Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown Became Fast Friends on Their First Day Together on the Stranger Things Set in 2015

Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown attend a “Stranger Things” FYC event in 2017 (left); Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp attend the “Stranger Things 5” UK Special Screening (right).
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Jason LaVeris/WireImage; Jeff Spicer/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown’s off-screen friendship is one of the greatest gifts to come out of Stranger Things for them both.
• “No matter how much time we spend apart, it’ll always feel like [we’re] just right back to where we were,” Schnapp tells PEOPLE.
• Volumes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.

Noah Schnapp recalls a time before he and Millie Bobby Brown became best friends as a distant memory. The duo, both 21, forged a close bond while filming Stranger Things since its inception in 2015. Their friendship is so strong that Schnapp is the godfather of Brown’s recently adopted daughter, whom she welcomed with her husband, Jake Bongiovi, over the summer.

Schnapp explains that their connection was instantaneous upon their first meeting on set. “We just always feel so comfortable around each other. There’s no forcing anything,” he shares. “It’s just been like that since the first day we met in 2015.”

Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp attend The Weinstein Company & Netflix’s 2017 SAG After Party.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company/Netflix

“No matter how much time we spend apart, it’ll always feel like [we’re] just right back to where we were,” he continues. “I know she supports me, and I support her, and it’s just nice when it goes beyond the work. She’s family.”

As the actor known for portraying Will Byers, Schnapp expresses frustration over the limited screen time he shares with Brown, who plays Eleven. “We never get to work together, so the little moments we do have onscreen, it’s the best day ever,” he admits.

He adds that collaborating with her is “so fun” and “so comfortable,” emphasizing the importance of feeling at ease to be vulnerable while working. “It just feels so easy. That’s what’s so important in this job, is to feel comfortable to be vulnerable, and with her, it’s just so much easier.”

Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown attend the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” Season 5 at TCL Chinese Theatres on November 6, 2025.

Monica Schipper/WireImage

“I think Eleven and Will are just tied together in so many ways and such similar characters. I love getting to see them on screen together and getting to work with Millie,” Schnapp remarked during the season 5 premiere in Los Angeles. He has often referred to Brown as his “best friend for life,” reflecting on the strong emotional bonds among the cast members.

“They all truly are just family to me, and it shows on screen,” he tells PEOPLE. “I mean, thank God we’re so close.”

Volumes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things season 5 are currently available for streaming, with the finale set to premiere on December 31 at 8 p.m. ET.