Why Stranger Things’ David Harbour, Winona Ryder Are Missing From Finale Doc

The Stranger Things finale documentary featured interviews with most cast members, but David Harbour and Winona Ryder were noticeably missing from the special.

Netflix released the two-hour special One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 on Monday, January 12, where creators Matt and Ross Duffer documented the experience of filming the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. Cameras followed Ross and Matt, both 41, behind the scenes in the writers’ room, on set and in the days leading up to production coming to an end.

While the crew and the cast were interviewed about their time on the show, there were some stars who were absent from One Last Adventure. Harbour, 50, and Ryder, 54, were seen in footage from the table read but there were no one-on-one confessionals with them despite their costars sitting down to reflect on their individual journeys.

“There aren’t interviews with people beyond the show itself. It’s the Duffers, it’s the cast, it’s the department heads,” director Martina Radwan told Variety on Friday, January 9. “There’s so much information about Stranger Things out in the world that I wanted to keep it in the bubble. Anything that you need to know outside of the show, you can get — it’s out there.”

Radwan confirmed that Ryder and Harbour didn’t film any content, adding, “No, they’re not [in it]. We just didn’t get the time. They were busy with other projects, and so we didn’t have the time to sit down.”

The outlet, however, noted that most of the cast was available — with Millie Bobby Brown being interviewed in costume.

“That was Millie’s idea! She was like, ‘This is my last day, I’m in character,’” Radwan maintained. “Unfortunately, with David and Winona, we couldn’t find the time. We tried.”

Stranger Things focused on a fictional town where a series of supernatural events took place and caused mystery and mayhem. The hit Netflix series became a pop-culture phenomenon — but it was also known for long gaps between filming and lengthy episode runtimes. Season 5 concluded nearly a decade after Stranger Things originally premiered.

Off screen, the show made headlines in November 2025 when reports surfaced that Brown, 21, allegedly “filed a harassment and bullying claim” against Harbour “before they started shooting the last season.” According to the Daily Mail, Brown claimed she was bullied and harassed by Harbour on set, but the complaint did not include allegations of sexual misconduct.

Brown and Harbour put on a united front at the Stranger Things season 5 premiere later that month.

“Of course I felt safe, I mean, we’ve worked together for 10 years,” Brown told Deadline at the time. “I feel safe with everyone on that set.”

She continued: “You naturally just… you know, you’ve been doing it for so long. We also play father and daughter so naturally, we have a closer bond than the rest because we have had some really intense scenes together, especially in season 2. David and I have a great relationship, we work really closely together in the scenes and preparing for the scenes and I really am excited to see … for everyone to see the labor of love and hard work we’ve put into the closure of our relationship and what that looks like.”

Harbour, for his part, hadn’t addressed the reports. The actor, who has been going through a messy high-profile split from Lily Allen, reportedly had multiple instances where he exhibited concerning behavior in public. He subsequently skipped several planned appearances and dropped out of a starring role in new movie Behemoth!

“I’m protective of the people and the reality of my life. There’s no use in that form of engaging [with rumors] because it’s all based on hysterical hyperbole,” Harbour previously told GQ Hype in April 2025 about hosting personal life, adding that he did not want to encourage a “salacious s***show of humiliation.”

Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix.