Stranger Things Season 5: Duffer Brothers React to Will’s Coming Out

by

Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer weren’t quite ready for some strange reactions.

The creators of the popular Netflix series Stranger Things recently addressed the criticism the show received after Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, came out as gay in the final season.

Matt explained to Variety in an interview published January 1st that they weren’t surprised by the homophobic backlash. They said it was something they’d been working towards for a long time, adding with a laugh, “Ross and I aren’t known for being subtle!”

Matt and Ross emphasized that the scene had been years in the making, something they’d been working towards for nine seasons. Ross explained it was a crucial moment, not only for the overall story and its themes, but also for the character Noah’s development.

According to the characters, Will, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) needed to truly understand and accept themselves – particularly Will – in order to overcome the villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the latest season closely, and it’s fascinating to see how the character Will’s personal journey is central to everything. According to the creators, the first part of the season really focuses on self-acceptance – it’s the foundational step, the very first thing Will needs to overcome to ultimately help defeat Vecna. He’s truly the key, and his inner work is what drives the whole story forward.

The second step involves the character deciding to come out as gay and then working out how to do so. According to Matt, this is a crucial, final step for the character, and finding the courage to take it is a defiant act against Vecna – that was the goal of the storyline.

Ross expressed his pride in the episode and a particular scene, highlighting Noah’s courageous and emotionally open performance.

This scene was the most challenging for the brothers to write, as they wanted to ensure every detail was perfect. Matt explained that the scene felt particularly emotional because it resonated deeply with Noah, who publicly came out as gay in 2023.

Matt explained they wanted to ensure the actor felt good about the scene. They were relieved when he did, and Matt has been in frequent contact with him since it aired. The actor is now very pleased with how it turned out, and the team shares his pride.

As for Noah, the 21-year-old was fully prepared to offer his insight for the scene.

He told Variety in December that he’d been concerned he might have to ask for changes, but everything turned out great. He said he didn’t have any feedback or requests for adjustments.

“I was just in tears,” he added. “It was perfect.”

Want to learn all the hidden details and stories from the five seasons of Stranger Things? Then keep reading!

Before creating Stranger Things, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer worked on M. Night Shyamalan’s TV series Wayward Pines. Their initial idea for the show was actually called Montauk.

Matt explained to The Daily Beast in 2016 that once you’ve become fixated on a title, it’s extremely difficult to convince others to consider something different. He said that when they first proposed Stranger Things, it was a struggle to get people on board with it.

The creators of the show originally wanted to film on Long Island, but it turned out to be too difficult to do so.

Matt told The Hollywood Reporter they chose Montauk because of its beautiful seaside location, its connection to the setting of Jaws – which he called his favorite movie – and the idea of filming there seemed really exciting. However, he quickly realized shooting on Long Island during the winter would be both unpleasant and too costly.

Atlanta ultimately became the home base for production.

I was absolutely shocked to learn that nearly 20 networks turned down the show before Netflix took a chance on it! Apparently, executives didn’t think viewers would connect with a series led by a group of kids. It just goes to show how much they underestimated the power of these young actors and the story – thank goodness Netflix saw the potential!

4. To play Eleven, then 12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown had to say goodbye to her hair.

In 2018, at PaleyFest, the actress described shaving her head as the most liberating experience of her life. She explained that letting go of her hair felt like revealing her true self, as she could no longer hide behind it. Looking in the mirror, she felt a responsibility to inspire others, realizing that beauty has nothing to do with hair.

She found inspiration for her role in both Charlize Theron’s performance in Mad Max: Fury Road and old yearbook pictures of her fellow actress, Winona Ryder.

She mentioned that Winona Ryder’s short, pixie cut was really stylish years ago, and it inspired her to try the look herself!

The British actress shared a surprising secret to nailing her American accent: she studied Miley Cyrus’s performance in Hannah Montana. She told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that she found the show – and everything about it – incredibly helpful in perfecting the accent.

The Duffer brothers used scenes from the movie Stand By Me when auditioning young actors to find the four main child stars for their show.

The brothers had a specific vision for the character of Mike. However, their idea changed after Finn Wolfhard’s audition.

Matt explained to The Daily Beast in 2016 that Mike initially reminded him of the character Mikey from The Goonies. However, Finn Wolfhard brought a nervous, energetic quality to the audition, so they tailored the character to fit his personality.

Gaten Matarazzo, who played Dustin, also had a big impact on the show’s development. According to Matt, they initially envisioned Dustin as a typical “nerd” character, but after meeting Gaten, they rewrote the part to better suit his talents and personality.

After the show became popular, sales of Eggo waffles jumped significantly, thanks to Eleven’s love for them. Kellogg’s reported a 14 percent increase in consumption in late 2017, following the release of the second season. October of that year also saw a record number of social media mentions for the product.

In early 2018, David Harbour became an internet sensation after agreeing to a fan’s unusual request: to take her senior portraits with her. It started when the fan tweeted asking him to do her photos if she got 25,000 retweets. Harbour responded that he would, with the added condition of wearing the school sweatshirt and holding a trombone. True to his promise, he followed through and took the photos.

He jokingly predicted on Instagram that, 24 years later, he’d be known for crashing someone else’s high school senior photos.

Later that year, Harbour playfully offered to marry a fan if they could get 125,000 retweets and promised him the first piece of wedding cake. He became officially ordained and ended up performing the ceremony dressed as his character, Chief Hopper.

Fans often speculated that Eleven might be Hopper’s biological daughter, but he ultimately became a father figure to her. A touching detail in the season two finale revealed Eleven wearing a blue braided bracelet – a meaningful accessory Hopper always wore, crafted from a ribbon belonging to his deceased daughter – at her school dance.

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, revealed that her character’s first kiss with Mike in season one was also her very first kiss in real life. She described it as a bizarre experience, explaining that being watched by around 250 people while kissing someone was overwhelming.

She shared what her co-star secretly told her right before they had to kiss for a second time on the show.

She recalled that he told her he was about to kiss her, explaining, “He said, ‘I’m coming in,’ but he said it like a ventriloquist – it was so strange!” during a 2017 interview on The Tonight Show.

I’ve been a fan of Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton – Nancy and Jonathan from the show – for ages! It’s so sweet that they actually started dating back in 2016, but they’re really private people and don’t share much about their relationship, which I totally respect.

Natalia explained to Refinery 29 that she values keeping her personal life – especially relationships with family and friends – private. However, she also shared that collaborating with someone you know well can be enjoyable, saying, ‘It’s always really fun.’

Surprisingly, Joe Keery’s character, Steve Harrington, wasn’t originally meant to survive the first season of the show.

According to Ross, they quickly grew fond of actor Joe Keery during the first season of the show. This affection led them to create a storyline where his character, Steve, teams up with Jonathan and Nancy to help resolve the central conflict. Originally, Steve was intended to be a stereotypical, unpleasant athlete, but Keery brought much more depth to the role.

18. Also slated to perish was Eleven. Yes, really. 

In the book Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, Ross Duffer explained that the original plan was for Eleven to sacrifice herself to save everyone. However, when they started considering the possibility of more seasons, they decided against a definitive ending for her. They realized the show wouldn’t work without Eleven, and they knew Millie Bobby Brown was a special talent. So, if Stranger Things continued, Eleven needed to survive.

The seventh episode of the second season, called “The Lost Sister,” nearly didn’t air. The Duffer brothers, in an interview with Vulture, explained they worried the episode—which focuses on Eleven’s search for another child with similar experiences—would disrupt the show’s flow.

Matt explained that as they started writing the episode, they questioned whether it was even necessary. They seriously considered cutting it entirely, but the planned ending involving Eleven didn’t work without it. Ultimately, they decided the episode was essential to make the ending effective.

20. Eleven’s sibling was written to be a boy, with the episode originally titled “The Lost Brother.” 

Once the audition was open to all young actresses, Linnea Berthelsen won the role. The episode then showed Eleven meeting her “sister,” Kali. According to Matt, Linnea and Millie (who plays Eleven) had a strong connection, and Millie specifically requested to work with Linnea.

Nicola Coughlan, the actress known for her role in Bridgerton, originally tried out for the part of Robin. However, she later landed the role of Penelope Featherington. Maya Hawke ended up getting the role of Robin, and Nicola said Hawke was much more suited for it than she would have been.

She explained that actors can learn a lot by looking at roles they didn’t land. It helps them realize rejection isn’t personal – everyone is simply better suited for certain parts than others.

Before landing the role of Sarah on the Netflix series Outer Banks, Madelyn Cline played the character Tina, a popular but unkind student at Hawkins High, in season two of the show.

To land the role of Billy, the rebellious older stepbrother of Max (played by Sadie Sink), Australian actor Dacre Montgomery created a memorable audition tape. He told GQ he aimed to really impress the Duffer brothers with it, and wasn’t afraid to be a little edgy.

Dacre took a big risk to land a role: he filmed himself dancing in a G-string to 80s hits like “Come on Eileen” and “Hungry Like the Wolf.” He was worried about sending the video, thinking it could end his career or, hopefully, show someone a different side of him and get him an opportunity. Luckily, the gamble worked out.

As the show entered its third season, Deadline reported significant pay raises for the cast. The younger actors saw their per-episode salary jump from around $30,000 to over $200,000, and potentially as high as $250,000. Winona Ryder and David Harbour were each earning approximately $300,000 to $350,000 per episode, while Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton were making between $100,000 and $150,000.

Oh my gosh, Priah Ferguson as Erica is EVERYTHING! They originally only planned for her to be in one episode back in season two, can you believe it?! She’s Lucas’ little sister and just instantly stole every scene she was in. The Duffer Brothers clearly saw what we all did – she’s amazing! – and kept writing her more and more stuff to do. That’s why they made her a main character starting in season three! Seriously, she’s the best part of the show, I’m so glad they realized it!

Because the young actors were still growing during filming, the costume designers had a hard time making sure their clothes fit consistently from scene to scene.

As a lifestyle expert working on set, you wouldn’t believe the challenges we face! We had one young actor who was growing so fast – practically half a shoe size every three weeks! It was a constant scramble to keep him fitted. What I ended up doing was sourcing classic brands that consistently made the same style in a wide range of sizes. We’d stock up, buying five pairs at a time, so we’d always have a backup when a growth spurt hit. It saved us so much time and stress!

The Duffer brothers drew inspiration from films like The Goonies, E.T., and Stand By Me, but they made sure their references weren’t too obvious.

When we initially presented the project to Netflix, we created a lengthy, two-and-a-half-minute trailer. It combined clips and ideas from about 20 to 30 films to give a sense of the Stranger Things story, but these were mostly concepts we had in mind. As Matt Duffer explained to The Daily Beast, those films were hugely influential on us growing up and deeply shaped our creative vision. However, during the writing process for each episode, we rarely explicitly referenced other movies. Our focus was simply on telling the story and letting the characters drive the plot. Otherwise, it would have become a confusing and disjointed mess.”

The team aimed for a vintage look by minimizing special effects, but they soon discovered it was much harder than they anticipated.

You know, it’s interesting – we initially set out to do everything with practical effects, the old-fashioned way. But we quickly realized just how incredibly difficult that is – and it made us really appreciate the teams who pulled off movies like The Thing and Alien. It’s just so time-consuming and requires a ton of preparation. We were writing scripts fast, but we simply didn’t have the six months or so needed to properly build and execute those effects. We’d get on set and realize that some of the cool ideas we had just weren’t feasible with the time we had.

The creators, the Duffer brothers, originally planned for ‘Stranger Things’ to last five seasons. According to Netflix executive Matthew Thunell, many of their ideas from 2015 are now coming to fruition as the series nears its conclusion. Variety reported that each episode of season four cost around $30 million to produce.

Although the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer brothers, know how the show will eventually end, they aren’t finished exploring the story and its mysterious world, the Upside Down.

I’m thrilled to share that we’re developing a spin-off! It’s still very early stages – we haven’t even fully fleshed out the concept yet, let alone started writing. We’ve been keeping it under wraps, but it turns out Finn actually figured out what it’s about! It’s going to be very different from anything we’ve done before, and honestly, he’s the only one who knows so far!

Read More

2026-01-02 23:55