I’m Already Crying About Stranger Things Ending After Hearing Noah Schnapp’s Story About Farewelling Winona Ryder

When you purchase through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Credit: Netflix
It’s been over three years since Vecna opened the doors to the Upside Down on Stranger Thingsand while the long gap caused a drop in interest for some, this huge Season 5 trailer sparked excitement for others. This is going to be bittersweet either way, because as much as I need to see what happens next after this wild season 4 ending, I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters. Turns out the cast had the same problem, and after hearing about Noah Schnapp’s last day with Winona Ryder, I’m already crying.
Stranger Things first premiered on Netflix’s schedule in 2016, when Noah Schnapp was just 11 years old. This means that he (and much of the cast) spent his entire adolescence playing these characters, so it’s no surprise that he bonded with his TV mother, Winona Ryder. Schnapp remembers the end of season 5 and the emotion of that goodbye, telling Variety:
I was on Winona’s last day. I said to myself, “This is goodbye to work; we will see each other again soon. And then I was in his trailer and I was like, “No! You can’t leave! » I clung to her, I sobbed. I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard.
I can kind of relate to that, because how can I hold back tears at the end of a show whose final season hasn’t even premiered yet? Noah Schnapp plays Will Byers in the Netflix series, who spent the majority of season 1 in the Upside Down with his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) trying to save him.
Obviously, playing mother and son for so long has bonded the two actors, and I hope Noah Schnapp is right that they’ll stay in touch.
Credit: Netflix
The Duffer brothers apparently managed to coordinate the Stranger Things Season 5 filming schedule so that all of the main cast’s final scenes fall on the last day of filming. This made for some very real emotions on set as they got to watch each other’s final moments.
Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington, described the last day of filming as “emotional and wonderful” and called the actors “family for life.” Co-creator Ross Duffer echoed that sentiment, saying the cast and crew had become family.
Finn Wolfhard, aka Mike Wheeler, had a very poetic way of describing it, saying that after spending his entire childhood on the Stranger Things together, closing this chapter was like a “Toy Story 3 when you leave your toys behind.
I think we’re going to feel a whole spectrum of emotions when Stranger Things Season 5 is coming to the 2025 TV schedule. The first volume consists of four episodes and will be released on Wednesday, November 26, volume 2 (three episodes) on Thursday, December 25, and the series finale on Wednesday, December 31. Make sure your Netflix subscription is up to date, because I bet you won’t want to miss this.