Stranger Things’ David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown co-star as dad and adopted daughter on the Netflix hit, and their onscreen bond continues off-camera, as well. During a recent episode of the That Scene with Dan Patrick podcast, the Chief Hopper and actor opened up about his close relationship with the young star, sharing that he worries about Brown, 17, whom he feels “fatherly” towards.
Speaking on the podcast, Harbour said that he and the Eleven actress “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.” As such, Harbour said, he has “a real protective feeling for her. I have a real, like, worry. 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.”
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His comments came just days after Brown found herself swept up into drama after her after rumored ex-boyfriend Hunter Echo reportedly admitted to “grooming” the underage actress during a drunken live stream. In the since-deleted TikTok video, Echo, whose real name is Hunter Ecimovic, claimed he was romantically involved with Brown and accused her of initiating the relationship. He said he “was living in Millie’s house for eight months.” Brown’s reps soon denied the claims, stating that Echo’s “remarks on social media are not only dishonest but also are irresponsible, offensive, and hateful.” At this time, Brown has not publicly addressed the incident.
The young star found herself thrust into the limelight at the age of 12 following the Season 1 debut of Stranger Things back in 2016, the series instantly becoming a hit and throwing the young cast into the limelight. On the show, Brown stars as Eleven, a young girl with telekinetic powers. Harbour, meanwhile, stars as Hopper, the Hawkins, Indiana police chief who eventually becomes Eleven’s adoptive father. The fan-favorite series is set to return for Season 4, with both Brown and Hopper reprising their roles. Touching on his character arc in the upcoming season, which will find Hopper in a Russian prison camp, Harbour said on the That Scene with Dan Patrick podcast, “One of the interesting things about Hopper this season — although you do see a lot of that fatherly stuff is — I did want to take him back into the warrior realm because there’s something as you get to be the dad role where, you know, it’s a bit like the dad gene.”
At this time, Stranger Things Season 4 does not have a premiere date. Renewed for its fourth outing back in 2019, the show was impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which halted production. Netflix announced in October that Stranger Things had resumed production. While fans await news on the upcoming episodes, they can catch up on past seasons on Netflix.
