David Harbour says that a media report saying his Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown had filed a bullying and harassment claim partly triggered a mental health episode.
The 51-year-old actor is opening up about last year’s viral UK Daily Mail tabloid story that alleged Brown had filed “pages and pages” of claims against him before production started on the Netflix hit’s final season.
Portraying the story as false, Harbour told Variety, “I had a breakdown,” then added a laugh. He called the story’s timing — coming a week after his ex Lily Allen released her album, West End Girl, which was critical of the actor — “weird.”
“[Brown and I] worked together for 10 years during her formative teenage years, playing father and daughter,” said Harbour, who has been open about having bipolar disorder. “I don’t know if people have families and friends that you spend a lot of time with for 10 years — you occasionally get in arguments, disagreements … In families, it’s okay because you’re just in a disagreement, and then you come back together. The problem with a billion-dollar show is that there’s just hundreds of people who want to get involved.”
That said, Harbour suggested he sometimes behaved in “embarrassing” ways on the Stranger Things set.
“I do suffer from some confusing stuff — it’s confusing as hell,” Harbour added. “I think a lot of people have a friend or a brother or a co-worker that deals with mental health stuff, and they’re probably pretty confused when that person gets depressed or gets manic or has an episode.”
“Under times of extreme stress, that can cause somewhat erratic behavior, and it’s embarrassing, and I’m ashamed of it,” he said. “It’s not something I choose, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I do feel like, for some of us, our gifts are inextricably linked with our illnesses. To have a nervous system that reacts to the world in a too-delicate way can allow me to have that moment that I love [in DTF St. Louis] on the swings with Jason. But it can also force me, in moments of extreme stress, to act a little weird.”
As for his current relationship with Brown, Harbour said, “Millie and I are working on several [projects] … You’ll see more of me and Millie — 10 years wasn’t enough. There is a special bond there. I love her. She loves me.”
Brown likewise released a statement expressing positivity about their relationship while acknowledging some emotional times on set: “Over time, our relationship became much more collaborative creatively. When you work with someone for that many years, we could really push each other emotionally in scenes. Even though the series has ended, there’s still a lot of gratitude. Getting to share that experience with him for so many years is something I’ll always remember and value.”
Harbour is currently promoting the final season of Stranger Things and DTF St. Louis for Emmy season.
Read the full article here
