David Harbour is addressing the reported tension between him and Millie Bobby Brown.
The ‘Stranger Things’ actor spoke out after reports claimed Brown had filed a harassment and bullying complaint against him while filming the show’s fifth and final season. Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper opposite Brown’s Eleven, said the situation was not as dramatic as the headlines made it seem.
According to Harbour, the two simply had to talk things through. “It’s simple. It was just a simple rupture-and-repair thing that, once we cleared everybody out of the way and talked to each other, we’re fine,” Harbour told Variety in an interview published June 10.
Then he added a pointed comment about how people handle conflict now. “Everyone nowadays is very scared of talking about things,” he said. “People are very scared of being human.”
Harbour Says He And Brown Are ‘Fine’
Harbour said he struggled with how the situation played out publicly.
“It’s unfortunate, because I don’t know how to navigate this weird media world,” he said.
But he insisted the issue between him and Brown was not some permanent feud.
“It was completely normal, and we adore each other and always have,” he added.
Harbour and Brown worked together for a decade on ‘Stranger Things.’ Their characters also shared one of the show’s central emotional relationships, with Hopper becoming Eleven’s adoptive father.That long history, Harbour said, matters.
“It’s a show that went on for 10 years,” he explained. “We worked together for 10 years during her formative teenage years, playing father and daughter.”
He said any long relationship can involve disagreements, especially when people spend that much time together. “I don’t know if people have families and friends that you spend a lot of time with for 10 years,” Harbour said. “You occasionally get in arguments, disagreements.”
Harbour Blames The Bigger Machine Around The Show
From Harbour’s view, the problem became larger because of the scale of ‘Stranger Things.’ “In families, it’s OK because you’re just in a disagreement and then you come back together,” he said. But a Netflix juggernaut is different. “The problem with a billion-dollar show is that there’s just hundreds of people who want to get involved,” he added.
Harbour said the news of the reported claim “came out in a weird way,” but made clear that he and Brown are now on strong terms. “You’ll see more of me and Millie. 10 years wasn’t enough,” he teased. Then he added, “There is a special bond there. I love her. She loves me.”
Brown Also Praised Their Bond
Brown also gave a positive account of her relationship with Harbour.
“Obviously I changed so much from Season one to Season five, and David was there through all of it,” she told Variety in an email.
She said their working relationship became more collaborative as the years passed.
“When you work with someone for that many years, we could really push each other emotionally in scenes,” Brown said.
She added that she remains grateful for their time together. “Getting to share that experience with him for so many years is something I’ll always remember and value,” she said.
Brown Previously Said She Felt Safe On Set
Brown had already spoken warmly about Harbour before this latest interview.
In a Deadline interview posted on TikTok on Nov. 28, the ‘Enola Holmes’ star said she felt safe filming emotional scenes with Harbour. “Of course I felt safe,” Brown said. “We’ve worked together for 10 years. I feel safe with everyone on that set.”
She also described her relationship with Harbour as “great” and said their work together on ‘Stranger Things’ was a “labor of love.”
Brown said Harbour pushed her to bring her best work. “It makes me wanna bring my A-game every single time I see that I’m on the call sheet working with him,” she said, “because I know he’s bringing it right back.”
For now, Harbour is trying to move the story away from the reported claim and back toward the decade-long bond he says still exists. Whatever happened behind the scenes, both stars are publicly presenting the relationship as repaired. And with Harbour teasing more work with Brown, the ‘Stranger Things’ chapter may not be the end of their onscreen partnership after all.
