Noah Schnapp on revisiting his Season 1 role for ‘Stranger Things’

Noah Schnapp is stepping back in time in the opening minutes of Stranger Things Season 5, where viewers see a de-aged Schnapp as 11-year-old Will Byers.

The de-aged Schnapp, portrayed by young actor Luke Kokotek, was seen trapped in the Upside Down and hiding in Castle Byers, rifle in hand and humming The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.”

The transformation was handled by Lola VFX, which placed Schnapp’s face and hair onto young actor Luke Kokotek’s body, recreating Will as he appeared in Season 1. 

This technique, combining CGI with a body double, had previously been used for Millie Bobby Brown when de-aging Eleven in key flashback scenes in Season 4.

“I asked Millie for help, honestly,” Schnapp told Deadline. “I was like, ‘How did you work with the kid when you had to do it?’ It was fun to step into those director shoes and think reflectively about how I acted, how I moved, breathed, turned, and looked, and relay that onto this little kid, who was so cute.”

Schnapp admitted it was a tricky process to make the digital effect seamless, but he was pleased with the results. Brown, who was eager to see Schnapp’s scenes, called the experience “very interesting,” noting the reflective nature of revisiting their Season 1 selves.

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