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“Worst Acting Of The Year”: Noah Schnapp's Performance Dragged As Stranger Things Returns
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.
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Highlights
- Noah Schnapp is getting strongly criticized online for his “wooden” and “sock-puppet” acting in Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1.
- Fans claim the 21-year-old’s acting somehow got worse with age, while co-stars like Millie Bobby Brown and Winona Ryder’s performance received a lot of praise.
- The resurrected Nancy-Steve-Jonathan love triangle is also catching a lot of flak from viewers and critics alike.
Noah Schnapp’s performance became the internet’s punching bag overnight
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.
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.
Image credits: laylaboxd
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.
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.
Image credits: WastelandBaby91
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.
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.
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.
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.
Image credits: Netflix
Despite the hiccups, Stranger Things Season 5 is heading for its penultimate conclusion with a lot of momentum on its back
Image credits: Netflix
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.
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.
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
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What do you think ?
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
I don’t agree; the acting isn’t any worse. What I like best about ST is the 80s nostalgia. In the 80s, I was about the age of the Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan characters. My brother was about the age of the Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas characters. For me, the 80s nostalgia is even better than the whole Vecna storyline. So I wish they would show more 80s memorabilia.
rustyscate 3 months ago (edited)
His acting is great! They way he gets when he sees through the demigorgens eyes!? Not to mention this crush on Mike is driving me nuts, like is he really working up the courage to get let down or are they working up to a cray-z a$$ plot twist?! Dun dun dun daaaaaahhhh
Kenneth Burke 3 months ago
The big problem with being a kid actor - you (literally) grow out of it!!!
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
I don’t agree; the acting isn’t any worse. What I like best about ST is the 80s nostalgia. In the 80s, I was about the age of the Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan characters. My brother was about the age of the Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas characters. For me, the 80s nostalgia is even better than the whole Vecna storyline. So I wish they would show more 80s memorabilia.
rustyscate 3 months ago (edited)
His acting is great! They way he gets when he sees through the demigorgens eyes!? Not to mention this crush on Mike is driving me nuts, like is he really working up the courage to get let down or are they working up to a cray-z a$$ plot twist?! Dun dun dun daaaaaahhhh
Kenneth Burke 3 months ago
The big problem with being a kid actor - you (literally) grow out of it!!!
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