12-year-old 'Stranger Things' star has a very grown-up response to rumours his character is gay

Since smash hit sci-fi series Stranger Things premiered on Netflix earlier this summer, many fans have speculated about the sexuality of two of the show’s young central characters ‘Barb’ Holland (played by Shannon Purser), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp).

On Sunday (October 16), 12-year-old Schnapp decided to give his two cents on the rumours that Will might be gay, and showed maturity well beyond his young years in a thoughtful and insightful Instagram post which praised the ambiguity of the show’s writing and questioned stereotypes surrounding LGBT people.

“So I thought it would be time to jump into the conversation,” the young actor told his half a million followers as he shared an image of an exchange between two fans discussing the show’s possible LGBT subtext. “I’ve been reading stuff for a while. I think everyone here is missing the point.”

He continued: “An author called Gary Schmidt came to speak at our school this week and he said that good stories aren’t supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it. A good book, or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think. Which is what you are all doing.

“For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. Stranger Things is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different.

“Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay?

“I’m only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that’s why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out! #dufferbrothers.”

So I thought it would be time to jump into the conversation. I’ve been reading stuff for a while. I think everyone here is missing the point. An author called Gary Schmidt came to speak at our school this week and he said that good stories aren’t supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it. A good book, or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think. Which is what you are all doing. For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. Stranger Things is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different. Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay? I’m only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that’s why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out! #dufferbrothers ❤️❤️

A photo posted by Noah Schnapp (@noahschnapp) on Oct 16, 2016 at 9:22am PDT

Stranger Things

season 2 is set to air in 2017 on Netflix.

12-year-old ‘Stranger Things’ star has a very grown-up response to rumours his character is gay

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