Stranger Things Stars Share Emotional Farewell After Series Wrap

The young cast that started as kids on Stranger Things, is now leaving the series as adults after shooting the show for nearly a decade. Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and more cast members shared their heartfelt goodbyes on social media this week after filming officially wrapped.

The highly-anticipated fifth and final season of the popular Netflix sci-fi show finished filming on Friday, according to the streaming service, which shared several behind-the-scenes photos from the set to celebrate the show. Brown, who plays Eleven on the show and whose prominent role has sent her into mainstream success as an actor, shared several slides on Instagram as well — including a speech she gave on set.

“Isn't graduation supposed to bring relief, like you're glad to leave behind the teachers and classmates? Not me. I am nowhere near ready to leave you guys,” Brown said through tears. “I love each and every one of you and I'll forever carry the memories and bonds we've created together as a family.”

The actor shared a carousel of photos, including one of herself as a young girl when she first started playing Eleven. She simply captioned the post, “with love, el ❤️.”

Wolfhard, who plays Mike, also shared his own dedicated Instagram post to his costars and the show itself, writing in the caption: “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.”

The first photo included the young cast from season one, which Wolfhard wrote he “picture[s] this first photo,” when he thinks of his costars. “A bunch of goofy young people making something they think is cool but really have no clue what’s to come.”

Noah Schnapp also posted several photos of his time on set — including a picture of his younger self blowing out birthday candles. He wrote a lengthy caption about the top 10 most “valuable life/career lessons” that he learned while working on the show. “The crew taught me that I can be professional while building genuine, family-like connections.” Schnapp also credited co-star and on-screen mom Winona Ryder for sparking “my love for film by introducing me to her favorite classics from movies like Terms of Endearment to Almost Famous.”

Stranger Things season five has been in the works for nearly three years. The fourth season premiered in May 2022, but filming for the final season was delayed for several reasons, including the Hollywood strikes. While the filmmakers, the Duffer Brothers, have not yet confirmed an exact release date, they have said it will come out sometime in 2025.