Stranger Things ' Noah Schnapp Says Will's Season 4 Journey 'Is More About His Struggles with Identity'

Noah Schnapp tells PEOPLE Stranger Things fans will see his character Will "in a different light" this season.

The actor, 17, exclusively shared details about the new challenges Will has to face in season 4, which dropped Friday on Netflix.

"I feel like people are used to seeing him fighting a monster or struggling with the supernatural side of Stranger Things," he says. "But this season, it's just more about his personal struggles and struggles with his identity, and I think it's interesting for the audience to see that."

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According to Schnapp, the cast has become "a little family" while filming the series.

But it had been a long time since that family had a get-together — the show's third season premiered in July 2019, and production on season 4 was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schapp tells PEOPLE he was excited to return to set after lockdowns: "It was fun being in a new place, a new environment. We got to film in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was really exciting. It was very different than what we were used to in Atlanta."

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Courtesy of Netflix

Show creators the Duffer Brothers have finally confirmed that Stranger Things will reach its conclusion after season 5, so it's only natural that the cast are starting to collect mementoes here and there. For his part, Schapp snagged a keepsake from an appropriately '80s set — a roller rink.

"I brought the roller skate home," he reveals. "I had everyone sign it and then took it home with me."

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Schnapp admits that it's "really sad" to have an end insight for the series: "I've kind of not accepted it yet, that we're going to be done and all go to our own lives. It's crazy to me."

"But for now, I'm just appreciating that we're all still together and that we have one more season," he says.

He adds, "I feel like I've grown up with these people since I was like 10, and now I'm almost 18, I'm an adult, so it's just like crazy. It'll definitely be a hard goodbye."

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The first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 4 are streaming now on Netflix, and episodes 8 and 9 are slated to premiere on July 1.