Stranger Things: The Emotional Journey Behind Will Byers’ Coming Out Scene

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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things, season 5, Volume 2.

Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things, were quite anxious about filming a key scene involving Will Byers in the seventh episode of season 5. This scene, where Will comes out to his friends and reveals he doesn’t like girls, was one of the biggest moments in the second volume of the season and took place with many of the show’s main characters present.

This scene was a huge moment for the character, something fans had anticipated for years, and it carried a lot of emotional weight. In an interview with ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley, the Duffer brothers admitted it was a particularly stressful scene to film.

Okay, so I have to say, this show is amazing – the action is incredible, but it’s the emotional moments that really get to me. I was seriously crying at my kitchen table while watching Noah’s monologue in episode seven! It was so powerful. I’m really curious about how that day on set went with almost the whole cast there. Did you get it in one take? How long did it take to film? And I have to ask about the line, “I don’t like girls.” That felt like a really deliberate choice, and I’m wondering about the thinking behind it.

That scene took us longer to write than anything else this season – we were really feeling the pressure! We’d been hinting at it for a while, so we spent a lot of time getting it right. Filming took a whole day because of our big cast, and we needed to capture everyone’s reactions. We started with Noah, letting him guide when he was ready. We did a wide shot first to ease into it, then immediately moved to his close-up. Surprisingly, most of what you see in the final cut was from the very first take. He really lost himself in the moment, and it felt incredibly authentic and genuine.

We were blown away by his amazing performance. Thankfully, the camera quality was excellent and everything was clear – we really needed a good take, and that’s the one we used. Poor Noah had to perform repeatedly, and he consistently delivered, all day long, so the other actors could react naturally. They were all very supportive too, staying present and encouraging him even when they weren’t actively filming.

The creators, the Duffer brothers, clearly understood the importance of this scene and wanted to make sure it was perfect for the show. Given the number of big moments in this final season – and with the finale still to come – the fact that this particular scene took the longest to write really stands out.

The scene clearly benefited from careful writing and consideration, particularly in Will’s lines. It feels genuinely emotional and real, and Noah Schnapp’s performance beautifully captures that, as the Duffer brothers intended. Knowing the background of this scene makes it even more powerful.

Will came out to a large group of people, many of whom he didn’t know well, which meant reactions were unpredictable. And because Stranger Things takes place in the 1980s, it’s important to remember that acceptance of LGBTQ+ people wasn’t as widespread then as it is today.

The warm, supportive atmosphere the creators described on set really comes through in the scene. Even though not everyone has a lot of dialogue, it’s clear that Will is surrounded by love and acceptance from his friends and family.

It was a remarkable achievement, especially considering Will’s journey of self-discovery had been unfolding throughout the show’s five seasons – almost a decade, given the time between releases. Creating a scene with so much emotional weight and history behind it couldn’t have been simple.

Fortunately, the creators of the show, the Duffers, and the actors all did a great job, resulting in a coming-out scene for Will that was genuinely moving, realistic, and kind.

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2025-12-26 22:19