Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown has accused actor David Harbour, who plays a father figure to Brown’s Eleven on the Netflix show, of harassment and bullying, as per reports by the US media.
The accusations have reportedly prompted an internal investigation into the matter ahead of the world premiere of Stranger Things Season 5.
According to reports by Daily Mail and Radar Online, Brown has submitted extensive complaints against Harbour, alleging bullying and harassment during the filming of Stranger Things’ final season.
“Millie Bobby Brown filed a harassment and bullying complaint before filming the last season. The complaints were numerous, spanning pages. The investigation lasted for months,” said a source cited by the Daily Mail.
The results of the probe have not been made public, as per reports.
Apart from Brown, David Harbour’s ex-wife, Lily Allen, has also reportedly filed a complaint of harassment against the actor.
Amid the controversy surrounding Brown and Harbour, an old interview clip of the latter has resurfaced online, in which the actor speaks about his bond with the 21-year-old actress. “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. I have a real protective feeling for her. I have a real, like, worry,” Harbour said in a 2021 interview.
He added, “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.”
The much-admired father-daughter dynamic of David Harbour’s Jim Hopper and Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven is one of the key highlights of the sci-fi show.
Set in the fictional town of Hawkins during the 1980s, the Duffer Brothers' sci-fi series stars Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard in lead roles. The disappearance of Schnapp’s Will Byers in the pilot episode sparks a chain of events that culminate in Brown’s Eleven (aka Jane Hopper) defeating Vecna, the murderous antagonist from an alternate dimension, using telekinesis in the Season 4 finale.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 will be released on November 27, while episodes 5 to 7 will premiere on December 26, and the finale will drop on New Year.