Millie Bobby Brown discussed her close professional relationship with David Harbour, emphasizing the trust and sense of safety she experienced while filming emotional scenes for the final season of Stranger Things. This insight sheds light on the unique dynamic that has shaped their performances on the David Harbour Stranger Things set, capturing the attention of fans and industry observers alike.
Millie Bobby Brown Reflects on Her Bond with David Harbour
The journey of filming the last season of Netflix’s Stranger Things has been significant for Millie Bobby Brown, as she reunited on screen with David Harbour to portray Eleven and her adoptive father, Jim Hopper. Brown spoke about the emotional weight of their shared scenes, pointing to the strength she draws from working with a dedicated co-star.
“We’ve worked together for 10 years. I feel safe with everyone on that set.”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
Brown, now 21, highlighted how their on-screen relationship contributed to a deeper off-screen connection, noting that the intensity of their roles led to a bond unlike any other on the set.
“We also play father and daughter,”
she said.
“So naturally, you have a closer bond than the rest, because we have had some really intense scenes together, especially in season two.”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
The actress credited Harbour with enhancing her own performance, describing their working sessions as opportunities to challenge and motivate each other. Their mutual drive to excel resulted in unforgettable scenes that resonated with viewers.
“It makes me wanna bring my A-game every single time I see that I’m on the call sheet working with him,”
Brown shared.
“Because I know he’s bringing it right back.”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
Behind-the-Scenes Rumors and Red Carpet Reunions
Questions arose among fans earlier in the month regarding David Harbour’s absence from the fifth season’s press tour. According to a source referenced by E! News and Deadline, Harbour was never scheduled to attend the media event, as he was filming for Courteney Cox’s new production, Evil Genius.
Despite the speculation, Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour demonstrated their enduring friendship at the Stranger Things season five premiere in Los Angeles. They appeared together on the red carpet, sharing laughter and engaging in playful banter, reinforcing the positive working relationship they maintain off set.
During the event, Harbour joked with Brown about her husband, Jake Bongiovi, delivering a lighthearted moment for those in attendance.
“Am I as handsome as Jake?”
David Harbour quipped, then added,
“I’m not. It’s not my fault. It’s just genetics.”
— David Harbour, Actor
Origins of Stranger Things: From Montauk to Netflix Success
After their work on Wayward Pines, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer conceptualized a new series, initially risking significant changes before landing on what would become Stranger Things. The project was first developed under the title Montauk, with the writers facing resistance to altering its name.
“It’s very hard when your brain is latched onto a title, it’s really, really hard to get people to agree and accept another title,”
Matt Duffer once explained.
“Initially when we came up with this title Stranger Things, it was hard for people to embrace.”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
Location posed its own challenges: Long Island was the intended filming site, chosen to evoke a specific cinematic nostalgia. The cold, costly New York winters quickly forced the production to reconsider.
“We liked Montauk, because we liked the coastal setting, and Montauk was the basis for Amity, and Jaws is probably our favorite movie, so I thought that that would be really cool,”
Matt Duffer shared.
“Then it was really going to be impossible to shoot in or around Long Island in the wintertime. It was just going to be miserable and expensive.”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
The series ultimately found its home base in Atlanta, where all principal production takes place.
The Unusual Path to Becoming a Cultural Phenomenon
Stranger Things initially faced rejection; nearly twenty networks turned down the project before Netflix recognized its potential. Executive skepticism stemmed from concerns that viewers would not connect with a story fundamentally revolving around four young lead characters.
Once the show secured its home, auditions began for the unforgettable role of Eleven. At age twelve, Millie Bobby Brown made a bold decision to transform herself for the part.
“The day I shaved my head was the most empowering moment of my whole life,”
Brown recalled.
“The last strand of hair cut off was the moment my whole face was on show and I couldn’t hide behind my hair like I used to. As I looked in the mirror I realized I had one job to do: inspire…You don’t need hair to be beautiful.”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
Brown’s portrayal of Eleven was inspired by Charlize Theron‘s performance in Mad Max: Fury Road, as well as Winona Ryder‘s retro style, based on Ryder’s yearbook photographs.
“Winona looked cool back in the day with the pixie cut,”
Millie remarked.
“And I thought maybe I could bring it back!”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
Crafting Authentic Performances and Iconic Characters
To perfect Eleven’s American accent, the British-born Brown drew from an unexpected source: Miley Cyrus’ Hannah Montana. She told Jimmy Fallon how the show aided in mastering her pronunciation and character delivery.
“Like the film, everything. Everything about it is amazing. And I got the American accent.”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
The casting of the main group of kids required the Duffer brothers to use scenes from Stand By Me as audition material. Initially, the character Mike Wheeler was envisioned differently, with Finn Wolfhard‘s audition shifting the original direction.
“Originally Mike was a sigher, he was a dreamer, he was much more like Mikey in The Goonies in a lot of ways,”
Matt Duffer shared.
“But Finn had this really anxious, twitchy energy about him and we thought that that was really great and we just kind of wrote the character to match him and his personality.”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
Gaten Matarazzo‘s influence on Dustin’s character was equally profound. The Duffers recognized the need to tailor roles to their actors’ unique attributes.
“I don’t think we really understood who that character was. He started out more like a stereotypical nerd and then we met Gaten and we basically tailored the show to him.”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
Unexpected Ripple Effects and Cast Tales
Stranger Things left its mark beyond television. Kellogg’s reported a 14 percent rise in Eggo waffle consumption following Eleven’s fondness for the snack—a testament to how cultural references in the series impact real-world trends.
David Harbour’s popularity soared after he honored a fan’s request to join her senior portraits in exchange for a viral Twitter campaign. He replied,
“25k. And I get to wear the school sweatshirt and hold a trombone.”
— David Harbour, Actor
Harbour kept his word, later writing,
“Voted most likely to hijack someone’s high school senior photos 24 years later.”
— David Harbour, Actor
Later that year, Harbour returned to social media fame by officiating a viewer’s wedding, agreeing after she achieved the necessary retweet count and granting her his own comedic requirements, including being dressed as Chief Hopper and receiving the first slice of cake.
Evolving Storylines and Character Relationships
In the series, the relationship between Hopper and Eleven evolved significantly. While fans theorized Eleven might be his biological daughter, the storyline ultimately established him as her surrogate father. A touching detail in the season two finale revealed Eleven wearing a blue braided bracelet made from Hopper’s late daughter’s hair, symbolizing their family bond.
First kisses and behind-the-scenes nerves were part of the show’s reality as well. Eleven’s first on-screen kiss with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) was also her real-life first.
“Having 250 people looking at you kissing someone is like, ‘Whoa!’”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
Brown recounted what Wolfhard whispered to her before a follow-up kiss scene:
“He wanted to let me know he was, like, kissing me then…So he was like, ‘I’m coming in,’ and he was like a ventriloquist! It was the craziest thing.”
— Millie Bobby Brown, Actress
Cast Chemistry in Life and On Set
Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, who play Nancy and Jonathan, began a relationship off screen in 2016. Dyer has spoken about her desire to keep their romance private, balancing work and personal life.
“That’s something important to me—with my family, with my friends, I really like to keep it for me,”
said Natalia Dyer. She added,
“It’s an interesting thing to work with somebody who you go home with. It’s always really fun.”
— Natalia Dyer, Actress
Joe Keery’s character, Steve Harrington, was supposed to have a much shorter storyline, but audience and creator affection led to his expanded role.
“We fell in love with him during the making of season one, which is why we ended up writing that arc for him where he’s helping to save the day with Jonathan and Nancy,”
Ross Duffer explained.
“Steve was supposed to be this jocky douchebag, and Joe was so much more than that.”
— Ross Duffer, Co-Creator
Major Changes Through the Writing Process
Eleven’s fate was originally intended to be final in season one. The writers had to reconsider once they realized the series might continue beyond the first year.
“Eleven was going to sacrifice herself to save the day,”
Ross Duffer wrote.
“That was always the end game. But once we realized that the show was potentially going to go on longer than one season, we needed to leave it more up in the air, because deep down we knew the show just wouldn’t really work without Eleven. And at that point, we knew how special Millie was. If there was going to be more Stranger Things, Eleven had to come back.”
— Ross Duffer, Co-Creator
One of the second season’s pivotal episodes, “The Lost Sister,” almost didn’t air due to concerns that it might disrupt the series’ pace.
“When we got to the point of writing the episode, we wanted to see if we really needed it or not,”
Matt Duffer recounted.
“We actually did toy with pulling the episode completely, but then the ending with Eleven didn’t work at all. It just didn’t land at all. Then we ended up deciding we needed it.”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
The character Eleven meets in that episode was originally scripted as a boy, but after opening auditions to all young actors, Linnea Berthelsen was cast as Kali. The chemistry between the two performers was a decisive factor.
“Linnea and Millie really had a connection.”
Matt said.
“Millie was like, ‘I want to do this with Linnea.’”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
Notable Casting ‘What Ifs’ and Surprises
Nicola Coughlan, now known for her role in Bridgerton, initially auditioned to play Robin. The role ultimately went to Maya Hawke, whom Coughlan later praised.
“Was far better than I ever would have been.”
— Nicola Coughlan, Actress
“It’s a good lesson to actors: Watch the stuff you didn’t get, because you’ll totally understand how it’s not personal. You’re just right for some things and you’re not right for other things.”
— Nicola Coughlan, Actress
Fans of Outer Banks may be surprised to learn that Madelyn Cline appeared as high school antagonist Tina in Stranger Things’ second season.
For the role of Billy, Dacre Montgomery went above and beyond, submitting a daring audition tape featuring himself dancing in a G-string to classic ’80s hits. Despite his reservations, the unique approach led to his casting.
“Either I’m never going to work again, or somebody somewhere is going to see one thing in me, and they’ll give me a chance.”
— Dacre Montgomery, Actor
Financial Milestones and Expanding Roles
By season three, Deadline reported significant pay increases for the cast: the younger stars were earning upwards of $200,000 per episode, while Winona Ryder and David Harbour reportedly made between $300,000 and $350,000 per episode. Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton earned in the range of $100,000 to $150,000 per episode.
Priah Ferguson’s initial one-episode appearance was so well-received that the writers made her a regular in subsequent seasons, with her character Erica quickly becoming a fan favorite for her sharp wit and comedic timing.
Production Challenges: Growth Spurts and Costume Solutions
Child actors’ ongoing growth was a unique difficulty for the wardrobe department. Costume designer Kim Wilcox developed creative strategies to ensure continuity for their rapidly growing cast members.
“We had one kid we could not keep in shoes, like every three weeks he grew a half-size.”
— Kim Wilcox, Costume Designer
Wilcox addressed the issue by acquiring multiple pairs of heritage-brand shoes in progressive sizes to accommodate cast growth and maintain seamless costume continuity.
“We’d buy five of them so that when somebody grew we’d have something.”
— Kim Wilcox, Costume Designer
Homages, Influences, and Practical Effects
Matt and Ross Duffer, while drawing inspiration from films such as The Goonies, E.T., and Stand By Me, sought to craft an original narrative rather than rely too heavily on references.
“When we billed the project to Netflix, we had this big two-and-a-half-minute trailer that had about 20 or 30 of these movies kind of woven together to try and tell the story of Stranger Things, but obviously all these images or ideas were in our heads.”
Matt Duffer explained.
“Those are the movies that we grew up on and they’re so much a part of our DNA. But then when you get into the writers’ room and you’re working on individual episodes, actually very little time is spent referencing other movies. Mostly you’re just trying to tell the story, letting the characters guide where everything’s going. Otherwise it would just be a jumble and a mess.”
— Matt Duffer, Co-Creator
The creative team began with ambitions for exclusively practical effects to capture an early-80s atmosphere, but time constraints and logistical challenges led them to blend techniques.
“The funny thing is that the original goal was to do entirely practical effects. But what we realized—and it really made us admire those guys who did The Thing and Alien and whatever—is that doing practical is really hard,”
Ross Duffer explained.
“It takes a lot of time and preparation. We were turning out scripts as quickly as we could but they don’t have six months to prep this stuff. You show up on set and stuff that seemed like it would be a great idea to do in that old school way, we didn’t have time to do.”
— Ross Duffer, Co-Creator
Show’s Arc, Expanding Legacy, and Future Projects
From their first pitch, the Duffer brothers mapped out a five-season story arc. Netflix executive Matthew Thunell observed the consistency of their vision with the actual unfolding of the show, also noting the exceptionally high costs of later seasons, with each episode of the fourth season reportedly costing $30 million.
“So much of what they had in their head in 2015 is what we’re now seeing play out as we come to the end of this series.”
— Matthew Thunell, Netflix Executive
Though the end of Stranger Things has been scripted, the creators’ enthusiasm for exploring the universe further remains. They have already conceived a new spin-off series, the premise of which remains closely guarded. Only Finn Wolfhard has reportedly guessed the storyline.
“We do have an idea for a spin-off that we’re super excited about,”
the Duffer brothers said, adding,
“but we haven’t told anyone the idea yet, much less written it.”
— Matt and Ross Duffer, Co-Creators
“Aside from Finn, no one else knows!”
— Matt and Ross Duffer, Co-Creators
The Ongoing Impact of the Stranger Things Phenomenon
Volume one of Stranger Things season five is currently streaming on Netflix, continuing to captivate global audiences. The dedication of the cast and creative team, from David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown to the many contributors on both sides of the camera, has ensured Stranger Things’ status as a pop culture benchmark. Whether through innovative storytelling, unexpected friendships, or a deep connection between cast members, the legacy of the David Harbour Stranger Things set will likely influence genre television and inspire creative ambitions for years to come.
