With Stranger Things season 5 crashing Netflix, Millie Bobby Brown is now opening up about how she sees her relationship with co-star David Harbour, whom she accused of bullying earlier this month.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the 21-year-old actress said, “We’ve been doing that for the last 10 years”, when inquired why it’s so integral for the cast to depict a united front amid her allegations. She continued, “I mean, we have always been united in that. We love this show with everything, and we value our friendship more than anything.”
Earlier this month, Brown had reportedly filed a lengthy complaint accusing Harbour’s behavior before the series kick-started filming its fifth and final season. Speaking to Page Six, a source shared, “Millie Bobby Brown filed a harassment and bullying claim before they started shooting the last season. There were pages and pages of accusations. The investigation went on for months.”
As per the reports, the Hellboy actor faced an internal investigation following Brown’s accusation, whose outcomes have come the light of the day. Not only that, but according to Page Six, the Enola Holmes actress was even accompanied by a representative to the set while shooting the Netflix series’ finale.
Speaking to THR, the executive producer refuted the claims, stating that the source has received some “wildly inaccurate” reports. He added, “You have to create a respectful workplace where everyone feels comfortable and safe,” he noted. “So we did everything to build that environment, and we’re proud of the fact that we did so.”
Interestingly, according to Page Six, Brown stated it was “so nice” and “really exciting” to “come back together” with Harbour, 50, for the latest season of Stranger Things. They were recently spotted together, along with the entire cast of the hit Netflix series, during its premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 6.
As per the reports, the actress told Extra that she and Harbour were “so lucky to have each other” and called their reunion “amazing.” She had said, “The show means so much to both of us and to everyone here. This has, like, been the last 10 years of our lives.”
Brown added, “So, we’ve dedicated a lot of it, and we’re so excited to see that come to screen.”
This was after she had accused her on-screen father of bullying her on set.
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In 2021, however, Harbour had unravelled how he felt protective of Brown, considering that they had started working together when she was just a child. Appearing on That Scene with Dan Patrick podcast at the time, the actor said, “Millie and I have always had sort of a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young. I knew her before any of this big fame hit.”
He added, “I have a real protective feeling for her. I have a real, like, worry…I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with.”
David Harbour plays the role of Jim Hopper, popularly known as Sheriff Hopper and is often considered to be one of the series’ beloved personalities. In the series, Hopper adopts the supernaturally gifted Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who escapes from a smothering government facility that conducted experiments on her during her childhood.
The first four episodes of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things have been released on the streaming platform on Thursday, exploring Eleven and the Sheriff’s relationship in depth. Speaking to THR, Brown opened up about her role, explaining, “It was quite nostalgic because it reminded me so much of season two and three, where we’re both kind of butting heads and she’s growing up, she’s trying to find her own voice and he’s trying to parent, and that dynamic definitely comes back into play once again, and I’m really excited for people to see that.”
“And I think some of people’s favorite scenes of Eleven are Ele and [Hopper], so I’m really excited to have that come to screen once again,” she added.
The second part of Stranger Things season 5 is set to release on December 25, 2025.