After spending 10 years playing Jim Hopper, David Harbour is ready to say goodbye to Stranger Things.
Why is David Harbour ready to move on from Stranger Things?
Harbour recently spoke with his former Marvel co-star Scarlett Johansson for Interview Magazine. During their conversation, Johansson asked Harbour about Stranger Things and how he felt about the show ending later this year on Netflix. While grateful for the role, Harbour does feel a sense of relief.
“When I started, I loved it so much,” Harbour said. “Buddies of mine who’d done TV shows for many years said, ‘By season three or four you’ll be running.’ And I was like, ‘Never! I love all these guys so much.’ And then you get to a certain point where you’re like, ‘How much more story is there?’ You’re having to play a lot of the same beat, and there’s a feeling where you’re like, ‘I want to take a risk. I want to do something that people haven’t seen me do before.’ So yeah, after 10 years, it’s like, ‘Okay.'”
Johansson compared Harbour’s experience on Stranger Things to her decade-long commitment to playing Black Widow. Johansson explained that her identity had been tied to this one job for a long time, which left her feeling “a little cagey” as an actor. Harbour felt a similar way with Hopper.
“It’s the same thing with this show,” Harbour explained. “There’d be certain seasons where you feel like, ‘I’m going to go in this different direction.’ But as you say, a piece of your psyche is occupied with this group of people and this storyline. I don’t paint my nails, but I get that idea of ‘I can’t get a haircut’ or ‘I can’t shave this freaking mustache.'”
Harbour has played Hopper since the show’s inception in 2016. Harbour will have his last run as the police chief in Stranger Things Season 5, which premieres in three parts later in 2025 — Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25, and Volume 3 on December 31.
