Noah Schnapp

Noah Schnapp and the Balancing Act
By Alexandra Bonnet

“I can’t believe that you’re famous, we all don’t even think about that,” expressed the kids at Noah Schnapp’s school. Indeed, the talented and renowned actor finds himself living a double life both as an actor and a regular teen. Being immersed in this world at such a young age can be challenging but it doesn’t stop him from living a “normal” life. When on set, he is homeschooled but when back at home in New York, Schnapp puts on his High Schooler cap and blends in with the rest of the school. As he shared, “It’s nice, I feel like it keeps me grounded and lets me have a normal life. No one at school treats me differently or anything, they’re all so used to it.” The realization of just how “crazy (his) life is” comes in waves.

Schnapp was just a young man trying to find his place in the world. Little did he know that he would stumble upon an opportunity that would be the jumpstart to his career. It was just another day for Schnapp when he found this acting class that was taking place in his hometown: “I was like ‘Mom, can I just try this out?’,” he expressed. Sharing the experience with his sister, it was just supposed to be a fun activity. Seeing his natural talent and potential, his teacher asked him if he would consider doing this professionally. Schnapp and his family were surprised and none of them knew how to go about it. “Okay, let me give it a shot,” said Schnapp…and the auditions began. It was a slow start but his luck changed when he was cast for Stranger Things. With much love and excitement in his voice, he shared “I just decided to do this thing for fun and then I just kind of fell into it. I fell in love with it.”

Season Four of Stranger Things is coming but in the meantime, the young and talented actor stars in three films…yes, you read it right, three films. His most recent film, “Waiting For Anya,” takes place during World War II and had a strong impact on him. “I remember reading the script and, being Jewish, I really resonated with this film. I have seen so many World War II films and I’ve always wanted to be a part of my own and make it my own,” he shared. “And I am the lead role of the movie so it’s really exciting for me to be a part of it.”

The film makes us think about the still very present hatred between different groups of people in our current time. It begs the question: how are we going to move forward? How can I, as a person, make a change; even the smallest one? Turning to Schnapp for his point of view, he took a moment to think about his answer.  Recognizing the depth of the question, he said: “I feel like it’s just really important for everyone to be kind to one another and take care of one another. Be kind to everyone and don’t be mean.” A simple solution for what seems to be an insurmountable obstacle but luckily, there are many others who share the same point of view and aim to promote acceptance, kindness, and patience.

As he finds himself immersed in different eras, the young actor admits his love for the different ones. “I would have loved to grow up in the 80’s. It’s just so cool that there weren’t any phones or social media,” he shared. “And it was all real-world connections – there were bikes and walkie talkies!” Couldn’t have said it any better. Being on different sets, he loves getting to learn about the different periods which allows him to open his eyes to the past, mind to the present, and heart to the future.

During the filming of his other upcoming film, “Abe” in which he stars, Schnapp was able to discover a whole new world of recipes. A movie about family and food, viewers will get to experience a beautiful, heartfelt story. Speaking on his hopes for the viewers of the film, he shared: “I hope that everyone just enjoys the movie and learns a bit about food and culture after watching it.” Probably a good idea to watch this on an empty stomach….who knows what you can be craving after! Food and family: what more do you need to feel happy?

If only the recipe to true happiness were that easy! Schnapp admits that he can be pessimistic, but tries to remind himself to look on the bright side of things. For him, having a positive attitude and being grateful for what you have are two important ingredients to attaining true happiness. He revealed one of the secret tactics that keep him grounded:  “Sometimes I’ll just write down a list of things that I’m grateful for and it helps me be happy when you know how lucky you are and how much you have.” After all, “a lot of people don’t even have the basic things that you take for granted every day,” so it’s important to remember that.

Speaking about happiness, Schnapp also had the chance to be in an upcoming Adam Sandler’s film which allowed him to learn more about comedy. The infamous actor dubbed the “comedy king” by Schnapp, inspired him by bringing lightness to the set, constantly cracking jokes. That experience was important for him as it made him “more comfortable with working in comedy.”

As he attends a regular school, Schnapp gets to hold onto his more regular life but behind that is a world traveler. Every weekend, he usually travels all over and during the week, he has school or photoshoots, press (…) in the city. “My life is no routine – it’s always different,” he voiced. “I never have any idea what I’m doing but work never really feels like ‘work’.”

Noah Schnapp holds onto the “regular” kid inside of him but also gets to experience a whole new world at such a young age. His talent doesn’t go unnoticed and he continues to work hard on himself and on set every day. After all, behind the world traveling and talented actor is a young boy who still has dreams and aspirations. Hoping he gets to play Spider-Man one day, Schnapp also wishes to just “be a successful actor but still be a good person and do good in the world.” Let’s see where he takes us next!

TEAM CREDITS

Photography ALEKSANDAR TOMOVIC @alekandsteph

Videography ARIYA AKHAVAN @ariyastudios Instrumental @artnoartist x @sendmoresushiTypography @pablomonzz

Styling PHILIPPE UTER @philippeuter

Styling Assistant TANYA NAZARIAN

Grooming SIMONE for Exclusive Artists using Skyn ICELAND and Kevin Murphy @simonegrooming

Production @BELLOMediaGroup x @MaisonPriveePR_LA x @bonnetalex18

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