With the fifth and final season of Stranger Things in the bag, Millie Bobby Brown is bidding farewell to the role of a lifetime.
After the Netflix show’s production wrapped this week, the 2x Emmy nominee shared a video of her emotionally heartfelt goodbye to her fellow cast and crew, more than eight years after the Duffer Brothers series premiered.
“Isn’t graduation is supposed to bring relief, like you’re glad to leave behind the teachers and classmates? Not me,” said Brown through tears. “I am nowhere near ready to leave you guys. I love each and every one of you, and I’ll forever carry the memories and bonds we’ve created together as a family. I love you. Thank you.”
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She shared the video with a series of behind-the-scenes throwback photos from her five-season run. “With love, El,” Brown wrote in the caption, a nod to her character Eleven.
Brown, who was 12 when the series began, previously praised the show for giving her “the tools and the resources to be a better actor” but admitted she’s ready to depart Stranger Things.
“When you’re ready, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s do this. Let’s tackle this last senior year. Let’s get out of here,’” she explained to Glamour. “Stranger Things takes up a lot of time to film and it’s preventing me from creating stories that I’m passionate about. So I’m ready to say, ‘Thank you, and goodbye.’”
Noting that nobody is dying, Brown added, “When it ends, I’m going to be able to still see these people.”
Brown’s co-stars also gave some emotional farewells, with Will Byers actor Noah Schnapp sharing some of the greatest lessons he’s learned on set.
“Two days ago, I wrapped my final scene as Will Byers, and I’m feeling very emotional,” he captioned his own throwbacks. “As I close this chapter of my life, I can’t help but be forever grateful for the incredible people that I’ve met and valuable life/career lessons I learned through this decade journey.”
Schnapp singled out each of his co-stars with praise, as well as the Duffer Brothers and director Shawn Levy.
“Growing up I always felt like an outcast, unsure of where I fit in,” he continued. “Navigating life in the spotlight while carrying this feeling, through every awkward phase and embarrassing moment exposed for the world to see, has definitely been an unusual experience. But I’ve been honored to share it with my incredible co-stars, who understand it in a way that no one else can.
“Stranger Things was more than a job; it was a lifelong dream. A dream made reality thanks to the Duffers. Thank you for taking a chance on me when I was just a 10 year old kid and entrusting me with something so important to you both. Together, this cast + crew has built something so very special, and I couldn’t be any more excited for the world to see the final chapter. Stranger Things is a never ending story for me – it’s in my heart forever,” added Schnapp.
Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, wrote, “We just wrapped Stranger Things Season 5. I’m still in shock. We shot it for a year and I’ll miss all of my friends and our characters terribly. When I think of the show, I picture this first photo. A bunch of goofy young people making something they think is cool but really have no clue what’s to come. I feel like we’re still those people and I’m lucky to still stand beside them today. I hope you’ll love this season as much as I do. See you all next year.”
Sadie Sink, who joined the cast in Season 2 as Max Mayfield, captioned her post, “That’s a series wrap on Stranger Things. This show, character, and every person involved made me who I am. It gave me the most amazing childhood. It brought me to my best friends. Saying goodbye is so painful, but I leave with memories and love to last a lifetime. I’m eternally grateful.”
On Friday, Netflix announced that Stranger Things wrapped production, sharing behind-the-scenes photos from Season 5, which began filming in January. The final season is set to premiere in 2025.