David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown have publicly expressed mutual admiration over the years, despite recent claims of a clash on the set of Stranger Things. Harbour, 51, played Jim Hopper in the Netflix sci-fi series, earning two Emmy nominations, while Brown, 22, rose to fame as Eleven. The show concluded with its fifth and final season in 2025.
Past Praise Between Co-Stars
Brown told Empire of her bond with Harbour: 'David and I connected on another level. He always looked out for me, and I always annoyed him like a daughter or a younger sister. I was always trying to climb all over him, and he was always rolling his eyes and laughing at me.' She added that their real-life relationship mirrored that of Eleven and Hopper on screen.
Harbour echoed the sentiment, describing a paternal bond with the younger cast. Speaking to Esquire Spain, he praised the cast as 'all pretty good kids' and expressed hopes for their futures, specifically mentioning Gaten Matarazzo playing King Lear at age 70.
In 2017, Harbour vowed to protect Brown from online abuse, telling People: 'I think she's in the crosshairs of something extremely dangerous… I try to protect her as much as I can.' He also joked about wanting to see her Oscars in his nursing home.
Alleged Harassment Claims Emerge
In November 2025, reports emerged that Brown had filed a harassment and bullying complaint against Harbour before filming the final season. Sources told The Mail on Sunday that the complaint included 'pages and pages' of accusations, leading Brown to have a personal representative on set. The alleged filing did not involve sexual misconduct.
Harbour addressed the reports in a Variety interview, calling it 'a weird thing that came out in a weird way.' He explained: 'We worked together for 10 years during her formative teenage years, playing father and daughter. You occasionally get in arguments, disagreements. In families, it's okay because you're just in a disagreement and then you come back together.'
Brown provided a statement via email: 'Obviously I changed so much from season one to season five and David was there through all of it. Over time, our relationship became much more collaborative creatively. Even though the series has ended, there's still a lot of gratitude.'
Reunion on New Netflix Project
Despite the allegations, Harbour and Brown are set to reunite for a new Netflix father-daughter spy show, written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence). Harbour will play a disgraced ex-FBI agent turned security expert who returns to the field when his estranged daughter, played by Brown, vanishes on a mission. Harbour told Variety: 'You'll see more of me and Millie — 10 years wasn't enough. There is a special bond there. I love her. She loves me.'
