The final season of Stranger Things has officially premiered — nine years after the show first captured the world’s attention and made instant stars out of its young cast. But a few days before the premiere, there was buzz about a rift between long-time co-stars Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour, who play father-daughter in the show. According to reports from the Daily Mail UK, Brown had allegedly accused her David of on-set bullying — a story that quickly made headlines.
But despite the rumours, the two appeared united and cheerful at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles last night, posing for pictures together and laughing on the carpet. In a chat with Access Hollywood she shut down all rumours of animosity by saying, “He’s like my dad! I’m just so connected to him for life.” The actor further reflected on the deep connections she’s built with her co-stars while growing up on set.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said, “I obviously have a really special bond with David because we have a father-daughter relationship, and we do every scene together, and you’ll really get to see that in Season 5. It’s been so special to have him along the journey for me. Also Winona, the kids — I’m really honoured to have played Eleven and to have met such amazing people along the way.”
Further addressing the controversy, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter while standing alongside his brother Matt, “Obviously, you understand I can’t get into personal on-set matters, but I will say we’ve been doing this for 10 years with this cast, and at this point they’re family and we deeply care about them. So, you know, nothing matters more than just having a set where everyone feels safe and happy.”
Executive producer and director Shawn Levy also dismissed the allegations, calling them “wildly inaccurate.” He added, “I’ve read a bunch of stories and they range from wildly inaccurate to… there’s so much noise around it. But the truth is that we view this crew and this cast as family, and so we treat each other with respect, and that’s always been bedrock.”
About the Stranger Things Season 5
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is set to unfold in three parts: Part 1 releases November 26, Part 2 drops on December 25, and the feature-length finale arrives December 31 — capping off one of Netflix’s most iconic series with a holiday-season farewell.
