‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Vol 2: Noah Schnapp Says He Spent 24 Hours on Will’s Emotional Key Scene

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Noah Schnapp discussed filming a particularly emotional scene for his character, Will Byers, in the final part of “Stranger Things” Season 5. In the episode, “The Bridge,” Will comes out to his friends, telling them, “I don’t like girls,” which was a significant moment for the character.

Finn Wolfhard told Variety that shooting the monologue was a grueling process, requiring a full day of filming followed by another full day of reshoots.

Finn Wolfhard said he knew a particular scene was planned, but he didn’t see the full script until late in filming. He described reading it in August or September and being deeply moved. “It was perfect,” he said, adding that the writing was so strong he didn’t feel the need to suggest any changes.

The scene was filmed with the entire cast present, including Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, and Maya Hawke. Noah Schnapp shared that he was so caught up in the moment and his feelings that he hardly realized who else was there.

He explained he felt pressured because the whole cast was watching him perform. Director Shawn Levy also confirmed that the reactions filmed were real and not acted.

Finn Wolfhard described the filming process as both draining and satisfying. He explained that one particular monologue took a full 12-hour day to film, and they even had to return a week later for another 12 hours of reshoots. Wolfhard spent months preparing, initially practicing the lines robotically to learn them, and then focusing on the emotional aspects during filming. He also thanked his co-star, Maya Hawke, for helping him with the lines and his performance.

Finn Wolfhard being able to film multiple takes gave him the freedom to experiment with different acting choices. He remembered wondering whether to begin with the close-up shot or save it for later. “I made a quick decision to just start with the close-up right away because I felt prepared and eager to begin,” he explained. “And that first take ended up being the most important part of the scene. It felt authentic and genuine, and I’m happy I went with that approach.”

As a big fan, I really appreciated how the final cut of the scene handled the emotional weight. It would have been easy to just have the character break down completely, but I was so glad they balanced the sadness with little moments of him smiling while remembering things. It actually made the impact of the scene stronger – seeing those glimmers of happiness amidst the pain felt incredibly real and moving.

Schnapp explained why Will doesn’t directly say he’s gay, instead saying, “I don’t like girls.” He pointed out it was the 1980s, and openly saying “gay” was much more difficult and frightening than it is today. Schnapp shared that he himself didn’t use the word ‘gay’ when he came out, and imagines Will would have felt immense pressure and risk in expressing his feelings to his friends.

This scene provides a satisfying conclusion to Will’s story and showcases how much Noah Schnapp has grown as an actor over the past decade. Schnapp’s own coming-out experience in 2023 added a powerful layer of honesty to his performance, making the monologue particularly genuine and emotional.

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2025-12-26 19:15