(Credit: Netflix)

Just when viewers thought it was time to go all in with Stranger Things on Netflix one last time, Daily Mail sent them to a different kind of Upside Down with reports alleging that David Harbour “bullied and harassed” co-star Millie Bobby Brown.

The actor reportedly faced an internal enquiry following the accusations, although the outcome of the investigation remains shrouded in mystery. According to an alleged source cited by the tabloid, “Millie Bobby Brown filed a harassment and bullying claim before they started shooting the last season. There were pages and pages of accusations. The investigation went on for months.”

While Netflix declined to comment on the issue and whether there’s any truth to it, tabloids have taken note of the allegations, which are currently making the rounds on social media. Although Harbour has yet to speak up on the matter, Esquire Spain recently published an insightful conversation with the Stranger Things star, which took place earlier in September.

Speaking of when he finally realised his star moment, Harbour said, “There was a very specific moment when I realised I had become, like an ‘international star’ – and that was the weekend that Stranger Things came out.” It was a moment of epiphany when it dawned upon him that he would be on the cover of magazines and talk shows, which are life-changing experiences he hadn’t had before.

When Stranger Things fame hit Harbour, he was 41 years old. Upon being asked what it feels like, he said with a laugh, “The great thing about getting famous when you’re older is that you know you’re going to die, so who cares? You get to enjoy it more, I think, instead of try to preserve it or control it or hang on to it. You take it so seriously, it defines you, and you have to chase it. [Whereas] it’s just like, Oh, this is a nice little treat. We’ll just ride it and see what it has to offer, but not get lost in its wilds of self-importance.”

Harbour didn’t exactly shy away from opening up about whether he had any advice to give to his “younger castmates” from the hit series when it comes to surviving the cutthroat industry, recounting his own struggles with substance abuse. He called them “pretty good kids,” adding that, “Maybe it’s just because I’m sober, I’m sure everyone’s doing them, but it just feels like kids are not as substance-abusive as my generation was.”

That said, he’s definitely worried about the other drawbacks that come with fame. “One of the real hopes to hang on to in this business for me has been the artistry of what you’re doing. There are things that are just so beyond your control – whether or not you get box office, or whether or not people like you,” he explained. However, as long as the most important aspect remains under one’s siege, which is the love for storytelling, they’re good to go.

But having been part of something as huge as the Netflix phenomenon for a decade, it isn’t exactly a cakewalk to let it go after all this time. Thankfully, though, the Marvel universe has been a saviour for Harbour in more ways than one. It’s not easy not to succumb to the void, which comes with equal parts sadness and fear. However, he acknowledges that the end also offers more time and space to do his own thing.

He touched upon Stranger Things and the future, saying, “I do think it will stand the test of time, but I also think it will be a product of its time. I think we have to figure out new ways to tell stories to a younger generation,” and in a way, he’s enthusiastic about what changes await the universe since there’s nothing more he would love than to be a part.