"We've come far": Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp shares his feelings about encountering a young Will Byers 

The fifth season of Stranger Things pushes Noah Schnapp's Will Byers into the spotlight, as the first volume ends with a major cliffhanger that fans have been dissecting ever since it's release. Along with Schnapp's Byers, there are two more actors who play the characters in different ages, with Luke Kokotek playing 12-year-old Will and Miles Marthaller playing a kindergarten version of Will.

The actor spoke to Jimmy Fallon about what it was like to work with the younger versions of him, as he got to step into the directors' shoes while working alongside the Duffer Brothers to give his own creative input about Will's arc on the final season of Stranger Things. Speaking to Fallon, the actor revealed,

"It's cool because I, for the first time, I got to kind of step into the director's shoes that I've always wanted to try out. And the Duffers were very kind of willing to let me work. And they were like, okay, it's up to you. Figure it out with the kid."

He then talked about how nostalgic it was to work with the younger actors as he added,

"It was a little kid who was my height, like, my stature. And I was like, oh, wow. Like, it's been 10 years. Like, that moment was like, oh we've come far. Yeah. But he was adorable. He's the cutest little kid."

More details about Stranger Things

The final chapter Stranger Things arrived on Netflix, closing out the saga with eight episodes rolled out in three drops. Set in the fall of 1987, the final season picks up with Hawkins reeling after the Rifts tore the world open. The group makes it their mission to track down and eliminate Vecna, only to face a fresh complication when the military storms into town with Eleven in its sights. As the anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance looms, the stakes rise again and the friends brace for one last confrontation with a threat unlike anything they have faced.

The first volume of the fifth season ended on quite a cliffhanger as it linked back to Will’s earliest trauma in the Upside Down. The season uncovers how Vecna fused their minds years ago by attaching a tentacle to Will’s mouth, a grotesque act mirrored in the present with other children. That bond means Will feels every ripple of Vecna’s presence, often violently.

Trending

When Vecna overpowers Will at the barracks, he stands on the edge of understanding something far bigger than himself, right as Vecna begins to explain why Will was targeted in the first place.

The first episodes of the first volume of Stranger Things landed on November 26, 2025, the next volume arrives on December 25, with the finale dropping on December 31 on Netflix.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback