Money is the motive.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix and the cast of the wildly popular Stranger Things series have recently finished intense contract renegotiations. Although Netflix has declined to comment, sources tell the news site that the streaming service is paying about $350,000 per episode to the cast for the next season. The new payment scale divides the actors in the series into tiers.
Winona Ryder and David Harbour comprise the "A" tier level, making up to $350,000 per episode. The "B" tier is made up of the younger stars. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will, who are played by Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp, respectively. They will earn $250,000 per episode. The "C" tier consists of Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve, played by Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery, respectively. They will make about $150,000 per episode.
Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, reportedly separated herself from renegotiations. Her team has refused to comment on how much she will be earning moving forward. She is rumored to be making at least $250,000, and could possibly be making as much as Winona Ryder. The cast of Stranger Things was offered a $60,000 bonus after the show took off, but that paycheck was simply a drop in the bucket compared to the millions Netflix raked in off the show. Prior to renegotiations, the children were reportedly making about $20,000 per episode, while the adults were making between $80,000-$100,000.