Every streaming service has its own hit shows, but Stranger Things is more than just one of the best Netflix shows to binge. Those with a Netflix subscription have been treated to a truly epic sci-fi series and watched as the young cast grew up before our eyes. And while plenty of them have gone on to great things, especially Eleven/Jane breakout star Millie Bobby Brown, looking back, I don’t think that Noah Schnapp got enough credit for playing Will Byers.
While Stranger Things Season 5 marks the end of the series, I recently took the time to go back and re-watch the early seasons. After all the years that have gone by, I’d forgotten some of the details that got us to this point. And on the re-watch I was taken by just how fiercely committed and heartbreaking Schnapp was as Will, particularly in Season 2.
I Feel Like Noah Schnapp Didn’t Get His Flowers In The Early Days
Will Byers’ disappearance in Season 1 is what kicks Stranger Things off, and that moment came full circle in Season 5’s first five minutes. While his time in the Upside Down kept him from too much screen time in the first season, Noah Schnapp became a series regular starting in Season 2. And it’s one of my favorite performances of that batch of episodes.
Will’s trauma is a big plot line in Stranger Things Season 2, and the ongoing visions he has of the Upside Down. In these early episodes, your heart truly breaks for the character, in large part to Schnapp’s emotional work. And once Will ends up being possessed by the Mind Flayer, the actor takes things even further, with moments that harken back to some of the best horror movies like The Exorcist.
Schnapp has given some heartbreaking performances in later seasons, like that infamous crying scene in the back of the car. But the way he was able to do such emotional and physical work in his early days was super impressive on the re-watch.
He Hasn’t Gotten The Same Attention As Other Cast Members
While Will Byers’ story is key to the show overall, I feel like Noah Schnapp’s performance wasn’t as celebrated as some of his peers in the early days. Millie Bobby Brown instantly became a household name, leading franchises like Enola Holmes and Godzilla, while also starring in projects like Damsel and The Electric State. Meanwhile, Finn Wolfhard has done a ton of film work and is even a director himself. Gaten Matarazzo returned to Broadway with notable performances in Dear Evan Hansen and Sweeney Todd, while Sadie Sink has also appeared on Broadway, as well as in movies like Fear Street.
I’m not saying that Schnapp hasn’t also been working, as he’s got notable roles in projects like Hubie Halloween and voicing Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie. I just think he was pretty remarkable, especially in Stranger Things Season 2, but folks might not necessarily remember.
Stranger Things is available exclusively on Netflix, with Season 5 being released in three chunks as part of the 2025 TV schedule. This release strategy was seemingly to stop fans from flying through the entire final season, and allow the show to be water cooler talk during the Holiday Season.
