Production on the fifth season of Stranger Things is currently underway as shared on social media. Most of the show’s original cast members are returning for the season which is set to conclude the main storyline for the series. However, cast member Noah Schnapp recently faced backlash on social media, and now they’ve responded to being canceled.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has provoked many celebrities to share their thoughts on the matter via social media. However, some actors have been targeted or even lost work as a result of their viewpoints. On that note, some Stranger Things fans have been wishing for Noah Schnapp to be killed off or removed entirely from the fifth season.
Noah Schnapp, plays the character Will Byers in the series. Schnapp happens to be both Jewish-American and gay, with his character Will likewise being gay. It was on social media, however, that the actor liked a satirical video which some fans felt portrayed Schnapp as both Islamophobic and homophobic.
The backlash initially started during the height of the Israel-Gaza conflict. The recent confirmation that Schnapp would be returning for the production of the show’s fifth season, however, once again forced backlash upon the actor. Now Schnapp has used TikTok to share his feelings:
“I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe, and I wanted to just state from my heart how I feel,” the actor said. “I only want peace and safety and security for all innocent people affected by this conflict.”
“I think anyone with any ounce of humanity would hope for an end to the hostility on both sides. I stand against any killing of any innocent people, and I hope you guys all do, too,” the actor also shared at one point in the video. “And I just hope to one day see those two groups be able to live harmoniously together in that region.”
The actor shares that since the conflict began he has “had many open discussions with friends from Palestinian background, and I think those are very important conversations to have, and I’ve learned a lot.”
“One of the takeaways I’ve had is that we all hope for the same things, that being those innocent people still being held hostage in Gaza to be returned to their families, and equally hope for an end to the loss of innocent life in Palestine — so many of those people being women and children, and it’s horrible to see.”
Schnapp’s video ended by saying he hopes people in 2024 will “be a little more understanding and compassionate.” He concludes with the following line:
“We are all human, and we’re all the same, and we should all love each other for that and support each other and stand together.”
We’ll have to see how responses to Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp continue on social media. As for now, however, it looks like he’ll continue to appear in Netflix’s fifth season of Stranger Things despite the wishes of some social media users.