For more than ten years”Stranger things‘ formed Millie Bobby Brown‘s childhood, career and closest relationships.
However, when the cameras finally stopped rolling Netflix‘s blockbuster series, the actress discovered that saying goodbye was much harder than she ever imagined.
Instead of celebrating the end of a hugely successful chapter, Brown dealt with unexpected emotions, doubted friendships and struggled to come to terms with life without the people who had become her second family.
Millie Bobby Brown candidly reflected on the emotional aftermath of wrapping up “Stranger Things” during a live taping of Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in New York City.
Although she has long been known for her cheerful personality, Brown admitted that she was unprepared for the profound impact the series’ ending would have on her.
“It was very difficult for me,” Brown recalled per Page sixand added, “I didn’t expect this to come out of the show. I’m a very cheerful person.”
Instead of feeling relieved after wrapping up one of Netflix’s biggest franchises, Brown said she was overwhelmed by unexpected sadness.
The 22-year-old described falling into “a mild depression” and explained that the emotional burden of closing such an important chapter in her life hit much harder than she ever imagined.
Brown tried to repair her relationship with her co-stars
As she processed the end of the series, Millie Bobby Brown also found herself reaching out to the people she had worked with for years.
The young star admitted that she wanted to make sure there was no lingering tension with her ‘Stranger Things’ family, which includes David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin and Winona Ryder.
“I was like, ‘We’re still friends, right? You’re not going to stop talking to me anymore, are you?'” she recalled.
Brown explained that she apologized if she ever hurt anyone during their decade together, hoping to leave the production on good terms.
She explained, “I was like, ‘I’m sorry if I ever upset you,’ and I was just trying to fix something. ‘It’s been ten years and I really want to be friends. You’re my sibling.'”
The emotions continued long after filming. While spending time by the ocean, the “Enola Holmes” star said the reality of it all finally caught up with her.
“And then I was on the beach, it was beautiful, and I just sat there and cried,” she continued. “It was a very difficult time for me.”
Millie Bobby Brown says Eleven has become part of who she is
For Brown, “Stranger Things” wasn’t just an acting job. It represented her childhood, her identity, and many of the relationships that shaped her formative years.
She started playing Eleven when she was just ten years old and stayed with the series for its five seasons from 2016 to 2025. Looking back, Brown said the experience was something that very few people could truly understand.
“And no one will ever understand,” she said. Brown explained that playing Eleven became inextricably linked to her own life, as she spent more time with the cast than she often did with her own family.
In her words, “I started the show when I was ten, and this character was me, and these people were more in my life than my own family.”
She added that she saw her castmates more often than she could sit down for dinner at home, making saying goodbye after ten years together particularly painful.
Brown admitted that leaving the character behind remains one of the hardest parts of wrapping up the series. “I’m going to miss Eleven more than anything,” she noted.
Brown and Harbor are past their on-set disagreement
Although Millie Bobby Brown now speaks fondly of her castmates, her time on ‘Stranger Things’ was not entirely conflict-free.
Ahead of the show’s fifth season, reports emerged claiming that she had filed a complaint against David Harbour, who played her on-screen adoptive father, Chief Jim Hopper.
According to previous reports, Harbor was the subject of an internal investigation before production began on the final season, although the outcome of that investigation was never made public. Brown also reportedly filmed the final episode with a personal representative on set.
Earlier this month, Harbor publicly acknowledged that there were tensions between him and Brown, though he emphasized that they eventually resolved their differences.
Speak with Varietyhe compared the disagreements to family dynamics, noting that families “occasionally have arguments and disagreements” before eventually “coming back together.”
He also explained that others got involved before the two stars decided to resolve the issue themselves. Harbor said that once he and Brown “got everyone out of the way and talked to each other,” they were doing “fine.”
Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbor found common ground after clearing the air
Harbor reflected further on the situation and revealed that the biggest challenge wasn’t the disagreement itself, but how uncomfortable people felt with honest conversations.
“Everyone is very afraid to talk about things these days,” he reflected, further noting, “People are very afraid of being human. It’s a shame because I don’t know how to navigate this weird media world.”
Despite headlines about their relationship, Harbor insisted the conflict never changed the foundation of their bond.
“But it was completely normal and we love each other and always have,” he said.
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