“Stranger Things” star Noah Schnapp, who has been a child actor for nearly a decade, believes that therapy is essential for child actors, describing their lives as “abnormal.”
The actor recently shared that he initially felt he didn’t need therapy, thinking of himself as a “happy-go-lucky kid.” However, he has since started attending therapy and aligns with singer-actress Ariana Grande’s opinion that it should be mandatory for children in the entertainment industry.
“It’s hard to grow up in the public eye. You don’t know yourself, you haven’t figured anything out, and now you’re expected to know everything and have all the answers,” Schnapp mentioned in a conversation with USA Today.
He added, “I was constantly saying the wrong things or being embarrassed by not taking certain things seriously that I should’ve, and then that lives on forever. People grow and learn, and to do that publicly is not easy.”
With the series finale debuting on New Year’s Eve, Schnapp was just 11 when he began filming Season 1 of “Stranger Things,” which started its five-season journey in 2016.
“Through the years, it becomes like, ‘No, this is an abnormal life and you need some type of support system outside of your parents,’” Schnapp stated.
“Growing up, I never understood why people were depressed or turned to drugs or had eating disorders. As you get older, you understand how the pressures of Hollywood can create that,” he reflected.
He also noted, “I always tell my parents, ‘I could never live in LA. I think I would get lost.’”
“Stranger Things” is an American television series created by the Duffer Brothers for Netflix. The show intertwines elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and coming-of-age drama.
Set in the 1980s, the series focuses on the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana. The plot kicks off when a young girl with psychokinetic abilities, named Eleven, opens a gateway between Earth and a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, linked to a nearby human experimentation facility.
Additionally, the show takes inspiration from Cold War-era experiments and conspiracy theories surrounding secret government programs.
The impressive cast features Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Linda Hamilton.