🚨 “I AM NOWHERE NEAR READY TO LEAVE YOU GUYS…” 😭💔 Stranger Things 5: The Emotional Last Days on Set Will DESTROY You!

Millie Bobby Brown sobbing through her farewell speech… Noah Schnapp “feeling very emotional” after his final scene… Finn Wolfhard in shock: “I’ll miss all my friends terribly”… Sadie Sink crying so hard she “grieved it properly”…

The Duffers made EVERY actor’s last day their actual final scene – tears, hugs, uncontrollable crying on set for a YEAR of filming.

Behind-the-scenes pics and videos are flooding in… this family grew up together for a decade. It’s REALLY over.

Who else is already ugly-crying thinking about the finale? Tissues ready for New Year’s Eve? 👇

As the world counts down to the New Year’s Eve premiere of the Stranger Things series finale, the cast and creators are reflecting on the profoundly emotional final days of filming — a wrap that marked the end of a journey spanning nearly a decade for many of the show’s stars.

Filming for Season 5 concluded earlier this year after an exhaustive year-long shoot, delayed by industry strikes but ultimately delivering what the Duffer Brothers call their most ambitious season yet. In a rare scheduling feat, Matt and Ross Duffer structured production so that every principal actor’s last day on set coincided with their character’s final scene — allowing genuine emotions to bleed into performances.

“It was challenging logistically, but it paid off,” Matt Duffer told Variety in a recent oral history of the wrap. “We wanted those goodbyes to feel real because they were.” The result: scenes infused with raw feeling, as actors processed the end of an era in real time.

Millie Bobby Brown, who has played Eleven since age 11, delivered a tearful farewell speech to the cast and crew upon wrapping. In a video shared on Instagram, the now-21-year-old fought back sobs: “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.” Brown, wearing what fans speculate was Eleven’s final outfit — a tight wetsuit — captioned photos “with love, el.”

Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) echoed the sentiment, posting after his last scene: “Feeling very emotional… forever grateful for the incredible people I’ve met and valuable life/career lessons I’ve learned through this decade journey.” Schnapp, who started at age 11 alongside Brown, shared throwback photos spanning the series, highlighting his growth from child actor to young adult.

Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) admitted he was “still in shock,” writing: “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.” He contrasted early Season 1 photos of the young cast with recent ones, calling them “a bunch of goofy young people making something they think is cool but really have no clue what’s to come.”

Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), who joined in Season 2, described her final day as cathartic. “I cried so much that last day. I feel like I grieved it properly, and I got it all out of my system,” she told The Hollywood Reporter, adding with a laugh, “But I fear there’s more coming.” Sink noted the cast supported each other through individual wrap days: “One thing we all did was try to be there for each other on each other’s last days.”

Veterans like David Harbour (Jim Hopper) called the finale script payoff for arcs started in Season 1, while Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson) likened the atmosphere to “the last day of school” — buzzing with hugs, sentimental talks, and a crowded room full of past crew members. Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) summed it up: “It was an emotional roller coaster.”

The emotional peak came during table reads, particularly for the supersized finale. Cast members recall uncontrollable crying as scripts were read aloud. Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers) noted younger stars like Wolfhard and Schnapp breaking first. Brown and Schnapp even handmade personalized bracelets for the 30-plus regulars as a pre-read gesture, leading to a “wholesome” but tear-filled day on couches rather than a traditional table.

Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) spoke of “fatigue” after the marathon shoot but praised the material as “incredible.” Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley) and others shared similar reflections on the family’s bond.

The Duffer Brothers, who created the series in 2016, have teased an epic, character-focused closer without gratuitous shocks. “We’re not trying to upset anyone,” they’ve said, emphasizing satisfaction over spectacle.

Stranger Things has been a cultural juggernaut, turning unknown kids into stars and veterans like Winona Ryder into resurgent icons. The staggered Season 5 release — Volume 1 (episodes 1-4) on November 26, Volume 2 (5-7) on December 25, and the 128-minute finale “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up” on December 31 — has shattered records, with theatrical screenings adding to the event feel.

As fans prepare for closure, the cast’s raw goodbyes remind everyone: Hawkins’ story ends, but the bonds endure. Spinoffs are confirmed, but this chapter — for these characters and actors — closes forever.

Core cast includes Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), and Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna).

Stream now on Netflix — the emotional ride concludes soon.