapp. "I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray, and to embrace and help me accept myself."

Schnapp, founder of TBH, a hazelnut spread, admitted: "I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted."

Though Schnapp initially was hesitant to confront his sexuality and address it with the world, publicly confirming that his character was gay helped shift his perspective.

"It kind of blew up in the press, and everyone was like, 'Oh, Will’s gay! Hooray!' " he recalled. "I saw all these comments on Instagram and TikTok. There was not one bad thing about him being gay. I was like, 'If he has all this support, then why should I worry about anything?' "

Since sharing his truth, Schnapp was able to celebrate his first Pride Month in New York City. He shared a glimpse of his celebrations on Instagram, including photos of him rocking a rainbow-coloured "Straight Out of the Closet" T-shirt.

"First pride," he captioned the post.

Discussing the upcoming fifth and final season of ‘Stranger Things’, Schnapp says he believes the way he acts "might be a little different" now that he is out.

"I will be fully aware of who I am," he explained to Variety. "Knowing all of that about myself and being able to invest that in my character, I’m honestly just excited."

Since his revelation, the actor has fully embraced his gay identity and has hoped that his own journey will help those who feel 'closeted' or feel 'uncertain' about their own sexuality.

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