Posted in: Netflix, Preview, Stranger Things, streaming, TV | Tagged: netflix, preview, season 5, stranger things, stranger things 5

Stranger Things 5 "Like Senior Year": Brown; "Exciting" for Harbour

Millie Bobby Brown & David Harbour share how they're feeling about the end of the series heading into filming on Netflix's Stranger Things 5.

From Linda Hamilton ("Terminator" franchise, Resident Alien) joining the cast and Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) being tapped to direct an episode to a live theater prequel production on the way, things had been pretty active on the production front for Ross Duffer & Matt Duffer's (The Duffer Brothers) Stranger Things 5 ahead of the still-ongoing SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes. Now, as the entertainment industry waits for the AMPTP to come to its senses and cut a deal with both unions, we've been getting chances to hear from the cast & creative team about how they're feeling now that they know they're heading into the final season. For this go-around, Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven, aka Jane) and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) are explaining why the end of the global phenomenon is also a good thing for the actors professionally – and how Harbour was surprised to hear about the newest addition to the cast.

"I think I'm ready. It's been such a huge factor in part of my life, but it's like graduating high school; it's like senior year," Brown shared during an interview with Women's Wear Daily. "You're ready to go and blossom and flourish, and you're grateful for the time you've had, but it's time to create your own message and live your own life." For Harbour, there's something about knowing that the journey is coming to an end that makes "pouring" himself into the final run feels "exciting" to him. "There's something about pouring yourself into the final season, that sprint to the finish line, that is exciting and almost euphoric to me," Harbour shared with NME. As for the future? "The next chapter will be exciting," the actor added. As for Hamilton joining the cast, it sounds like that was something that caught Harbour by surprise just as much as it did the fans. "It surprised me when they announced that because I know that this writers' strike has not come to a deal yet," Harbour shared. "And I think they're committed to not shooting until they do reach a deal."

Matt & Ross Duffer Discuss Stranger Things 5

Ross on Having "Quite a Bit More" of the "Overall Plan" & "Backstory" to Reveal: "I remember season one, we were just amazed that Netflix was letting us do this at all, but season two was when we really, with the writers, we developed an overall plan and a backstory for all of this and make sure that, with the Upside Down, everything about what it was." Though the fourth season offered quite a few answers, Ross says "we do have quite a bit more to get in. But just as important as the supernatural, we have so many characters now – most who are still living – and it's important to wrap up those arcs. A lot of these characters have been growing since season one, so it's a balancing act between giving them time to complete their character arcs and also tying up loose ends and doing our final reveals."

Matt on Making Netflix Execs Cry During 2-Hour Final Season Pitch Meeting: "We did get our executives to cry, which I felt was a good sign that these executives were crying. The only other times I've seen them cry were like budget meetings [crowd laughs]."

Season 5 Does Right by "The Lifeblood of 'Stranger Things'" – Levy: "As a witness and having been in that two-hour pitch room and having read this first script – I'm paralyzed with fear that I'll spoil anything, but I will say the thing about these Duffer Brothers is that even though the show has gotten so famous and the characters have gotten so iconic, and there's so much about the '80s and the supernatural and the genre, it's about these people, it's about these characters. Season five is already so clearly taking care of these stories of the characters because that's always been the lifeblood of 'Stranger Things.'"

Season 5 Will Be "A Culmination" of Previous Seasons' Pop Culture Themes/References – Ross: The final season will be "a culmination of all of the seasons, so it's sort of got a little bit from each, whereas before each season was so distinctly – three, this is our big summer blockbuster season with our big monster; four was the psychological horror. I think that what we're trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit in the tone of [season] one, but scale-wise it's more in line with what [season] four is. Hopefully, it's got a little bit of everything."

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!