Noah Schnapp

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Can you imagine living in the 80s? No phones, no internet. If you needed to know something you would go to the library. Is it exciting to live in the 80s era through the camera lens? 

It’s so exciting getting to film in this time period because I feel like I grew up in the 80’s. My parents always laugh about the things in the show that are similar to their childhood, and I can now understand it because I “half-grew up” in that time period. 

Before Netflix, there was a Blockbuster. There is one remaining in Bend, Oregon. Have you ever rented a video from a video store?

I have never! It’s crazy to me that that’s how people watched their movies because that was right before my time. I’m so young, all I’ve ever known is Netflix!

 

Season 3 has an homage to all 80s action films Rambo, Diehard, Terminator, and sci-fi such as Ghostbusters. What are your favorite 80s films?

There are definitely many movies that Stranger Things has taken inspiration from. I’d say my favorites are Jaws and Poltergeist, they are such classics. 

Do you like 80s fashion? (Besides Will’s haircut)

I hate that haircut! But honestly, I think 80’s fashion is super cool, and people still love it today, with their neon 80’s inspired outfits. I think Will’s costumes fit very much to him but Eleven and some of the other characters have super cool and fun outfits. 

Can you tell us your experience playing Will and how your character was growing up together with you? 

It has been such an amazing experience playing Will and watching him develop as I have grown up with him. I’ve used a lot of my own characteristics as inspiration to show his development. When I started the show, I was a very shy and introverted kid (like Will) and I have grown to become more outgoing and braver, just like Will did throughout season 2 when he was fighting back at the monster. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the seasons to come for Will!
 

Have you enjoyed working with your cast members?

I’m so grateful to work with such amazing people, they’re all so nice and we’re all best friends. It’s also a plus that they’re all amazing actors because it makes working with them so much better. 

There are a lot of references to D&D on the show. Do you play Dungeons & Dragons?

I have not but I definitely need to try! They have a professional on set who usually shows us the ropes of the game to make it look like we’re pros.

Recently we interviewed one of the prominent D&D players, Joe Manganiello. He plays D&D with Vince Vaughn, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, wrestler Paul “The Big Show” Wight, “Game of Thrones” co-creator D.B. Weiss regularly.  Who would you like to campaign with?

I would campaign with anyone who can carry me in the game because I would probably suck!
 

The Duffer brothers mentioned that potentially Season 4 will be outside Hawkins and will conclude the Series. Shawn Levy mentioned that Stranger Things can go beyond Season 4 but no more than 5 Seasons in total. Would you miss the show and cast-mates when it eventually concludes? 

I am definitely not prepared for the show to come to an end. I have grown up with these people and I’ve learned so much. This show has kickstarted my entire career as an actor. I’ll forever be grateful for the experiences I had and will have on this set, and it will definitely be a tough goodbye. 

In your recent project “Waiting for Anya”, your portrayal of Jo Lalande is moving. How did you prepare for the role?

That was such an amazing project to work on. I filmed in the mountain tops of rural France and learned so much from being there. The movie is adapted from a book, so I read the book and watched a lot of Holocaust movies, including Schindler’s List, to mentally prepare myself for that time period.

Can you tell us your experience filming a WWII drama?

It was like the best history lesson anyone could get! I lived in the time period and constantly was learning about the war and how people managed to escape. It was an incredible experience, and I’m so glad I was part of the project. 

In your other project “Hubie Halloween” you worked with Adam Sandler. Can you tell us about your experience working with him?

It was amazing! He’s such a humble and amazing actor. He always kept the vibe super fun and light on set and made everything so easy. He was always making the crew laugh, it was such a blast getting to watch him in his element. 

As we all faced a difficult pandemic, how did you stay motivated and keep in touch with your friends and family? 

For months I stayed in Florida to quarantine with my grandparents until the restrictions started to loosen up. Everything turned over to Zoom and all my filming projects were paused, so life was pretty slow. I just kept up with friends over FaceTime and with school over Zoom!
 

If you had a chance to give your older self a piece of advice, what it would be?

 I would say to keep working hard and never give up!