Things in Hawkins aren’t the only ones getting strange. As first reported by The Daily Mail UK, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, filed a harassment and bullying complaint against her longtime co-star, and Eleven’s adoptive father, David Harbour before filming for the show’s fifth and final season began.
Brown’s Harassment Claim Against Her On-Screen Father
Brown, who’s portrayed Eleven since she was just 11 years old, reportedly made the claim months before cameras rolled. The outlet stated that the complaint did not involve any allegations of a sexual nature, but rather centered on workplace conduct. Sources say the investigation that followed was extensive, with “pages and pages of accusations” and that it “went on for months.”
A representative for Brown was allegedly present during the production of Season 5, which wrapped filming in December 2024 — a decision believed to ensure her comfort and safety on set.
Fans have long admired the emotional on-screen bond between Brown’s Eleven and Harbour’s Jim Hopper — a father-daughter dynamic that has anchored the show since 2016. But off-screen, the two stars have often admitted that their working relationship has mirrored their characters’ intensity.
“We got angry at each other,” Brown once said, referring to their dynamic during filming. “We would express our feelings on and off the set, and those scenes were so raw and real that the reward is the scenes.”
Harbour has also opened up in the past about the pair’s connection, describing it as “deeply protective” and “fatherly.” Speaking on the That Scene with Dan Patrick podcast, he said,
“I have a real protective feeling for her. I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with.” He also reflected on how long they’ve known each other, saying, “Millie and I have always had a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young — before any of this big fame hit.”
As Netflix prepares to close the door on Stranger Things for good, the headlines off-set have proven nearly as dramatic as the Upside Down itself.
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The show’s highly anticipated final season will roll out in three parts: Volume 1 premieres on November 26, Volume 2arrives on December 25, and the two-hour grand finale — titled The Rightside Up — will hit Netflix and more than 350 theaters worldwide on New Year’s Eve. The event marks the first time a Netflix episode will receive a theatrical release, signaling an epic, cinematic farewell for the pop culture juggernaut.
While fans may be shocked by reports of behind-the-scenes tension, one thing’s certain — the emotional intensity that has defined Stranger Things from the beginning will carry through to the very end, both on and off the screen.
REFERENCE: DAILY MAIL UK