Here's why Winona Ryder & David Harbour aren't interviewed in Stranger Things documentary

12 January 2026, 09:16 | Updated: 12 January 2026, 09:52

Why aren't Winona Ryder and David Harbour in the Stranger Things documentary? Picture: Monica Schipper/WireImage, Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

By Katie Louise Smith

One Last Adventure features no interviews from Winona or David about Joyce and Hopper's journey in the show.

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The Stranger Things documentary is finally here but sadly, two major cast members are missing from the cast interview line-up. Winona Ryder and David Harbour, who play Joyce and Hopper, do not feature in any interviews in the doc...

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is a two hour long behind-the-scenes look at how the final season came together. From the writers room to the table reads, from the start of production to the final wrap, fans get a front-row seat and insights from that cast and crew themselves.

The Duffer brothers, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer, and Noah Schnapp are among those that share their experience to camera, but the absence of the two leading adults has now left fans wondering why they didn't appear.

Martina Radwan, the director, has now revealed to Variety why Winona and David didn't speak in the documentary.

David Harbour and Winona Ryder do not give interviews for the Stranger Things documentary. Picture: Netflix

While there's plenty of shots here and there of Winona and David on set (including a sweet moment in the final table read where the cast react to the Jopper engagement), there's no interviews with them to camera.

Addressing why they aren't in the documentary, Martina said: "We just didn’t get the time. They were busy with other projects, and so we didn’t have the time to sit down."

When pressed on whether they were able to steal a quick moment between takes, she doubled down, adding: "Unfortunately, with David and Winona, we couldn’t find the time. We tried."

In regards to David, he was filming Marvel's Thunderbolts at the same time as Stranger Things 5.

Winona Ryder and David Harbour can be seen behind-the-scenes in the Stranger Things documentary. Picture: Netflix

While the duo might not have done interviews for the documentary, there are a handful of short interviews with each of them on Netflix's Tudum website.

Winona has spoken about filming opposite Jamie Campbell Bower for the final showdown between Joyce and Vecna, as well as what it's meant to her to work with the kids and see them flourish as the years have gone on.

David has also spoken about filming the Upside Down shoot out with Millie and the military.

But sadly, it's bad news for Jopper fans as there are no interviews of them speaking together about the journey of their iconic TV couple.