Entertainment TV Scripted TV Shows Maya Hawke Says Stranger Things' Final Season Is 'Already Starting to Be Heartbreaking' “It's the end of a really long journey," Hawke said about filming the last season of the hit Netflix show By Liza Esquibias Liza Esquibias Liza Esquibias is an Editorial Intern at PEOPLE. She is a rising senior majoring in Journalism at Pepperdine, where she is the editor-in-chief of the school's magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 11, 2024 03:07PM EDT Maya Hawke. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Maya Hawke is navigating the end of Stranger Things after it was announced that the upcoming fifth season will be its last. The 25-year-old actress told Entertainment Tonight at Monday’s premiere of Inside Out 2 that there are a lot of emotions swirling around as the cast of the hit Netflix series films the final season. She said that while it is hard for her to say goodbye after her third season, many have been on the show for its entire eight-year run. “It's already starting to be heartbreaking,” Hawke admitted. “I mean it's the end of a really long journey. Longer for some of my castmates, even, than me.” “It's really sentimental,” she continued. Stranger Things Season 5: All About the Highly-Anticipated Final Season (Left to right) Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Cara Buono, Joe Keery, Amybeth McNulty, Charlie Heaton, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower, Priah Ferguson, Linda Hamilton, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer, Finn Wolfhard and Sadie Sink. Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix Being around the original cast during this time, Hawke said she sees the bond everyone has built throughout the series’ success. “As a late addition cast member, I feel like it's my job to facilitate their feelings and just be grateful and excited to have been part of it all,” Hawke explained. Still in the process of taping the long-awaited season 5, the daughter of Hollywood legends Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman said everyone still finds ways to make their time on set exciting. “We shoot for a long time, so it’s reinvigorating [to bring] the joy and finding it everyday and making it new,” she said. “It's a really fun thing to do. “ Maya Hawke Reveals Acting Tip She Got from Dad Ethan Hawke: 'Some Kind of Little Secret' (Exclusive) (Left to right) Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair. Courtesy of Netflix In February, the Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy gave PEOPLE some insight into what to expect from the upcoming final season. “If I was a fan who had nothing to do with Stranger Things, I would presume that the final season was going to be big in scale,” Levy, 55, said. “But I'd also want to note that the heart and soul of that show, which is its characters, are intact and are as central as spectacle.” “And indeed, they are,” he added. In January, the streaming service revealed filming had picked up nearly two years after season 4 of the Millie Bobby Brown-led show aired. Maya Hawke Says She 'Would Do Anything' for a 'Stranger Things' Spin-Off with Joe Keery's Steve While it is confirmed to be the last, the series’ universe will live on with new projects Netflix has in the works, which includes an animated spinoff show and a prequel play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which debuted in London's West End in December. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Stranger Things’ first four seasons are currently streaming on Netflix. Close