“Child Actors End Up Becoming Terrible Adult Actors”: Stranger Things Star Brutally Slammed For His Performance In New Season

Fans have declared war on Noah Schnapp’s acting after Netflix dropped the first four episodes of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season on Thursday. 

The 21-year-old, who’s played Will Byers since he was 11, received a lot of major screen time this season, but fans are describing his performance as subpar compared to his co-stars. The criticism of Schnapp’s acting comes as Stranger Things 5 Part 1 received rave reviews for its high stakes and spectacle.

Noah Schnapp’s performance became the internet’s punching bag overnight

Five Stranger Things actors in casual 1980s-style clothing standing indoors, portraying intense emotions in a dramatic scene.

Image credits: Netflix

Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 has been hailed as a “masterpiece” by critics, according to the Daily Mail, with many hailing the show for its narrative and intensity.

Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things Season 5 features the series’ main characters facing off with the show’s main villain, Vecna. But despite the high stakes in the final season, many netizens praised the show for its interplay between dark and light scenes.

Four Stranger Things actors sitting at a cafeteria table, with one writing while others watch during a school scene.

Image credits: Netflix

Critics also noted that Stranger Things 5 Part 1 featured strong performances from the cast, who have been involved in the project for the past decade.

The internet, however, begged to differ, with numerous critics stating that Noah Schnapp’s acting leaves far too much to be desired. 

The idf are not sending their finest actors pic.twitter.com/2Fqz4RVVqO

— EVA 🍉 (@Bravvyy_2) November 27, 2025

Social media lit up with brutal takes on the 21-year-old’s performance.

“Why does Noah Schnapp’s acting feel like he’s a sock puppet?” one post asked. “The worst acting I’ve seen all year goes to Noah Schnapp,” another declared.

Screenshot of a tweet criticizing Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp’s acting, highlighting child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

Image credits: laylaboxd

Young male actor from Stranger Things looking uncertain in a dimly lit room, highlighting child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

Image credits: Netflix

“Noah Schanpp’s acting is horrendous,” a third wrote. “The acting lessons at the Stranger Things set, but Noah Schnapp skipped all the classes,” joked another.

Fans pointed out the evident contrast between Schnapp’s performance and the rest of the cast. “Some of the actors in Stranger Things 5 are so good that it makes Noah Schnapp’s awful wooden acting all the more obvious,” one fan concluded. 

Close-up of a young actor from Stranger Things showing a distressed expression, highlighting child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

Image credits: Netflix

Some viewers also argued that Schnapp “got worse in front of the camera as he’s aged” and that his acting chops will probably make it hard to book roles after Stranger Things ends.

“We need to discuss why so many child actors end up becoming terrible adult actors except for the Fanning sisters,” one viral post on X read.

Tweet discussing how child actors often fail to develop talent and struggle as terrible adult actors in their careers.

Image credits: WastelandBaby91

Stranger Things actors in an intense scene, highlighting challenges child actors face becoming adult performers.

Image credits: Netflix

That love triangle nobody wanted is back in Stranger Things 5 Part 1, and fans are not amused

worst acting ever mind you pic.twitter.com/HhZsq23p9n

— T£RRY M@R¥ (@indiandoIl) November 27, 2025

Noah Schnapp’s performance isn’t the only thing catching heat. The Nancy-Steve-Jonathan love triangle has been resurrected for Stranger Things 5 Part 1, and people are not happy.

As noted by the Mail, the series started with Steve and Jonathan racing up to WSQK ‘The Squawk’ radio tower in an attempt to prove their worth to Nancy, and this continued for several episodes.

Close-up of a young male actor making an intense face, illustrating struggles of child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

Image credits: Netflix

Fans complained that this development compromised Steve’s growth, which began way back in Season 1, and that it also threw an unnecessary wrench into Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship, which has been progressing over the seasons. 

“Making Nancy and Jonathan’s failing relationship a big plot point and this stupid a** rivalry between Steve and Jonathan… The Duffers fumble a character arc again,” one widely shared post read.

Stranger Things child actor facing criticism, a tense scene showing a close interaction with a monstrous creature in a dark setting.

Image credits: Netflix

“The one thing I’m gonna dread this season of ST in the romance department is if they make Steve and Nancy date again because that is sooooo lazy and stupid,” another fan wrote.

Even professional reviewers were not pleased with the return of the love triangle.

Stranger Things star struggling with performance in new season, highlighting challenges child actors face as adult actors.

Image credits: Netflix

Glamour’s Charley Ross begged, “My question is: why is this love triangle still a thing? And can it please die a Stranger Things-related horrific death already?” 

These sentiments were echoed by The Mirror, which called the resurrected love triangle “unnecessary,” since the world is practically ending in the series’ finale.

Three men discussing a script on set, highlighting challenges child actors face becoming adult actors in new performances.

Image credits: Netflix

Despite the hiccups, Stranger Things Season 5 is heading for its penultimate conclusion with a lot of momentum on its back

Two Stranger Things actors in a dark forest holding flashlights, highlighting challenges faced by child actors becoming adults.

Image credits: Netflix

Screenshot of a social media comment criticizing a Stranger Things star’s acting performance in the new season.

Image credits: chuweecood_lu

the acting lessons were held at the stranger things set but noah schnapp skipped all the classes pic.twitter.com/yCf9PeQWk6

— #1 elmax truther (@ningselleakgae) November 27, 2025

Despite the backlash about Noah Schnapp’s acting and the Steve-Nancy-Jonathan love triangle, Stranger Things 5 Part 1 is still a resounding success for Netflix. 

According to The Guardian, the streaming giant crashed within minutes of Stranger Things 5 Part 1 being rolled out. This resulted in social media lighting up with complaints about the outage.

Four Stranger Things child actors in various emotional scenes reflecting on challenges of becoming adult actors in new season.

Image credits: Netflix

Netflix addressed the matter in a comment to Reuters.

“Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes,” the streaming giant stated. 

Stranger Things cast standing around a hole indoors, one holding a chainsaw, highlighting challenges of child actors becoming adult actors.

Image credits: Netflix

Ross Duffer, co-creator of Stranger Things, also acknowledged the outages on his Instagram. In a post, he stated that Netflix had “increased bandwidth by 30% to avoid a crash,” but apparently, that was not enough. 

Stranger Things 5 Part 2 drops this coming Christmas Day, with the 2-hour finale hitting on New Year’s Eve.

Netizens shared their thoughts on Noah Schnapp’s acting chops on Stranger Things 5 Part 1 on social media

Social media comment criticizing a Stranger Things child actor's performance, discussing child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

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Tweet criticizing child actors becoming terrible adult actors, mentioning Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp's performance.

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Screenshot of a social media comment criticizing a child actor's performance in a new season, highlighting poor adult acting skills.

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Tweet criticizes child actors turning into terrible adult actors, highlighting poor performance in new Stranger Things season.

Image credits: ItsZacknight

Tweet screenshot showing a user replying "He’s so chopped" discussing Stranger Things star's adult acting performance.

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Screenshot of a tweet criticizing child actors for being terrible adult actors while praising the show's quality.

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Screenshot of a Twitter fan account criticizing a Stranger Things child actor’s performance in new season scenes.

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Screenshot of a social media post criticizing a Stranger Things star’s acting, highlighting child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

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Twitter user Keith-Kat commenting on a Stranger Things star’s facial expression criticized in new season performance.

Image credits: keith_k4t

A tweet questioning the acting skills of a Stranger Things star, highlighting issues with child actors as adult actors.

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Tweet screenshot showing a user defending a Stranger Things star amid criticism of child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

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Tweet criticizing Millie Bobby Brown’s acting, highlighting how some child actors end up becoming terrible adult actors.

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Tweet discussing how child actors often fail to develop strong acting skills and struggle as adult actors in long-running roles.

Image credits: sxnthwave

Screenshot of a tweet criticizing child actors, mentioning many cast members are terrible adult actors but the show remains popular.

Image credits: BirdsParking

Screenshot of a social media reply criticizing a Stranger Things star's acting, highlighting child actors becoming terrible adults.

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A social media reply defending Stranger Things star's acting, discussing child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

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Tweet from a user criticizing child actors, commenting that his acting was always bad in a social media post.

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Tweet criticizing Stranger Things child actor’s performance, highlighting how some child actors end up becoming terrible adult actors.

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Tweet criticizing Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp’s acting, highlighting child actors becoming terrible adult actors.

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Screenshot of a social media comment criticizing a Stranger Things star’s acting performance in the new season.

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