At a Glance
- Millie Bobby Brown, 21, teared up while reading her final dialogue with David Harbour, 50, during the Stranger Things finale table read
- Netflix documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 captures the emotional moment on Dec. 31
- Brown’s character Eleven tells Hopper, “You protected me, you raised me, you became my dad”
- Why it matters: The behind-the-scenes footage reveals the real-life bond between the actors as the series ends after nine years
Millie Bobby Brown openly wept while reading the last conversation between Eleven and Hopper at the Stranger Things series finale table read. Netflix’s new documentary shows the 21-year-old actress pausing mid-scene to look across the room at co-star David Harbour, 50, as she delivered her character’s heartfelt goodbye.
The Emotional Final Table Read
Cameras captured the cast gathering for the final episode read-through featured in One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, released Dec. 31. When Brown reached the moment where Eleven faces Vecna in the Abyss, she stopped after reading, “When you found me in the woods, I was just a kid. I was scared. I didn’t understand this world, didn’t understand people. But you took me in and you taught me.”
She locked eyes with Harbour, choked up, and finished: “You protected me, you raised me, you became my dad.”
Earlier, Harbour had reacted strongly to a different scene where Hopper appears to shoot Eleven multiple times. Co-creator Ross Duffer set the stage for the moment, prompting Harbour to shout, “No, no, no, no. Holy s—.”
A Complicated Father-Daughter Dynamic
The Duffer brothers told News Of Losangeles they intentionally crafted tension between the two characters in the final season. Matt Duffer explained they wanted to explore “this dynamic of a parent and their child, who’s actually no longer really a child anymore, is actually a young adult, becoming an adult – and how do you deal with that?”
Ross Duffer added that Hopper’s “greatest fear” is that “Eleven wouldn’t be able to live happily and that she would die at the end of all this.”
On-Set Conflict Report
Despite their close on-screen relationship dating back to the show’s 2016 premiere, Amanda S. Bennett noted that The Daily Mail reported Brown filed a bullying and harassment complaint against Harbour before season 5 filming began. The report claimed the filing contained “pages and pages of accusations” and that Brown had a representative accompany her on set.
Red Carpet Reunion
At the Los Angeles premiere days later, both actors praised each other publicly. Brown told Entertainment Tonight, “I’ve obviously had a really special bond with David because we have a father-daughter relationship, and we do every scene together. It’s been so special to have him along the journey for me.”
Harbour responded, “I adore her.”
Key Takeaways
- Brown’s emotional reaction during the table read highlights the real-life bond formed over nine seasons
- The Netflix documentary provides rare behind-the-scenes access to the cast’s final days together
- Despite reported off-screen tensions, both actors publicly expressed mutual respect at the premiere
- The Duffer brothers used the father-daughter relationship as a central emotional arc for the series conclusion
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is now streaming on Netflix.
