Copyright standard
The hit Netflix show’s creators call viral reports of on-set harassment “wildly inaccurate” as Brown and co-star David Harbour pose together on the red carpet It was meant to be a celebration - the beginning of the end for one of Netflix’s biggest ever series. But as Stranger Things returned to the spotlight for its final season premiere in Los Angeles, the cast found themselves facing a very different kind of monster. A viral report published by the Daily Mail days before the event alleged that star Millie Bobby Brown had filed a harassment and bullying complaint against her co-star David Harbour, prompting an internal Netflix investigation The claims, which were said to stretch across “pages and pages” of allegations but did not include any sexual misconduct, spread rapidly online overshadowing the show’s long-awaited send-off. Yet when the cast hit the red carpet on Thursday night in Los Angeles, Brown and Harbour appeared side by side, smiling for photographers as if to quash the rumours themselves. Asked directly about the allegations, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter: “Obviously, you understand I can’t get into personal on-set matters, but we’ve been doing this for 10 years with this cast, and at this point they’re family. Nothing matters more than having a set where everyone feels safe and happy.” Standing beside his brother Matt, he declined to confirm or deny the claims, but his tone was firm... a subtle attempt to close ranks around a cast that has grown up together on screen. Director and executive producer Shawn Levy struck a similar note. Speaking to reporters, he said, “At the end of the day, that’s the job - to create a respectful workplace where everyone feels comfortable and safe. We did everything to build that environment and we’re proud of the fact that we did so.” Levy went on to call many of the stories circulating this week “wildly inaccurate”, adding, “There’s so much noise around it. But the truth is that we view this crew and this cast as family.” Neither Netflix nor representatives for Brown or Harbour have commented on the report, which claimed that the streamer had investigated the matter “for months” before production wrapped in December. The story also alleged that Brown, now 21, was accompanied by a personal representative on set throughout filming for the fifth season. The timing could hardly have been worse for Netflix. The streamer is in full campaign mode for the show’s final run — a sprawling, three-part release that begins November 26 and ends with a feature-length finale on New Year’s Eve. With Stranger Things long considered one of Netflix’s crown jewels, any hint of scandal threatens to taint what’s expected to be its most-watched farewell. In the show, Brown and Harbour’s characters - Eleven and Chief Hopper - share a complicated father-daughter bond, mixing affection with conflict. Off-screen, Harbour, who is facing his own push back from estranged wife Lily Allen, has often spoken about his protective instincts toward Brown. “I knew her before the fame hit,” he said in a 2021 podcast interview. “I have a real protective feeling for her. I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with.” For now, the allegations remain unverified, neither denied outright nor supported with evidence, but the Stranger Things team seems determined to move on. As one insider put it at the premiere, “They just want to finish strong and let the show speak for itself.”
