Ahead of the premiere of Netflix's Stranger Things 5, Millie Bobby Brown has accused her co-star, David Harbour, of bullying and harassment with a complaint filed to Netflix. The allegations were reported by Daily Mail over the weekend, ahead of the finale of the hit series. Millie and David have starred alongside each other on the billion-dollar show for almost a decade, with the first episode having premiered back in July 2016. The 21-year-old portrays the character Eleven, an escapee from a government science experiment who possesses telekinetic powers. David stars as Jim Hooper, a disillusioned, ex-police officer who takes Eleven in and is softened by his newfound surrogate fatherhood.
Over the years, it seemed that David's role as parental figure extended beyond the screen, with the pair having shared a close relationship. This may explain why fans were so shocked to hear the allegations against David, prompting many to reflect on whether there had been any signs of trouble in their relationship over the years. HELLO! takes a closer look at Millie and David’s relationship beyond the screen and where the pair stand today.
Initially, David attempted to maintain a distance between himself and his co-stars. "[I wanted to] preserve a lot of the character of Hopper off-screen for these kids because I wanted their performances to be as rich as possible," he told People. "As the seasons go on, you just become like family, and my sort of soft heart gets exposed, and they start to be able to not really take me seriously anymore." The actor described his relationship with his young co-stars as "parental".
David has previously opened up about feeling "protective" towards Millie amid her experience with fame at such a young age. "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 said On That Scene with Dan Patrick. "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. And I’ve just always felt this kind of deep fatherly affection for her."
Millie has also shared how she viewed David as a fatherly figure during their time working together. During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2016, she described David as "a big teddy bear". "He’s funny, he’s serious when he needs to be, and he’s always looking out for me." The actress also opened up to Variety about her relationship with her co-star. "Winona Ryder and David Harbour are like my parents," she shared.
In 2018, Millie revealed that she had fought with David on set during the filming for season three as their relationship naturally developed with their characters. "We went through so many different emotions… we get angry at each other, we are like father and daughter," she told Refinery29. "We got angry at each other, we would express our feelings on and off the set, and…those scenes were so raw and real that the reward is the scenes."
News of Millie's allegations come after Lily Allen released her album, West End Girl, on October 24, with the work detailing the breakdown of her marriage with David. During an interview with Esquire ahead of the final season of Stranger Things, the actor was asked whether at 50, he would change anything about his life. "That's such a hard question – the question of regret, or something," the actor said "I would change either everything or nothing. You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there's truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that. It's kind of like a house of cards, the minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all."
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